Bayanihan presents a dancing tour-de force

Bayanihan presents a dancing tour-de force

Join thousands of North Americans who have already been enchanted by the powerful performances of Bayanihan, The National Folk Dance Company of the Philippines.

Taking its name from an ancient Filipino tradition called bayanihan, which means ‘working together for a common good’, the Bayanihan troupe was founded in 1956 by Dr. Helen Z. Benitez. The Bayanihan story spans over forty-five years of performances all over the world. It was founded to pursue the following mandate: to conduct research in ethnic rites, tribal folklore and regional folk ways; to collect indigenous art forms as expressed in music, dance, literature, arts and crafts; to distill and transform these cultural traditions into theatrical presentations; and to promote international understanding through cultural exchange and performances abroad.

Bayanihan mounted a production for the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair, which proved to the sensation of the Fair, and was featured in Ed Sullivan’s TV program on the highlights of the Fair, beamed coast-to-coast in the US. A year later noted impresario Sol Hurok signed up Bayanihan for his annual International Dance Festival. Opening at the Winter Garden Theater on October 13, 1959, Bayanihan’s Broadway debut was accorded unanimous critical acclaim by New York critics.

The first Filipino group to perform on Broadway, Bayanihan also has the distinction of being the first non-American dance company to take the stage at New York’s Lincoln Center, as well as the first Philippine cultural group to perform in Russia, the People’s Republic of China, and throughout South America.

A multi-awarded company, nationally and internationally, Bayanihan has awakened a new pride among Filipinos in their cultural heritage; preserved and added a new dimension to the country’s dance tradition, and has built for the country a rich reserve of international goodwill.

Tickets available at The Copps Coliseum Box Office, on line at www.ticketmaster.ca or charge by phone 905-527-7666

TICKETS ON SALE: NOW

For further information contact Evelyn at evelyne@glatzconcerts.com. Or by phone at 416-323-1403 x112

For ticket information contact Roy Thomson Hall Box Office at 416-872-4255
Hamilton Place Theatre: For ticket information contact The Copps Coliseum Box Office at 905-546-4040.

(PRESS RELEASE)