By Christina Moncado
After the first public performance of an Igorot dance at Driegeneratie in Utrecht in May 2017, the organizer of the ARK Mundial Festival invited MABIKAs Foundation to once again perform a native dance on September 23, 2017 at Kanaleneiland in Utrecht. Seven constituents of MABIKAs took part and joined this dazzling festival that famous artists, rappers, and young talents as well as sports activities and dance performances.
Members of the MABIKAs performing group at the ARK Mundial Festival in Utrecht: (Left to right) Myra Colis, Beth de Wolf, Christine Moncado, Janet Barcena, Minerva Bulong, Luniza Taoil, and Tessie Gayao.
One of the primary goals of MABIKAs Foundation is to promote the culture of the Igorots by performing indigenous dances whenever possible.
With pride and dignity, the MABIKAs ladies garbed their native attires and gladly performed the MABIKAs Unity Dance. It is a cultural dance currently being developed by MABIKAs constituents themselves to symbolize unity among different tribes coming from the six provinces of the Philippine Cordillera region by combining different dance steps that are distinct of each of the six provinces.
MABIKAs dancers performing the MABIKAs Unity Dance, featuring a combination of dance steps from the provinces of Mountain Province, Abra, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga and Apayao.
After the performance, the dancers received positive feedback from the public- both from young and old, Dutch and foreigners alike- saying that what has been performed is one of a kind and something that they haven’t seen nor heard before.
The ARK Festival Mundial is organized by Jongeren Cultuurhuis Kanaleneiland and Winkelcentrum Nova in collaboration with community organizations, retailers and local residents. The aim of the event is to showcase the different talents from the different cultures from the colorful neighborhood of Kanaleneiland and the neighboring municipalities.
Apart from the Philippine Cordillera dance, there were also other cultural dances representing other cultures such as that of India, Indonesia and Spanish-speaking countries.
Bonding time and relax mode after the dance performance
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