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The Venezia Filipino Community Dance Group performs the Bulaklakan at the Piazza San Marco
Department of Foreign Affairs
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines made its first appearance at the Carnivale di Venezia over the weekend, showcasing Filipino folk dances in the famous Italian city.
Last March 1, 36 dancers from three dance groups (one of them based in London) performed a 30-minute routine of Filipino folk dances in front of thousands of people at the Piazza San Marco.
Lahing Kayumanggi Dance Company did a variety of dances, while the Filipino communities of Vicenza and Venice performed the Sinulog and the Bulaklakan, respectively.
The groups were organized by the Filipino Chaplaincy of Vicenza, headed by Fr. Elmer Bumanlag, SVD, and the Filipino community, headed by Richard Olarte, upon the request of the Philippine Consulate General in Milan.
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The Chaplaincy managed to put the whole performance together in less than three weeks, done also in collaboration with the Philippine Honorary Consulate in Venice and the Department of Tourism.
"We hope that after watching these dances, you will 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 Piazza San Marco audience.
Cato noted that at nearly 200,000 people, Italy hosts the largest Filipino community in the European Union and the Philippines' Venice Carnival debut showed rapidly recovering tourism market for the Philippines in the continent.
The centuries-old Venice Carnival traces back to 1162 when Venetians gather at the Piazza San Marco to celebrate a military victory. Today, it draws around three million tourists annually.
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