For the first time in four years, the Filipino Student Association (FSA) is holding Mabuhay in Laurie Auditorium today from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. This year’s production is an interactive show modeled after “Showtime,” a Filipino reality TV show, mixed with America’s Got Talent. Performances include a number by Loon-E crew, singing and Tinikling which is a traditional Filipino dance that consists of dancing between long sticks on the floor.

FSA’s co-president, Lexcel Penafiel, senior psychology major, saw Trinity’s most recent Mabuhay production, not knowing that it would be the last time the event was held for a while. From 2004 to 2019, FSA used Mabuhay to celebrate Filipino culture. This year’s event holds extra significance for Penafiel since bringing Mabuhay back is a way to re-establish what Filipino-American culture means on campus.

“The word Mabuhay means to live on, and in our case, it’s like to have our culture and the way we celebrate our culture to live on,” Penafiel said. “It’s our [FSA’s] chance to bring it back and to bring Filipino culture back and make it more alive.”

FSA’s revival of Mabuhay will differ from years past, though. This year’s show will focus on the Filipino-American experience. While before, Mabuhay emphasized traditional aspects of Filipino culture with traditional dances, the upcoming performance will include those traditional themes but the interactive element highlights the importance of participation in Filipino culture.

While FSA participates in the production of Diwali and Lunar New Year, those events are not specifically representing Filipino culture. Penafiel noted that Filipino culture differs from others and at times doesn’t quite fit in.

“Filipino culture is also very different from all the other Asian cultures,” Penafiel said. “We support as much as we can, but at the same time, their culture does not represent ours — or is not even similar to ours — and we wanted a chance to have our own stage in order to bring our culture to the rest of the community.”

The student officers of FSA have led the Mabuhay planning effort. To successfully put on a large show, it takes students who want to put themselves out there. Camille Abaya, senior biology major and FSA co-president, noted that FSA is putting themselves out there for Mabuhay.

“I’ve instructed my officers to think of it like a very immersive themed party, and that is because we are sharing Filipino culture. It’s a show that’s very cheesy, it’s very loud. It’s very in your face. There’s gonna be lots of laughing, lots of singing,” Abaya said.

The class of 2027 has shown up to participate on campus and FSA is no exception. Abaya expanded on student willingness, especially from first-years, to practice and learn their acts.

“A lot of our officers are not performers,” Abaya said. “We’re trying to prepare them as much as possible so it can be really fun. … We [the officers] sit in front of the acts, and then we applaud and cheer and give them our enthusiasm and our praise so that they can do wonderfully on the 20th.”

Many of the Mabuhay performers are first-years using their performances to reconnect with Filipino culture. Arlo Castilan, first-year neuroscience major and Tinikling performer, emphasized the long hours needed to perfect their routines.

“We go to practice a lot and have been going more since the event is coming up, and it’s very rigorous on the legs,” Castilan said. “Our dance is way faster than the average Tinikling dance that you would see traditionally. We’re doing a modern song to it so it’s very contemporary, almost.”

While there are many chances to learn about culture on campus, every show is different. Penafiel noted that sharing culture is always enriching.

“Just come and experience the culture with us. There is nothing to lose, and if anything, you have so much to gain. It’s an opportunity to learn more about something that in any other way or in any other scenario would never be able to experience, so it’s just a one-of-a-kind event,” Penafiel said.

Mabuhay lives on: A celebration of laughter and fun

Filipino Student Association prepares for an talent showcase .

For the first time in four years, the Filipino Student Association (FSA) is holding Mabuhay in Laurie Auditorium on Oct. 20 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. This year’s production is an interactive show modeled after “Showtime,” a Filipino reality TV show, mixed with America’s Got Talent. Performances include a number by Loon-E crew, a fashion show and Tinikling which is a traditional Filipino dance that consists of dancing between long sticks on the floor.

FSA’s co-president, Lexcel Penafiel, senior psychology major, saw Trinity’s most recent Mabuhay production, not knowing that it would be the last time the event was held for a while. From 2004 to 2019, FSA used Mabuhay to celebrate Filipino culture. This year’s event holds extra significance for Penafiel since bringing Mabuhay back is a way to re-establish what Filipino-American culture means on campus.

“The word Mabuhay means to live on, and in our case, it’s like to have our culture and the way we celebrate our culture to live on,” Penafiel said. “ It’s our [FSA’s] chance to bring it back and to bring Filipino culture back and make it more alive.”

FSA’s revival of Mabuhay will differ from years past, though. This year’s show will focus on the Filipino-American experience. While before, Mabuhay emphasized traditional aspects of Filipino culture with traditional dances, the upcoming performance includes those traditional themes but the interactive element highlights the importance of participation in Filipino culture.

While FSA participates in the production of Diwali and Lunar New Year, those events are not limited to Filipino representation. Penafiel noted that Filipino culture differs from others and at times doesn’t quite fit in.

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“Filipino culture is also very different from all the other Asian cultures,” Penafiel said. “We support as much as we can, but at the same time, their culture does not represent ours. Or is not even similar to ours, and we wanted a chance to have our own stage in order to bring our culture to the rest of the community.”

The student officers of FSA have led the Mabuhay planning effort. To successfully put on a large show, it takes students who want to put themselves out there. Camulle Abaya, senior biology major and FSA co-president, noted that FSA is putting themselves out there for Mabuhay.

“I’ve instructed my officers to think of it like a very immersive themed party, and that is because we are sharing Filipino culture. It’s a show that’s very cheesy, it’s very loud. It’s very in your face. There’s gonna be lots of laughing, lots of singing.” Abaya said.

The class of 2027 has shown up in large numbers to participate on campus and FSA is no exception. Abaya expressed student willingness, especially from first-years to practice and learn their acts.

“A lot of our officers are not performers,” Abaya said. “We’re trying to prepare them as much as possible so it can be really fun. … We [the officers] sit in front of the acts, and then we applaud and cheer and give them our enthusiasm and our praise so that they can do wonderfully on the 20th.”

Many of the Mabuhay performers are first-years and are using their performances to reconnect with Filipino culture. Arlo Castilan, first-year neuroscience major and Tinikling performer, emphasized that they have put in long hours to perfect their routines.

“We go to practice a lot and have been going more since the event is coming up, and it’s very rigorous on the legs,” Castilan said. Our dance is way faster than the average Tinikling dance that you would see traditionally. We’re doing a modern song to it so it’s very contemporary, almost.”

While there are many chances to learn about culture on campus, every show is different. Penafiel noted that sharing culture is an enriching experience for all involved.

“Just come and experience the culture with us. There is nothing to lose, and if anything, you have so much to gain. It’s an opportunity to learn more about something that in any other way or in any other scenario would never be able to experience, so it’s just a one-of-a-kind event,” Penafiel said.