Sinag-Tala Performing Arts Troupe

The Sinag-Tala Performing Arts Troupe was established in 1972 as the signature cultural extension of the Association.  Since then it has actively performed at community events, cultural festivals, schools, churches, and private functions throughout Kansas City.  The original founders have passed on the responsibility to preserve and promote this part of Filipino culture to a new generation of young dancers. More...

Repertoire

The dances performed by the Sinag-Tala show the influences of different regions of the Philippines.  They are divided into four main suites: the Northern, the Spanish Colonial, the Muslim, and the Rural Suites.

The Northern Suite covers the dances and ceremonies from the north-central part of the Philippines.  Male movements are characterized by aggressive gestures and stances.  The women, on the other hand, carry themselves with regal serenity.

The dances of Spanish Colonial Suite are of Hispanic influence and are affectionately called Maria Clara, after our national hero Jose Rizal's ideal of modest womanhood.  Female dancers are dressed in satiny, flowing gowns, and the male dances are dressed in barong tagalogs.

The dances of the Muslim Suite are those of Muslims in the southern island of Mindanao.  Strong percussive rhythms of the gongs stress the angularity of the precise movements.  The head is turned to the side, accentuating the profile of the high cheekbones.  The arms are extended to the sides, but with the wrists flicking upward at an angle.

The Rural Suite shows a panoramic view of the Philippine countryside, celebrating the bayanihan spirit.  Harvest time is fiesta time, as young children celebrate nature's bounty.  In the tinikling (named after the long-legged bird of the rice paddies), the dancers jump over percussive bamboo poles as vibrant rondalla music plays in the background.