Kapit Bayan made history on Feb. 16 after becoming the first group at Niles North to ever win 1st place at Battle of the Bamboo . Starting in 2013, originally known as Halo-Halo special, Kapit Bayan was a group created which allowed students to participate in the performance known as Battle of the Bamboo.
Battle of the Bamboo is a cultural dance in which performers retell generational stories through a diverse collection of dances rooted in the Philippines.
“For me and a lot of other Filipino-Americans, this is one of the best ways we can explore our culture. Not a lot of people learn about the rich traditions of our country other than Tinikling and Barongs, so to be able to explore it in this way—including research with indigenous tribes of the Philippines—is truly an amazing feeling” president of Kapit Bayan Giovanni Bautista said.
The group didn’t start to seriously compete until 2015, however, every year forward the group continues to improve and be an outstanding representation from Niles North.
“We only started seriously competing in 2015 and it’s only gone up from there! We’ve placed I believe 5 times in our 11 years and I’m very proud to continue the legacy of such a great group!” Bautista said.
After the win the emotions from the performers understandably could not be contained. The excitement could be felt by everyone, but especially for the members of Kapit Bayan
“Winning felt surreal, but at the same time I was confident that we would knowing how much effort and care everyone had towards this. I was so happy to see Kapit Bayan celebrate a win that was well deserved” sophomore Elizabeth Ramirez said.
Recognition towards this outstanding win goes to every member who spent long hours practicing and perfecting their dances. Despite some challenges, the group worked through and was victorious.
“It was truly surreal. Every kind of emotion was felt by everybody, I’m sure. The amount of dedication poured into our performance was felt by everyone. It’s really been a goal since I first heard of it from my oldest brother. The coordinator for Kapit Bayan is traditionally President as well, so it was a lot of pressure trying to balance both, but I couldn’t have done it without my Co-President Ashton or my other coordinators Donajane and Hai” Bautista said.
For those who missed the performance, a video of it can be found here.
