Last Saturday, the Filipino Student Association was scheduled to compete at The GoodPhil Games at Texas A&M University. Instead, the group performed at Zinnia Park in McAllen, hosting their own mini version with loved ones.
“GoodPhil” is a three-day event that unites 14 Filipino Student Associations across Texas and one from Oklahoma. There are four categories of competition at GoodPhil: cultural dance, modern dance, spirit dance and sports.
This year, Texas A&M University in College Station was scheduled to host the event March 13-15.
At 1 a.m. March 12, only two hours after FSA’s final practice, the team learned GoodPhil 2020 had been canceled due to the coronavirus.
Eighty-five FSA members were signed up to compete. Some of them had been only hours away from leaving a day earlier to College Station when they heard the news. Others were in the middle of practice, according to Lara Kate Astom, FSA president.
“It was heartbreaking to a bunch of our members that their trip was canceled,” said Astom, a multidisciplinary studies senior. “All FSAs, like, wherever they were at, they were also very heartbroken.”
The FSA has been preparing for GoodPhil since January. They attended dance classes and gained experience and training from dance teachers from the community. They prepared the dancers for performances and formed the sports teams. From there, both the dance and sports teams started practicing mornings, days and often nights. Some FSA members competed in intramurals on campus, Astom said.
Russel Cabasag, a Mathematics and Science Academy freshman and FSA member, said he was shocked to hear GoodPhil had been canceled.
“Knowing that this was my first year and I was super excited and we worked super hard, got me speechless and [at] a loss for words,” Cabasag said. “And this was not just me … but everyone that had gotten the news.”
Wanting to do something fast, the FSA officers planned their own version of GoodPhil for that Saturday to make the association’s hard work worth it.
At Zinnia Park, FSA showcased its three dances and sports teams in front of their family, friends and other community members. Many of their loved ones were not going to be able to see FSA at Texas A&M, so, now, FSA had a chance to show them their hard work in person, Astom said.
“They knew how important this competition was to us,” she said. “So, it was really nice to see all the support for that day.”
The first performance was a representation of a cultural dance from the Philippines, and FSA chose to represent Banga, or “pot dance.” It is performed by the Kalinga tribe, one of the indigenous peoples of the Mountain Province in the northern Philippines. The FSA dancers balanced a vase on their heads while performing to reflect the tribe, Astom said.
“It portrays the stamina and strength of women that carry heavy pots of water from the river,” she said.
The spirit dance was meant to show the university’s school spirit. FSA typically represents South Texas culture either by reflecting Mexican culture or South Padre Island. This year, FSA chose to represent the Rio Grande Valley culture. FSA ensures they reflect South Texas better than other schools that have previously claimed to be “South Texan,” Astom said.
“We make sure to [represent] that even harder,” she said.
The modern dance was a hip-hop performance with about 50 FSA members this year. Many of the members are not dancers, but practice and train as a team, Astom said.
“I think … the really cool thing about FSA is that a lot of people do things for the first time,” she said. “This is across all FSAs, too. They’re not necessarily the most trained ones, but we train them so that they can compete together.”
After the dance performances, the audience seemed to connect with one another, said attendee Christopher Nieto. Nieto called the cancellation of GoodPhil 2020 a “blessing in disguise” because instead of viewing the dances by video, the audience was united to witness the beauty of the performances.
“It seemed like the world around us had faded away,” Nieto said. “No one was worried about [a] pandemic or an outbreak. We were just focused on the beauty of music and dance … and a visual art form that they all partook in.”
FSA’s sports teams then displayed their determination through volleyball, basketball, Ultimate Frisbee and flag football, Astom said.
Cabasag was the captain of the flag football team and said the practices had started late. However, the team improved when practices commenced.
“I was very happy to see my team improve to become better in this particular sport that’s not very popular in … our club,” he said.
Hosting their own version of GoodPhil was rewarding to FSA. While they may not have been competing for a trophy, FSA showed its dedication and perseverance to the community.
“In the end, it didn’t feel like a lost cause, it didn’t feel like anything was put to waste, even if it were … a smaller audience,” Astom said. “As long as the heart was seen, wherever we performed.”
FSA will use this year’s experience for GoodPhil Games 2021, Cabasag said.
“I just hope that with what we learned in our sports, and … in our dance, we become better,” he said. “So, when next year comes, we’re able to compete without [a pandemic] … and totally place first in our FSA competition.”
Para la versión en español de este artículo, oprima aquí.
