VENICE, Italy — The Philippines made its presence felt for the first time in one of the biggest carnivals in the world with Filipino folk dances taking center stage at the Carnevale di Venezia over the weekend.
The Philippines made its debut at the Carnevale with a 30-minute performance by 36 dancers from three dance troupes that was well-received by the huge crowd gathered at Piazza San Marco in the center of Venice on Saturday, March 1.
The London-based Lahing Kayumanggi Dance Company performed a mosaic of dances from various parts of the Philippines while the Filipino Community of Vicenza presented the Sinulog and the Filipino Community in Venezia, the Bulaklakin.
“We hope that after watching these dances, we would get you to fall in love with the Philippines and make you want to visit the 7,600 Islands that make up our country,” Consul General Elmer G. Cato told the audience that was made up largely of Italian and other foreign visitors.
The participation of the Philippines in the Carnevale was arranged by the Philippine Consulate General in Milan and the Philippine Honorary Consulate in Venice. It was supported by the Department of Tourism, which flew in the Lahing Kayumanggi dancers from London.
Cato said the participation of the Philippines in the Carnevale was an important part of efforts of the consulate to raise the profile of the Philippines in Italy.
Italy is not only host to almost 200,000 Filipinos—the largest in the European Union—but also the fastest recovering tourism market for the Philippines in Europe.
“We hope that with our participation in the Carnevale, we would get more Italian and other foreigners to take a second look at the Philippines and see what it has to offer,” enthused Cato.
The Carnevale traces its origins to the year 1162 when Venetians gathered and danced at St. Mark’s Square to celebrate a military victory. It has become one of the more popular carnivals in the world, drawing as many as 3 million tourists to Venice every year. CG-Milan PR
