The Filipino Student Association will present the ninth annual Mabuhay Festival tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. in Laurie Auditorium. Mabuhay, a celebration of Filipino culture, is a night full of traditional Filipino cultural dances, songs and food.

“It basically serves to introduce Trinity to Filipino culture,” said junior Tess Macapinlac, co-president of FSA.

Lawrence Pasaoa, a senior and a co-president of FSA, is excited to be involved in Mabuhay and to educate the Trinity community about the Filipino culture.

“It definitely is a pretty big time commitment, but it’s worth it because there’s not too many Filipinos on campus and a lot of people don’t know about our culture,” Pasaoa said.

Mabuhay, which is free and open to the public, will feature several dances by members of FSA, the Prowlers and even by Karilagà¡n, the Filipino folk dance company based in San Antonio. The show will end with the usual crowd favorite, an all-male dance called the Coconut Dance, choreographed by Pasaoa.

“It’s a perfect mix of rhythmic dancing and sexiness, with a little bit of comedy, tragedy and nostalgia,” Pasaoa said.

Pasaoa brought the dance to Trinity during his sophomore year, and it has been a crowd pleaser ever since.

“I love doing the coconut dance because I love the energy we get from the audience,” Pasaoa said.

FSA will also provide free traditional Filipino food after the performances at Mabuhay.

“Food is a huge part of Filipino culture. Any time you go to a Filipino house, you will leave with more food than you came with,” Macapinlac said.

Pasaoa also recognizes the role of food in Filipino culture.

“Lots of people talk about how hospitable the Filipino culture is. If you go to a Filipino house, they will ask “˜have you eaten yet,’ and, if not, they will always offer you what they have to eat,” Pasaoa said.

FSA will be serving traditional foods like Filipino egg rolls and deep-fried pan noodles. One of the more adventurous dishes that will be served at Mabuhay, called “lechon,” is made of deep-fried pork belly.

The members of FSA are excited to see all their hard work come together.

“All of these things are put on by students, so it’s fun to see someone who worked really hard on a performance go and have fun and see Trinity appreciate that,” Macapinlac said.

In an email, junior Lucas Poliak, one of the dancers for Mabuhay this year, also expressed his excitement for the event.

“I am most excited about being able to make people feel like I did when I first saw Mabuhay. I want more people to realize how spectacular being a part of something like FSA can be when you’re dancing, eating and meeting new people,” Poliak said.

Members of the Trinity community are encouraged to come to the event and learn more about the Filipino culture.

“It is a great time. It is always a lot of fun, and we always love to see new people there,” Macapinlac said.