Kaloob dance troupe performs in two intl festivals in Greece

To “showcase the rich cultural heritage of the Philippines through dance and music,” the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) for the first time sent an all-Pinoy research-based dance troupe to two international folk festivals. 

In a news release, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the Kaloob Philippine Music and Dance Ministry, was the country's official representative to the Lefkas International Folklore Festival in Lefkada in Greece from August 19 to 26. Kaloob also represented the Philippines in the Earthdancers Festival in Athens from August 27 to September 2. Research on indigenous groups

 

According to its website, Kaloob, which has been around since 1993, is "zealously committed to the studious research, documentation, preservation, appreciation, promotion and creative reuse of fast-vanishing Philippine indigenous music, dance and rituals." Kaloob undertakes "careful study of every dance and music, their peculiarities, context, aesthetics and most especially, their spirit,” said Pastor Ed Lapiz, KALOOB’s founder, on their website. 

 

Lapiz said he channelled his efforts into research-based performance art when he saw the power of indigenous expressions in enriching the national identity of Filipinos. 

 

He explained that his group does not merely dance, but rather, they remain faithful to the context and essence by which these rituals were originally performed. Only in this way can dance “imbibe the true spirit of these expressions and translate [it] into authentic representations of Filipino indigenous culture,” he said. - VVP, GMA News