Wayne Mendoza’s Magsayawan Filipino Dance Troupe brought cultural insights, great authentic music and incredible, artful dancing to the Lanai community.

The group gave their all, delighting over 50 seniors at the Hale Kapuna senior housing hall on Friday afternoon and closed out a long travel and performance day that evening working with over 30 enthusiastic dance students of all ages at the Lanai Filipino club until 10 pm.

On Saturday, they delighted and awed a standing-room only crowd of almost 200 in the lovely Great Hall at Four Seasons Lodge at Koele. Both the Hale Kapuna senior's show and Koele performance featured authentic dances with eye-grabbing traditional costumes, interspersed with Wayne Mendoza demonstrating facets of the dances, detailing the history and source locations, and even showing how to fashion impromptu clothing items and carrying bags from simple sheets of cloth. As with all the UH Manoa shows, the events were structured around a balance of entertainment and education, affording the rapt audiences of all ages great insight into Filipino history, customs, culture and dance. A great set of events from a committed, professional and delightful group.

Created & produced in cooperation with the University of Hawaii at Manoa Outreach College, Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, The National Endowment for the Arts, the Hawaii Friends of the Library and Four Seasons Resorts and Hotels