Filipino dance form was once a warrior's form of fighting

Filipino dance form was once a warrior’s form of fighting
By Dan Hilborn, Burnaby Now assistant editor
Published Feb. 16, 2003

The hidden culture of the Philippines will be on stage at the Massey Theatre this month when Awakening the Identity brings martial artists, dancers and musicians on stage for the Feb. 20 performance.
"A lot of Filipino people are Canadian-born and don't know what their roots and culture are," said Oneal Mendoza, a third-degree arnis expert of the Filipino martial art. "What I want to do is awaken that identity through the martial arts, which were preserved many centuries ago by our Filipino brothers."
According to Mendoza, the story behind the preservation of the centuries-old martial art of arnis is as fascinating as it is hidden. When the first European explorers came to conquer the sprawling southeast Asian country in the 15th century, they outlawed the use of the arnis - small fighting swords that had been used to defend the islands for centuries.
Forced underground, the martial artists hid their swords and converted their fighting moves into dance steps, which they were then able to teach their children.
Under the guise of a dance, the martial art was kept alive and today is making a resurgence in Filipino communities around the world.
Arnis is best known in North America as the style of fighting used by the character Michelangelo in the children's action show, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. In fact, Mendoza's teacher, Burnaby native Shishir Inocalla, is the world champion at arnis and the actor who played Michelangelo in one of the TMNT movies and the TV series.
Inocalla is currently travelling in the United States, but may return in time to perform at the show, said Mendoza.
"Arnis has always been known as a combative art - that is what it has been referred to through history. But we want to make it more of a formal art, with dance, because that was how it was preserved," Mendoza said.
Awakening the Identity is 8 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 20 at the Massey Theatre. It will present a mix of dance and martial arts, along with traditional Filipino music and other art. Tickets are $15, with children under age seven free. Tickets can be reserved through the Massey box office at 604-517-5900 or through Nina Mendoza at 604- 451-3373.