Center provides free cultural dance lessons (Sun.Star, Friday, October 19, 2007)

Center provides free cultural dance lessons

By Ian Ocampo Flora

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- A premier dance training center here is offering free training workshops for cultural dances in hopes of popularizing Kapampangan dance culture.

The Sinukwan Training Center for the Arts (STCA) will be holding free dance lessons at the Robinsons Starmills Pampanga every Saturdays and Sundays starting this month. The STCA is a non-profit organization set up in 1992 by a group of cultural dance enthusiasts. Since its inception, the STCA has focused on other dance genres such as jazz, pop, modern dancing and even Kapampangan cultural dances.

Peter de Vera, artistic director of the STCA, said their group hopes to make "ripples" by creating distinct dance moves that would be associated with Kapampangans.

"Most of the moves that we are teaching are original dances that we have conceptualized and used in various stints we had abroad and in various shows and competition," de Vera said, adding that most of their participants are dance enthusiasts and choreographers from various schools in the region.

The SCTA is training around 50 participants, four of which even come from the US.

Anamaria Labao Cabato, executive director of the Philippine Performing Arts Company (Pacasat) based in San Diego, California, has long been tracking down a dance that was performed by Saint Louis University of Baguio during an international tour.

"It took us seven years to trace the dance here in the Philippines and we were so lucky to learn that it was a dance that originated here in Pampanga," Cabato said.

Pacasat is an organization of Kapampangan arts and culture enthusiasts who bonded themselves together with the aim of popularizing Kapampangan culture among fellow kabalens abroad.

Upong getting wind of de Vera's free training, Cabato trooped to San Fernando along with four other Pacasat members just to learn the "Lantern Dance" that was popularized by the STCA. The Lantern Dance is the signature move of the STCA which was first presented at the Paskuhan Village (now WOW Philippines Hilaga).

"We are so happy to learn the dance and even more, we are going to include this dance (Lantern Dance) and other Kapampangan dance moves that we have learned into our performances abroad," Cabato said.

Pacasat will also be holding a Lantern Festival in San Diego by December and would highlight the lantern-making tradition and the Lantern Dance, according to Cabato.

De Vera said the foreign delegation inspires them more to do their advocacies in a whole new level.

"I was so happy that they were enchanted by the dance, I only hope that Kapampangans here in the country would have the same enthusiasm," de Vera said.