The Philippines Live from the islands!

This Thursday evening (May 10) at The Orpheum Theatre, Memphis, TN.
The Philippines Live from the islands! 
Presented by Memphis in May

The Philippines Live from the Islands will be the cultural performance scheduled this year at The Orpheum Theatre on May 10th. The hallmark of the Memphis in May International program includes two very different, culturally exact groups coming from The Philippines, Bayanihan – The Philippines National Dance Company and Worldwide Family of Modern Arnis presenting the evolution of Filipino Martial Arts. During intermission of the program, Claude Tayag a renown Filipino chef will prepare and serve a sampling of traditional Philippine cuisine.

Bayanihan, the National Dance Company, looks back at its triumphs as it moves onward with each new presentation. From Folkdance translated into the modern stage, Bayanihan carefully advances into Folklore, and beyond, with Filipino History and national identity as its guide. Bayanihan literally means patriotism or love of country, its root word being bayani (hero). In this regard, each one of those involved in Bayanihan are literally national heroes and artists who reiterate through dance, music, percussion, dress and action what is Filipino. The Worldwide Family of Modern Arnis, will be presenting ” THE EVOLUTION OF THE FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS “ARNIS”, showcasing the Filipino Martial Arts through its evolution along with the glimpse of history of the country using one of the best known martial arts in the world. ARNIS, also known as kali, escrima, baston, is a complete martial art system, encompassing weapons training and empty-hand self-defense. It includes training in single stick techniques (solo baston), double stick techniques (doble baston), stick and knife or dagger techniques (espada y daga) and knife techniques (daga).

Claude Tayag is a known Filipino painter, sculptor, and furniture designer. He is also a well known chef. He writes about food and travel for his column Turo-turo in the Philippine Star. His first book, Food Tour, is a collection of these essays, peppered liberally with his drawings and recipes taking the reader on a culinary adventure around the Philippines and beyond. It was awarded the Best Philippine Culinary Travel Guide in the Madrid-based Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2007. He co-authored KULINARYA – A Guidebook to Philippine Cuisine, and also served as its food stylist and appeared with Anthony Bourdain to cook and show him around the culinary

treasures of Pampanga in No Reservations in February 2009. In November 2011, he co-authored with his wife– Eating One’s Way Around the Philippines. He and his wife own Bale Dutung, a byreservation-only restaurant consistently voted by bloggers as one of the Philippines’ top five restaurants, making it also to Miele Guide 2010 and 2011 as one of Asia’s Top Restaurants.

The 2012 celebration bring artisans and performers who will bring this colorful culture to life
during May. James L. Holt, President & CEO, commented: “The cultural aspects of our
international program, whether it be music or art, are the cornerstone of our ability to communicate
and learn about any country. It is especially important as we salute The Philippines, a country so
rooted in heritage and tradition. The performers and artists’ works on display this May will give our
patrons a real feeling that they know something concrete about The Philippines.

Event Times: Thursday, May 10, 2012, 7:00 PM