A video posted by the Philippine Embassy in Moscow showing Russian students dancing the traditional Filipino dance ‘tinikling’ has gone viral.
The minute-long video post on the Facebook page clocked almost a million views, with over 50,000 reactions and 5,000 shares.
Philippine Ambassador to Russia Igor Bailen said, “This is certainly the most viral original content of the embassy since we joined socmed, and is probably the most wide-reaching socmed post of any Philippine Foreign Service Post for that matte.”
Ambassador Bailen said the the video emerged from the Philippine Independence Day festivities at the Embassy last 12 June 2022. The day-long celebration of Filipino culture, cuisine, and camaraderie was witnessed with face mask mandate and COVID-19 safety protocols lifted in Moscow.
The Russian dancers were college students from prestigious Moscow Lomonosov State University.
“Sometime in May, my embassy colleagues excitedly sent me a clip of their performance at their school, and I thought to myself, it would be a sin not to share this very beautiful dialogue of cultures with a larger audience. The first in-person June 12 celebrations in the Embassy in three years was coming up, and it was the perfect stage and occasion to share what these Russian students were learning.”
“And thanks to the reach of socmed, we can even share this gift with a worldwide audience. The positive and good vibes response has been overwhelming and very encouraging,” said Ambassador Bailen. “Maybe next year, they can even dance the singkil.”
For the success Ambassador Bailen credited Filipino community volunteers Josil Baladad and Emelda Jeresano, who spent many Sundays training the students at the Embassy.
Tinikling is the most famous Philippine traditional folk dance. “There should be no dominant or minority cultures, because when one culture or even language disappears, it impoverishes all of humanity.”
“In this age of globalization when new technologies could threaten lesser-known cultural traditions and even homogenize world culture, the Philippine embassy is very serious about promoting the beauty and diversity of all the world’s cultures, especially Philippine culture – our Russian friends are beginning to see that, and more importantly, Filipinos in the Philippines and all over the world are realizing more than ever before that our culture is rich, diverse, beautiful and essential, and can be at par with the very best in the world. Especially at this time, the dialogue of cultures is very important. Thanks to socmed for that!” said Ambassador Bailen.
