BAYANIHAN PHILIPPINE NATIONAL DANCE COMPANY PERFORMS AT THE HYLTON PERFORMING ARTS CENTER IN MANASSAS ON Wednesday, Nov. 10,
Friday, September 24, 2010
For Immediate Release
Contact: Jill Graziano Laiacona
703-993-8794
jgrazia1@gmu.edu
BAYANIHAN PHILIPPINE NATIONAL DANCE COMPANY
PERFORMS
AT THE HYLTON PERFORMING ARTS CENTER IN MANASSAS ON
Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2010 at 8 p.m.
AND GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY’S CENTER FOR THE ARTS IN FAIRFAX ON
Sunday, Nov. 14, 2010 at 4 p.m.
FAIRFAX, Va., Sept. 23, 2010 – Filled with radiant visual beauty, intense passion and authentic traditional dance, a performance by the Bayanihan Philippine National Dance Company is a magical experience for the whole family. Praised by The Washington Post for its “flawless deportment” and for looking “as pretty and gracious as ever,” this esteemed dance ensemble is the official company of the Philippines and has spent more than 50 years bringing the beauty, culture, dance and musical traditions of its homeland to audiences around the world. In costumes that are both intricate and brilliantly colorful, the ensemble performs spectacular folk dances that embody the country’s diverse indigenous Chinese, Spanish and Middle Eastern cultures, promoting togetherness and international understanding. The Bayanihan Philippine National Dance Company makes its Hylton Performing Arts Center debut on Wednesday, Nov. 10 at 8 p.m. After a well-received performance in 2006, the company returns to George Mason University’s Center for the Arts Concert Hall on Saturday, Nov. 13 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 14 at 4 p.m. These performances are family friendly and tickets are half price for youth through grade 12 when accompanied by an adult. Pre-performance discussions by a member of the Bayanihan Philippine National Dance Company, free to ticket holders, begin one hour prior to the performance in the Gallery Space at the Hylton Performing Arts Center and 45 minutes prior to the performance at the Center for the Arts on the Center’s Grand Tier III. Pre-performance discussions at the Center for the Arts are sponsored by the Friends of the Center for the Arts. Novant Health is the Inaugural Season Sponsor of Hylton Presents at the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas. HSBC Bank is the Global View Series Sponsor at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts in Fairfax.
The first half of the program will feature well-loved Bayanihan dances from the past 50 years, as well as a suite that fuses new technology with folk dance and is inspired by the company’s “Teaching and Touching Lives” program, formed from a partnership with local government leaders in the Philippines. After intermission, the company presents “Mestizaje y Criolleria,” a suite that captures the fire and passion of the Spanish culture in music and dances once performed inside and outside the walls of Manila. Finally, in the finale “The Philippinescape,” the company celebrates the rhythm and colors of its homeland and pays tribute to Philippine National Artist Fernando Amorsolo, who celebrated the Philippine countryside and beautiful traditions of the country in his masterpieces.
Named after the ancient Filipino tradition of “bayanihan,” which means working together for a common good, Bayanihan Philippine National Dance Company was founded in 1956 by Helena Z. Benitez of the Philippine Women’s University. In 1957, it was formally organized as the Bayanihan Folk Arts Center with the Bayanihan Philippine Dance Company as its performing arm. The organization and company’s mission was to preserve indigenous Philippine art forms in music, dance, costumes and folklore; to use these research findings to develop repertoires suited to the demands of contemporary theater; and to promote goodwill through performances at home and abroad. In 1959, the company performed at the Winter Garden Theater in New York City and became the first Filipino ensemble to perform on Broadway. The performance received unanimous acclaim and led to subsequent engagements, including the New York State Theater of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, where it became the first non-American dance company to perform at the venue. Bayanihan was also the first Filipino cultural group to perform in Russia, the People’s Republic of China and throughout South America. Since its inception, the company has mounted 15 international tours on six continents. In 2000, the Filipino government officially designated Bayanihan the National Folk Dance Company of the Philippines, an honor the company wears with pride as it continues to strive for artistic excellence and creative innovation. “Tales of traditional Philippine life, religion, war and love, exhibited through creative dance skills and intense vocals ... from tribal warrior attire to exquisite gowns, the whole cast looked very authentic and beautiful in the stunning array of wardrobe.” (The Clarion)
The Hylton Performing Arts Center is pleased to recognize
Novant Health as the Inaugural Season Sponsor of the 2010-11 Hylton Presents season.
George Mason University’s Center for the Arts is pleased to recognize HSBC Bank as the Global View Series Sponsor.
HYLTON PERFORMING ARTS CENTER TICKET INFORMATION:
Tickets for BAYANIHAN PHILIPPINE NATIONAL DANCE COMPANY are $42, $34, $26. Family Friendly! Youth through grade 12, half price when accompanied by an adult. Visit the box office or charge by phone at 888-945-2468 or visit hyltoncenter.org. The Hylton Performing Arts Center is located on George Mason University’s Prince William Campus at 10960 George Mason Circle, Manassas, Va., 20110. Free parking is available in the lot next to the Hylton Center. For more information, please visit hyltoncenter.org.
CENTER FOR THE ARTS TICKET INFORMATION:
Tickets for BAYANIHAN PHILIPPINE NATIONAL DANCE COMPANY are $46, $38, $23. Family Friendly! Youth through grade 12, half price when accompanied by an adult. Visit the box office or charge by phone at 888-945-2468 or visit cfa.gmu.edu. The Center for the Arts complex is located on the Fairfax campus of George Mason University at the intersection of Braddock Road and Route 123. Paid parking is located in the deck adjacent to the mainstage Concert Hall and FREE parking is located in university lot K. Visit cfa.gmu.edu.
About the Hylton Performing Arts Center Dedicated to bringing a world-class performing arts venue to the Prince William region, the Hylton Performing Arts Center was born out of a partnership among Prince William County, George Mason University, the City of Manassas, the Commonwealth of Virginia and individuals and businesses in the private sector. Soaring more than nine stories and boasting a stunning mix of copper, glass and masonry, the 85,000-square foot center is home to two unparalleled performance venues for local arts groups and performers from around the world, as well as university-related activities. Modeled after the intimate European opera houses of the 19th century, Merchant Hall is a 1,140-seat multipurpose proscenium theater, which is encircled by 27 private boxes that rise three levels. The Gregory Family Theater is a flexible, 4,400-square foot space that can be configured for many different types of performances and events. In addition, the Didlake Grand Foyer, with its sweeping staircase, provides an ideal setting for community, corporate and social events. The Hylton Performing Arts Center, the only building of its kind in the area, is sure to quickly become the cultural hub of Prince William County and the surrounding communities and is a shining example of collaboration and commitment to the arts.
About Great Performances at Mason
Great Performances at Mason is a program of George Mason University's Center for the Arts, the professional presentation and production arm of the College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA). CVPA provides an academic environment in which the arts are explored as individual disciplines and interdisciplinary forms that strengthen one another. The college prepares students for careers as creators, performers, teachers, scholars, arts leaders and arts entrepreneurs. Understanding that an education in the arts is deepened by regular contact with the work of distinguished visiting artists, the Center for the Arts, the professional presentation and production arm of the college, welcomes a variety of professional and world-renowned artists, musicians and actors to its stage. Students have the opportunity to perform, create and exhibit their work in a wide variety of public venues including a 2,000-seat Concert Hall. CVPA is home to the Schools of Music, Dance and Art, the Department of Theater, as well as the Computer Game Design, Arts Management and Film and Video Studies programs.
About George Mason University
Named the #1 national university to watch in the 2009 rankings of U.S. News & World Report, George Mason University is an innovative, entrepreneurial institution with global distinction in a range of academic fields. Located in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C., Mason provides students access to diverse cultural experiences and the most sought-after internships and employers in the country. Mason offers strong undergraduate and graduate degree programs in engineering and information technology, organizational psychology, health care and visual and performing arts. With Mason professors conducting groundbreaking research in areas such as climate change, public policy and the biosciences, George Mason University is a leading example of the modern, public university.
# # #