July 5th: Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP)

PUP Banda Kawayan in action. 

After a few pictures with Korina, we headed out to the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP). We left later than we expected, and with traffic and a quick lunch prepared by PUP consisting of kare kare, milkfish, and rice, we had only a half hour to get ready before the first of two shows scheduled for the day. We threw on costumes and make up and made our hair as neat as possible. And then we were ready.

This show also marked our first taste... of fame! The college crowd seemed to be more involved in our show than the audience at Resorts World. With the smaller auditorium, we were able to hear the crowd sing along with the Filipino folk songs in the first half of the show. However, the highlights of our show happened in the second half. While the first half is mostly traditional Filipino songs, the second half showcased our contemporary side. The first amazing reaction we got was during the girls' song "Just Give Me a Reason" by Pink and Nate Ruess. From the opening measures of the song the crowd cheered in recognition and sang along the loudest of any song of the night. Next, we played our "70s Medley" which consists of themes from various 70s movies. It starts with an exciting Star Wars theme and then moves into "Hopelessly Devoted to You."  At this part, George pulls out a flower from his pocket to give to a girl in the rondalla. However, this time the girls (and even the boys) in the audience started SCREAMING. Absolutely fangirling. From that day on we incorporated George going into the audience to hand deliver a rose to a girl. 

The PUP Maharlika Dance Troupe in action. All I can say is, Wow! 

Maharlika Dancers in their colorful costumes.

In this show, we had the honor of performing with three other groups from the university. First was a dance troupe called the PUP Maharlika Dance Artists who performed traditional Filipino dances. Next was an a capella group called the PUP Bagong Himig Serenata who performed songs like "Titanium" and "Waka Waka." Our third performance group was the world famous PUP Banda Kawayan, a music group made up of bamboo xylophones and pipes, such as the marimba, angklung, and bumbong. Their set included "Hahabul-Habol" and the Imago version of "Ewan." It was incredible to listen to them from the front, since we couldn't see much from backstage. They had so much energy! Our group was seeing three groups of talented Filipino groups, who were in some ways a little like us.

An exhilarating rendition of Sayaw sa Bangko by
the PUP Maharlika Dance Artists. 

That day we did two shows. We didn't have much time between them, so we ate a quick snack of empanadas and juice before changing back into first half costumes and fixing up make up. But the heat and exhaustion from the day couldn't damper our spirits during the finale of the show. The song was "Piliin Mo Ang Pilipinas" made famous by Angeline Quinto and performed by all three groups who performed with us while we grooved along with them. In particular, the dance troupe created snapshots of various famous Filipino dances while mixing in their own dances and routines. It was an amazing display. After the show officially ended we had picture taking with the groups as well as a mini dance party! It was awesome to let off some steam from the day with kids our own age. It's great that they were so similar to us!

After that, we piled onto the bus for a long ride to Sierra's house where most of us stayed the night. There we were to get a restful sleep so that we could wake up and start another crazy but amazing day.

I'd like to take this time to acknowledge those who made this performance possible:PUP Project: PUP President, Dr. Emanuel M. De Guzman,  PUP Research, Extension, Development Foundation, Inc (PUPREDFI) led by its Chairman, Dr. Manuel M. Muhi, Vice Chair and Project Leader, (Sierra's aunt) Mely R. Luya, University Center for Culture and the Arts (UCCA) Director, Prof. Segundo Dizon, and Musical Director Prof. Ross Calabig,This performance was a hit because of you!

~ Karina

UPDATE: Hey, guys! We wanted to say thank you so much for hosting us, so we wrote some comments which you can check out here. ^.^ Maraming salamat!

Christi-Anne's early morning scholastic forum on Ethnomusicology for PUP faculty, staff and students

 PUP Bagong Himig Serenata. Astonishing performance... I wished I had their angelic voices.

Group picture of PUP artists and performers. What a bunch of great talent. I'm definitely one of you fans. You Rock!
Looking forward to see you in the professional circuit sometime in the