Sining Samahan – 45th Annual Concert of Philippine Music & Dance

“Sining SAMAHAN – The Art of Coming Together ” showcases the Filipinos’ folk dances and rituals that bring together people of every walk of life from various villages and regions of the Philippines. The full concert repertoire features the Spanish influenced dances, called Maria Clara, and the rural dances of the peasants in the countryside in central regions of the Philippines performed with live music accompaniment by the SAMAHAN Rondalla String Ensemble. The Concert also features the ethnic dances and rituals of the indigenous Filipino tribes, such as the Kalinga in the Cordilleras in Northern Luzon, the Maranao of Mindanao, the Sama and Tausug tribes of the Sulu Archipelago. Tribal dances and rituals are traditionally performed with the beats of gongs and bamboo music. The Pakaraguian Kulintang Ensemble, the only one of its kind in Southern CA, provides the Gangsa and Kulintang (flat and bossed gongs) and bamboo percussion music that accompany the ethnic dances.