SG50: Singapore-Philippines cultural evening in Manila

The Singapore Embassy in Manila, in partnership with the Bayanihan and Singapore Dance Theatre, will be hosting the Singapore-Philippines Cultural Night on Thursday, 27 August at 8.00 pm at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Main Theater. The performances celebrate Singapore’s 50^th year of independence and the cultural diversity of both countries.  Both troupes promise an evening of elegance and artistry where a mélange of dance styles will be showcased.

Singapore Dance Theatre (SDT) was founded in 1988 by Goh Soo Khim and Anthony Then. SDT has since developed into Singapore’s premiere professional dance company comprising of 32 Dancers plus apprentices. The highlights of the SDT’s performance season each year include the widely popular outdoor dance event – Ballet Under the Stars at Singapore’s Fort Canning Park.  SDT’s repertoire ranges from classical to contemporary ballet, from renowned choreographers like Choo-San Goh, George Balanchine and Graham Lustig.  Under the leadership of its artistic director Janek Schergen, SDT is achieving new heights in the international and Singapore dance arena. In the last seven years, the Company has added 20 world premieres and 14 company premieres to the repertoire, in addition to numerous revivals of the existing Company’s repertoire.  

The Bayanihan is the oldest dance company in the Philippines. A multi-award winning company, both nationally and internationally, Bayanihan is renowned as the depository of almost all Filipino dances, dress and songs.  Founded by Dr. Helena Z. Benitez in 1956, Bayanihan, was officially declared by the government  as the National Folk Dance Company of the Philippines in 1998.   Backed up by research and innovative choreography Bayanihan has earned many distinctions, some of which are: the first non-American dance company to perform at the Lincoln Center in New York, the first to make an in depth tour of South America and the Peoples republic of China, the first cultural group to perform at the Winter Garden in Broadway, New York and the first and only dance company to win the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay award for International Understanding.  In more than half a century, Bayanihan has covered 14 major tours, more than 100 short tours in six continents and in more than 700 cities worldwide.  Today, Bayanihan shines proudly as a nine-time World Dance Grand Prize Winner.  It has brought pride to the Philippines many times over by showcasing the beauty of the Philippines and the story of the Filipinos through its music and exquisite dances.