Publisher's Note

Publisher’s Note
It was 22 years ago when I arrived in Canada and chose Calgary, Alberta to be my home. Leaving my family and friends behind, it was a new adventure for me to be in a new country without knowing anyone. That was the time I looked for a Filipino community paper and never found any, [...]
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Page added on April 21, 2012

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Celebrating the Filipino Artist – the Philippine Arts Festival

by Ida Beltran-Lucila

Filipino artists take center stage in the Philippine Arts Festival on June 23, 2012 at the University of Albertaʼs Myer Horowitz Theatre. On its 2nd offering, the festival is a bi-yearly celebration of the arts, life and the spirit of the Philippines. It is a multi-disciplinary festival of theatre, dance, classical and contemporary music, ﬁlm, literature, visual arts, design and more.

A brainchild of yours truly as Festival Director and choreographer Jojo Lucila as Artistic Director, the Philippine Arts Festival aims to increase awareness and promote the publicʼs appreciation of Philippine arts and culture; collaborate with artists and companies by initiating and producing new work; provide artists of all ages and at all stages of their career with greater exposure, recognition, networking opportunities and professional development; and to forge unity and community spirit within the Filipino community.

So what was the impetus for this project? Living in another country lends a new perspective on your own culture – things that one tend to take for granted. I have worked with foreign artists in the past who have remarked on the incredible talent of the Filipinos, and all the while I thought that they were merely paying lip service. Now, far removed from my home country, I realize that they were simply stating a fact. And Filipino artists, all over the globe and in various disciplines, continue to give us pride and honor with their work.

Through this Philippine Arts Festival, we salute our artists and provide them a vehicle to showcase their talent, works and legacy. We remember our country and the people who have shaped our culture through their art and became a voice for society. We bank on the solidarity and bayanihan spirit that Filipinos are known for, no matter where in the world they may be. So that at least for a couple of hours, in this festival, when we come together as a community and celebrate the core of our being – we bring the Filipino back home.

This yearʼs festival will headline the Filipino themes of love and romance, the traditional games of skills, the ﬁestas (feasts), and the social issue of Filipino migrants. It will gather about 70 artists from Edmonton, Vancouver and Red Deer. Featured artists include: Vancouver-based ﬁlmmaker Angelina Cantada, who has proven herself in ﬁlm festival circuits in the US and Canada; the long-standing Filipino-Canadian Saranay Association; musical arranger Geris; the authentic Filipino martial arts Pekiti-Tirsia Kali – Alberta; the much sought after Philippine Choral; the versatile dancers of The Lucila Project; the Paciﬁc Island Dance Troupe; the folk dance sector of the Phil. Canadian Association of Red Deer & District; and Pinoy Singing Sensation young champion Wency Calderon. Lixmila Serrano of Gala Management and Event Services joins our team as Executive Producer.

For more information: www.philippineartsfestival.com.

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Celebrating the Filipino Artist – the Philippine Arts Festival

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