In celebration of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage month a group in Jacksonville, Florida is teaching the community about Filipino history through traditional Filipino dances.
With over 25,000 residents of Filipino descent according to the 2010 Census, Jacksonville has the largest Filipino population in all of Florida.
As First Coast News stated, the dance movements are based on the farming, weaving, and fishing techniques that established the Philippines and are still fundamental to Filipino culture.
The D’barkada group is the name of this dance group. This signifies friendship in Tagalog, which is indicative of the foundation that their dance group was established upon in addition to upholding Filipino customs.
One of the members, Neda Escobar, said the group’s goal is “to promote our culture, our heritage, to all the Filipino communities here in Jacksonville. It’s one way for us to tell stories to our Filipino neighbors here in Jacksonville.”
In the Philippines, dance is a huge part of the curriculum from the beginning of elementary school to the end of college education.
Another Jacksonville-based organization that provides instruction on Filipino language, history, culture, and dance is the Jax Filipino School. The goal of the school is to instill a sense of Filipino pride and identity in the young people by educating them about their heritage.
Every week, this organization offers classes to students of all ages. In addition, they provide online language classes for adults and K–12 students, making Filipino culture accessible to all.
With Jacksonville being home to a large Filipino descent population, it is important for the community to embrace and honor their heritage through events like this and participate in classes that help them learn more about their culture.
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