Promoting Filipino culture and heritage
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or email info@lkdance.org.uk
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Company
The name Lahing Kayumanggi is laden with historical significance. It literally means 'Brown Race' and it can be seen as an affirmation of cultural and national identity reaching back to the ancient Malayan culture. However, it is not merely a racial concept or an assertion of apartness, for the Filipino heritage as it has evolved through the ages, has been enriched by the contribution of other races, and other cultures.
LK Dance Company was formed, in April 1994, through a common goal of promoting Filipino culture and heritage through dance, music and song in the UK and Europe. The company began with Ronnie del Barrio in charge of the creative and artistic side supported by other founding members to whom credits are also due namely: Gloria Bognot, Rose Carlos, Bong Forouzan, Espie Josol, Tom and Mitzie Finney, Lito Maggay and Zeny Tiglao.
The LK Dance Company can also claim to be different from other dance companies due to the diversity and unique blend of its members coming from different cultural backgrounds and age bands. With a few exceptions, all the members (there are 45) have had no formal training in dance. The members' infectious performances clearly demonstrate passion, commitment and willingness to learn.
Starting as a small informal group of people, LK has become a professional dance company currently with 5 professional artists leading 40 dancers and musicians from the community. LK boasts 15 alumni members in the span of 10 successful years.
The company's reputation for quality, authenticity, and innovation has led to wide acclaim for performances all over the UK and continental Europe.
Our objectives
To preserve for posterity music and folk dances indigenous to the different regions of the Philippines
Promote awareness and understanding of the Philippines to the wide sectors of ethnic and non-ethnic communities in the United Kingdom and other parts of the world
Set-up links for co-operation with members of other dance troupes and similar organisations
Arrange and provide advice and guidance or join in providing exhibitions, meetings, lectures, classes, seminars, cultural events, sports and recreational activities
Establish a welfare fund for members who are in financial need
Encourage members to participate and excel in cultural and recreational activities
Programme covers
2008 Berlin
2008 Northern Ireland
2007
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
2000
2000
2000
1999
1998
1996
1996
1995
1995
Past performances
LK has for the last 14 years toured and mounted successful theatre shows in London, Milton Keynes, Nottingham, Edinburgh and Belfast. The company also became a regular feature of BBC's Generation Game from 1996-2000.
Events and venues
American International School
An Evening with Lahing Kayumanggi, Novotel Hotel, London
Asian Festivals in Bradford and Sheffield
Brangwyn Hall, Swansea
British Museum, London
British Museum of Mankind, London
Centre for Filipinos
Church Hill Theatre, Edinburgh
CoralCay Conservation Trusts
F:EAST, Bull Arts Theatre
Fiesta Filipina, Millennium Dome's McDonalds Theatre
Filipino Fiestas including: London; Merton; Bournemouth; Scarborough; Milton Keynes; Birmingham and North Wales
Filipino Women's Association (FWA)
Generation Game, BBC 1
Kalayaan, St Ermins Hotel, London
London Aquarium, London
Lunch for a Cause – Mt Pinatubo disaster appeal
Lyrical Dance, Lyric Theatre 2003-2007
Nottingham Playhouse, Nottingham
Pagdiriwang, Royal Festival Hall, London
Palace of Westminster, Westminster
Philippine Department of Tourism Trade Exhibitions
Philippine Embassy sponsored projects
Royal Geographic Society, London
Royal St Katharine's Trust, London
Sayawitan, Novotel Hotel, London
Stantonbury Theatre, Milton Keynes
Sulyap, Queen Elizabeth Hall, London
The Embankment Gardens Open Air Theatre, London
Tikim, Shaw Theatre, London
World Travel Markets
Testimonials
February 1997
On behalf of everyone at Coral Cay Conservation (CCC), I would like to thank
LK for the wonderful performance at the Royal Geographical Society and Institute
of British Geographers on Monday 10th February. This was the first time that
there has ever been dancing in the main hall and the performance was really
spectacular. Jonathan Ridley
November 1997
Just a quick note to say thank you and all of the Lahing Kayumanggi Dance Company
who participated and helped organise yet another fantastic performance on
the Generation Game. The demonstration was magnificent and we could not have
asked for anything more from our contestants – all in all it made for
a very successful game. I very much hope to work with LK again. Once again
very many thanks for all your hard work and professionalism over the last
few months . Richard Greenwood, Researcher, The Generation
Game, BBC
August 2000
Dear Ronnie, I wanted to thank you for the fantastic day of dance from The
Philippines that you produced in the Festival. Your day got the whole of
Blazing 2000 off to a brilliant start. Not only was the dance of the highest
quality, the whole day was also visually stunning and the music was the icing
on the cake. I know that bringing together all of the different groups of
artists from around the country was an enormous task for you, particularly
when you also had LK to organise and rehearse intensively in the days leading
up to the festival. However you successfully brought everything together
on the day and it worked perfectly. I hope you are pleased with the number
of who attended the day. In all several thousand people passed through the
foyers, most of whom saw some of the activity in the ballroom. I estimated
the the number of people watching the final performance was over 1,000. We
are really delighted to know that LK now have a date in the Queen Elizabeth
Hall on 6th December and we are looking forward to coming along and seeing
the show again then. Once again thank you for a fantastic Blazing day! Catherine
Sutton, Performing Arts Education Officer (Music), Royal Festival
Hall.
July 2000
Congratulations to LK for the successful celebration of ‘Pagdiriwang’ as
part of the 15th Blitz Dance Festival at the Royal Festival Hall. From information
I have received, the whole day festivities was witnessed by thousands of people.
You have been truly instrumental in making our kababayans in the United Kingdom
fully aware and deeply proud of their Filipino cultural heritage. Your commitment
to keep the spirit of nationalism and pride in our culture is truly commendable,
as evidenced by the recent success of the Blitz Dance Festival. Again my sincere
congratulations to you all. Cesar B. Bautista, Ambassador,
Philippine Embassy, UK
December 2000
Our heartfelt congratulations on a fantistic and well-organised
performance at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. You certainly brought to the
fore our unique dance culture with such grace and talent that it made
us all proud to be Filipinos! It was truly a job well done. We wish everyone
at LK a festive holiday season filled with love and laughter. Bernadette
Lazaro, Attaché, Dept. of Tourism, Embassy of The Philippines,
UK
April 2002
The performance of LK at the ASEAN ladies’ Barrio Fiesta
event demonstrated once again the richness of our country’s cultural
heritage and the worldclass talent of Filipinos in the United Kingdom.
The guests were absolutely unanimous in their praises for your troupe.
I know the ladies of the Philippine Embassy who hosted this event already
extended their appreciation to you and your members who participated
in the Barrio Fiesta the other day. However, allow me to express my personal
words of appreciation for your continuing support to our initiatives
of bringing Philippines’ culture to the forefront of our activities.
If we continue working together on such projects, the visibility of the
Filipinos on the UK map will certainly continue to be enlarged. More
power to Lahing Kayumanggi! Cesar B. Bautista, Ambassador,
Embassy of the Philippines, UK
July 2003
A huge thank you to all the dancers, choreographers, teachers,
musicians and everyone who took part in Lyrical Dance. It was a great
success and wonderful to see the variety of dance styles performed to
such high quality. The event was sold out with a capacity of 366 people
in the audience as well as 150 performers viewing from the upper circle.
We hope you enjoyed taking part in the programme and also seeing the
other groups perform. Hopefully we will have the opportunity to do it
again next year if not before! Thanks once again. Beth Cinamon,
Performing Arts Office, London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
August 2004
Together with my colleagues at the Philippines Embassy, I would
like to convey to LK our deepest appreciation for the support it extended
towards making Philippine participation in the recently-concluded 2004
Stockholm Asian Festival a rousing success. By lending their talent and
resources, members of LK have contributed to the smooth flow of the Philippine
program and enriched our promotion of Philippine culture, trade and tourism.
I am gratified by the fact that we had achieved our goals in all aspects
of Philippine participation, from the tourism and trade exhibits at the
pavilion to cultural performances, martial arts demonstration and other
Festival highlights such as the Asian street parade and Filipiniana fashion
shows. All these would not have been possible without LK’s cooperation.
As we look forward to your continued support, please accept my sincerest
thanks and very best wishes for the well-being of LK’s members
and success in all their endeavors. Victoria S. Bataclan,
Ambassador, Embassy of the Philippines, Sweden
© 2007. LK Dance Company, London, UK