May 26th, 2011 by Liz, President(e)

Consular Feast, May 27, 28 and 29 2011, Place Bellecour, LYON FRANCE

A week before the city of Lyon celebrates the 10th year of existence of the Consular Week or Fêtes Consulaires, Pinoy’s Best Association, this year’s representative of the Filipino community in Lyon in the much awaited cultural event in the city, has finalized its program for the three-day celebration.

The Philippine participation will duplicate the framework that has been the basis of the community’s remarkable undertaking for the past few years to share its cultural heritage with the inhabitants of its home away from home. On Saturday, May 27, the traditional parade attended by representative of foreign communities and local cultural associations, including PBA members, friends and supporters in native costumes representing the Cordillera tribes, the Atis, and Mindanao tribes, will travel through the main artery of the city center that will end right at the main Square of the city, Place Bellecour, where 59 consulates will feature the best of each one’s national pride in terms of culinary and fine arts, music and dances and tourist attractions.

One of the 59 booths in the heart of the city, will be that of the Philippines. Its stand will be manned by volunteers from the community that will skillfully talk about their country of origin through the objects exhibited during the whole weekend. The backdrop of the booth will recreate the tropical vegetation of the country while underlining its day to day life in the early 1900s through 30 old photographs and its tourist destinations and other features like a map of the Philippines painted by Red Garcia, who, incidentally, is also the choreographer of this year’s cultural performance group and an artwork depicting the national flag done by the Honorary Consul of the Philippines in Lyon, a senior partner in one of the leading law offices in the city. True to the barrio fiesta spirit, there will be an hourly cultural entertainment in front of the booth for two days where the country’s national dance-Tinikling, Cordillera tribal dances, Pandango sa Ilaw will be at the centerstage. Last but not least, a travelogue is also set giving way to a two-way dialogue between the public and the moderator through the objects exhibited at the booth.

The Philippine community will be equally represented on stage by a selection of tribal dances from the north and to culminate with the dance, Singkil, from the land of the Maranaos, a Muslim region in the island of Mindanao that has been acclaimed not only because of the colorful costumes but most specially the skills required of the dancers - the princess, the datu or the prince and their ladies-in-waiting - as they step in and out of the clashing bamboos arranged in a criss-cross manner while manipulating a fan and a kris respectively.

This endeavor is in cooperation with three Filipino dancers from Geneva - Gloria Haselman, Bobong Pacis and Myrna Buttar, to act as the Princess, the Datu and the main lady-in-waiting respectively who did not hesitate to accept the invitation to complete the Singkil ensemble despite the geographical distance and their busy schedule.

Article by Marivic Fradin