Brown University & the Children's Museum

Hello everyone,

Sorry for long inactivity! Finally, vacation has arrived, and long last, this blog can be updated!

This past month, our group has been performing at several locations around Boston as a way to raise funds for our trip happening in only less than a month! So, this post will serve to highlight a few of performances and, of course, to acknowledge some of our sponsors!

Lining up to perform Sweet Caroline

BROWN UNIVERSITY's 

Filipino Alliance's 25th Anniversary

On April 27th, I attended Brown University's Filipino Alliance show to celebrate 25 years of Filipino culture and talent. This was one of the places where the IP Rondalla was asked to perform. Although I couldn't perform due to my school's early sign-in time, I still took the one-and-a-half hour drive down south with my mother to support my fellow IP Rondalla members.
The first half of the performance began at 8:00pm. Students from Brown, Filipino and not, created a unique repertoire including the per usual men in coconut suits, Maglalatik, a poem about the Filipino identity, and a hip hop mashup of Filipino and English songs. IP Rondalla played four songs, including America The Beautiful, a medley of Sweet Caroline and I'm Shipping Up to Boston in honor of those who lost their lives during the Boston Marathon. IP Rondalla's performance won the hearts of all the students in the audience with their glistening costumes and their instruments' unique twanging sounds. I was sitting next to a Brown student who exclaimed to me that he could not believe Fil-Am students had so much passion for their own culture. "It was amazing."

Brown Maglalatik Boys

Nathan and Janrey

Marisa and Jessica

Although I was only able to stay for the first half, which ended at around 9:30 pm, I was confident that   the Rondalla would get a healthy round of applause in the second half. Thank you to all of the alumni (Tita Elsa and Tito Ray Janairo, and Tito Francis Payumo) who performed with the Rondalla or came to watch! Thank you to IP Alum, Myra Liwanag, for founding the Filipino Alliance 25 years ago! It's all because of you that we were able to perform in such an astounding venue! Your club had definitely gone a long way.

Children's Museum in Boston

On May 12th, we performed at the Children's Museum in Boston. Honestly, the last time I had been inside the museum was in third grade, so coming back after almost seven years gave me a good, nostalgic feeling. Unlike most of our short performances, this one was interactive. In between the three songs we played, Riandra, one of our Ates, taught the children watching some of our dance moves. For example, when we played Raindrops/Tie a Yellow Ribbon, Riandra told the kids to pretend they were splashing in the puddles and then waving a ribbon for the people they love. As usual, the performance was a success. And for the kids who wouldn't stop jumping up and down and swaying their bodies to each tune we played, I think they would have agreed.

George, Elizabeth, Bettina, Sierra (Me!) and Sarah playing Pobreng Alindahaw