Unleashing Filipino Artistry: A Look Into Sayaw, Bridging the Gap Short Film, and FilNight 2023

Joining Sayaw, UW’s Filipino Folk dancing troupe was something I never expected to happen. My freshman year roommate Grace got involved in her first year at UW and I often went to her performances to support.

The next year, she surprised me by telling me to join, convincing me that the dances were beginner-friendly, and that people are welcoming. I think what I feared most was that people wouldn’t accept me because I’m a mixed Filipina. I also was afraid that I would be terrible at dance and that I would be a hindrance to the group.

Nevertheless, I started to believe Grace and my other friends who participated in Sayaw as they encouraged me to try it out. She spontaneously taught me some dance steps while we were at a bus stop and helped me build my confidence.

I had always wanted to try dance but never got the opportunity to take classes growing up. My Lola danced these traditional Filipino dances and I admired her for her grace and confidence.

Grace brought me to the introduction practices during Dawg Daze because I was way too scared to go by myself, and from then on I continued to attend practices.

My first opportunity to perform came at the time of Simbang Gabi, which is a Filipino Christmas tradition where people gather in the 9 days leading up to Christmas for Mass. The other beginners and I performed Pandanggo Sa Ilaw Oasiwas, which is a graceful partner dance with candles balanced on the head and in each hand. It was my first attempt at dance but it was very rewarding!

From then on, I learned other dances including Sayaw sa Bangko, Tinikling, and Pukol. My next goal is to learn Binasuan, which is a dance where the dancers spin and even turn on the ground with water-filled drinking glasses balanced on the head and on each flat palm. My Lola was famous for this dance, and so I want to learn it as a way to honor her legacy.

We performed these dances at both public and private events throughout the year. The biggest performance we prepared for was Filnight, which FASA hosted on May 20th, 2023.

Preparation for FilNight required months of practice and planning. This year was full of surprises, and one of them was that I ended up as one of the actors in a short film! We choreographed our Sayaw dance performances to correspond with an original student-directed and produced film called Bridging the Gap, which we started filming in March 2023. The film follows a Filipino international student who comes to UW and grapples with questions of identity and authenticity as he is pulled to join Sayaw and meets members of the Seattle Filipino community, falling in love along the way.

It was so fun to be a part of this short film. I also never would have imagined trying out acting, but once again, I was inspired to try by my roommate. This time it was my roommate Kristina, who is also very involved in Sayaw. She was practicing auditioning in the common room, and I thought, hey, that looks kind of fun. So I tried out the audition, sent it in, and never expected to hear a response. But then I got a message that I was cast for the role, and things went on from there!

I think my favorite part about the film was that it connected us together. Most of the cast didn’t know each other at first because people were from different schools and cities. But by the end we all had spent a lot of time with each other, and had made something that we were all really proud of. Since FilNight, we have all stayed in contact and gathered for more events, whether a surprise birthday party, a barbecue, Sayaw workshops, and more. Some people in the film have even joined Sayaw since then!

I invited everyone I knew to attend FilNight when the day finally came around. As Sayaw, we were stressed but prepared. Excitement was high. We had done countless rehearsals, sayaw saturdays, dress rehearsals, and run-throughs on the stage. I attended the Palengke, the FASA-hosted market with local vendors and artists before the evening event and then we continued practicing before the big night. FilNight included gameshows, an art walk, poetry readings, music performances, and then lastly the film and dances.

And finally, a letter to my Sayaw peeps:

My heart is so full! I couldn’t have asked for a more supportive, kind, encouraging family. Sayaw time truly flies. Hours go by on Sayaw Saturday practices without any of us realizing it. You make this little corner of Seattle more like home each day.

Whether we're cramming the bangkos into the elevator, doing karaoke, dance circles, boba runs, making movies, invading IHOP at midnight, getting strange looks when carrying the kawayan (bamboo Tinikling poles) through the Ave, doing say-outs and a bazillion bereals, making sure no one steps on broken glass, finding our Sayaw mascot, celebrating each others’ wins and helping when things are rough, the little things are what add up to something really meaningful.

I love getting to dance with you <3