Mansfield, MA The day/week turned out to be unusually cold for a late Spring week. The 45 degree temps did not hamper the spirits of our dancers who were hot to perform at the annual NEFFA festl This year’s repertoire included ‘Gaway-gaway’ (Ilang-ilang), ‘Sakuting’ (Sampaguita), ‘Pasikat sa bangko’ (Rizal) and ‘Tinikling’ (Bonifacio).

Majority of the Ilang-ilang cast were newbies- it was a joy to see them backstage waiting at the wings with anticipation and raring to get on stage. At the last minute, some of the children pitched in when we lacked clappers for Tinikling and dance partners for Sakuting. It was a proud moment for Tita Marijo, Tita Beth and Tita Patty to see how the older kids eagerly volunteered to be tapped on the last minute. What a team!

Everything turned out perfect. And the performers knew they nailed it. As Tita Michelle observed the last minute instructions at ‘green room’ were heeded…  “nakikinig pala” (they were listening). The Tinikling dancers showed precision at their finale; the Bangko dance was elegantly performed with no falls; the Sakuting dancers did not miss a beat and the Gaway girls and Shem hit it on cue for every step. With photos to show- they all smiled naturally with a gleam of pride and having so much fun. Bravo!

[slideshow_deploy id=’672′]