DANCING IN THE LIGHT

February 11-12, 2023
Bindlestiff Studio

KULARTS is proud to present Dancing in the Light, Trans Master Philippine Dance Choreographer Sydney Loyola’s new contemporary performance project disrupts the classic binary of Philippine folkloric dance, directed by Alleluia Panis and composed by Joshua Icban.

Featuring a performance by the Bay Area’s premier API drag troupe, The Rice Rockettes with Estée Longah & Imelda Glucose.

It is believed that the darkness swallows the Diwa, the sun, depriving the cosmos of light. Darkness traps Diwa deep under the coral reef. The deities, Ilog, Amihan, and Buhangin, send Kidlat to free Diwa. Kidlat appears from the sky and awakens the sacred serpent. The serpent’s undulating movement causes a great earthquake. Emerging from the darkness, Diwa casts a divine shadow—a shadow relentlessly dancing in the light.

Program Details

Saturday, February 11 at 3:00 PM

Followed by Post Show Panel
Sydney Loyola, Choreographer
Joshua Icban, Composer
Alleluia Panis, Director, Moderator

Sunday, February 12 at 3:00 PM

Followed by Post Show Panel
Sydney Loyola, Choreographer
Alleluia Panis, Director, Moderator

Bindlestiff Studio
185 6th St
San Francisco, CA 94103

This production is made possible with funding by San Francisco Arts Commission and Creative Work Fund by the Walter & Elise Haas Fund.

CREATIVE + PRODUCTION TEAM

ALLELUIA PANIS

DIRECTOR
Alleluia Panis, Artistic & Executive Director, is the driving force behind KULARTS and respected elder artist in the US and the Philippines. She has created 20 full-length dance theater works since 1985. She was awarded the prestigious 2017 SFAC Artist Legacy, 2019-20 Gerbode Special Artist Award, 2019-2020 Dance USA Artist Fellow, and 2020 Hewlett 50 Arts Commission.

LADISLAO ‘JUNE’ ARELLANO

COSTUME DESIGNER
Ladislao ‘June’ Arellano was born in Bataan, Philippines. He trained at the Philippine Women’s University and New York’s Broadway Dance School. He is a lead dancer in Parangal Dance Company since 2008 and performed in works by Alleluia Panis and Sydney Loyola.

WILFRED GALILA

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
Wilfred Galila is a SF Bay Area based multimedia artist. His films were screened at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival and the Asian Art Museum in SF and his art installations were exhibited at several venues in SF. He is a nominee for the 2018 Isadora Duncan Dance Award for Outstanding Achievement in Visual Design for the KULARTS production, *Incarcerated 6×9*.

SYDNEY LOYOLA

CHOREOGRAPHER & DANCE ARTIST
For over three decades, Sydney Loyola has created dance works performed by cultural groups in the US, Philippines, Asia, and Europe. She toured internationally as a principal dancer of Bayanihan Philippine National Folk Dance Company. She is the co-founder of Haraya Dance Project—an ensemble that encourages initiative and participation among Filipino-American trans artists in SF.

JOSHUA ICBAN

COMPOSER & MUSIC DIRECTOR
Joshua Icban is a musician, sound designer, and composer based in Vallejo, CA, and worked with prestigious talents and organizations such as Grammy winner Fantastic Negrito, KULARTS under the direction of Alleluia Panis, Oakland Hip Hop Collective Grand Nationxl and The SF Symphony orchestra with Michael Tilson Thomas.

AIMEE AMPARO

PRODUCTION COORDINATOR
Aimee Amparo has been combining music, spiritual work & healing arts, and travel for 9 years. Each song is a connection to the other, revealing a shared human experience. She uses music to tell the stories that have been passed down to her and to create intention for the future.

DANCE ARTISTS

JAE TIOSECO

Having begun their journey in Philippine dance and music in 2008, Jae Tioseco began dancing under the guidance of Bonifacio Valera, Jr. through Skyline College's Kababayan Learning Community with their PCN Class and Filipino folk dance class. Jae eventually joined Barangay and currently serves as the company’s Managing and Dance Director.

SYDNEY RAE LEONG

Sydney Leong is a performing/teaching artist and Pilates instructor based on Ramatush/Ohlone land in San Francisco. She attended CA State Summer School for the Arts, Ailey School Summer Intensive, LINES Ballet Winter Intensive, and State Street Ballet. She currently dances with Parangal Dance Company.

ANGEL VELEZ

Angel Velez is a dance artist who has performed works by Parangal, eMotion Arts, LV Dance Collective, Embodiment Project, and notable others in the Bay Area. Trained in multiple dance lineages from a young age, Angel draws from Laban/Bartenieff fundamentals and is informed by internal sensations, emotions, and visualizations.

THEO CAPULONG

Theo Capulong is a Bay Area based fashion stylist and dance artist. Certified in Fashion Merchandising and Fashion Styling and Personal Styling at CCSF and B.S. in Marketing at SFSU. Theo dances with Haraya Dance Project, dance collective that create spaces for trans, non-binary & gender queer Filipinx founded by Sydney Loyola

DRE ‘POKO’ DEVIS

Dre ‘Poko’ Devis is a born-and-raised San Francisco Pinay, emerging from matriarchal roots. Poko moves with a foundation of competitive gymnastics, martial arts, aerial dance, and hard-hitting animalistic synergy.

FRANCES TEVES SEDAYAO

Frances Teves Sedayao is a Philippine native whose dance and martial arts training began at CSU, Hayward. Her background includes works with NUBA Dance Theatre, Dandelion Dancetheater, Veronica Combs, Anne Bluethenthal, Laura Ellis, Robert Henry Johnson, Paufve Dance, Nina Haft & Company, Purple Moon Dance Project, among others.

JOHAN CASAL

Johan Casal is an interdisciplinary artist based in the bay area. He is the director and producer of "Manalo: The Movie Musical" a feature-length original movie musical that highlights Filipinx American Stories. Additionally, Johan played the lead dancer for Netflix's production of "The Queens Ball: A Bridgerton Live Experience" in San Francisco.

DANCING IN THE LIGHT

CREATIVE + PRODUCTION TEAM

DANCE ARTISTS

SPECIAL PERFORMERS