FASA presents ‘Bagobo’ dance

FASA, the Filipino American Student Association, held its 20th annual culture night April 5 at the Burruss Hall auditorium of the University of Virginia in Blacksburg, featuring the Bagobo dance. Kissa Fernandez, a senior at Virginia Tech and the vice president of FASA, was the event coordinator for culture night. “Bagobo is a dance,” Fernandez said. “It’s about clearing the field for planting new rice. Bago means new and tubo means growth.” The Bagobo dance imitates the motions of planting crops, and represents a fresh start and progress. It will be a night of different dances, both traditional and modern, skits, a fashion show, and a power point of FASA’s activities to summarize the accomplishments of the year.

This event will showcase Filipino culture. The night had five main themes which represent major regions in the Philippines. They included tribal, mountain, Muslim, rural and Maria Clara. There were dances and other performances that give a better perspective of the region as a whole. Fernandez said her favorite dance is the Muslim sweet because it imitates the movements of fish in the water. She has been a member of FASA since her freshman year. Many alumni from the past 20 years have been interviewed about their experiences in an effort to collect and record memories for FASA’s oral history project.

Popularity: 15% [?]