On Monday, Oct. 17 during fifth period, I walked into the cold, dark theater, missing out on P.E.’s raging heat. This 2022-2023 school year, the Filipinx American Student Association had their first presentation since the 2019-2020 school year due to COVID-19. I sat down in my seat not knowing what to expect. 

Students filed into the theater as lights lit up the stage. President Cydney Ventura kicked off the FASA presentation with an introduction of the club’s officers as well as some insight into Filipino culture and history. The presentation started with students performing Tinikling, a traditional Filipino dance. The dance involved two people dancing between bamboo poles being rhythmically clapped together on the ground by two other people. The dancers timed their movements accurately, dancing over and in between the poles. The satisfying rhythmic pounding of the poles echoed through the theater without missing a beat. The dance came to an abrupt stop and left a loud silence with the absence of the beat. Applause followed.

The presentation moved on to a singing performance by the vice president, junior Venice Mayor, who sang the National Anthem of the Philippines. Her loud and powerful voice rang through the theater. Despite not understanding the language of Tagalog, I understood the song’s importance and felt the value of every note. Hollers of encouragement came from the audience as her pitch grew louder, and heavy applause ensued when her performance ended. 

Immediately after, co-secretary, senior Andrew Gutierrez, and FASA club member, senior Sydney Chou sang a duet, “Lemonade” by Jeremy Passion. The next song, “Best Part” by Daniel Caesar featuring H.E.R., was sung by Gutierrez and Mayor. As each of them sang, I felt excitement, anticipating to hear the next soulful note. With each passing second, the dark theater was filled with light from the flashlights of the audience’s phones, which created a magical scenery for both myself and the performers. As their performance came to an end, the audience blew up with another loud applause and cheers. 

The lights dimmed once more for the final performance, a group dance to “Finesse” by Bruno Mars. All of the performers were matching head to toe with white tops and black bottoms and shining bright smiles. The music rattled the theater as their moves synced perfectly. There was more applause and yelling as the dance number wrapped up.

FASA’s first presentation since COVID-19 hit was an unforgettable recovery from the pandemic, giving students an opportunity to learn more about and experience Filipino culture and tradition.