Members of the Filipino Association of New Brunswick have recently performed a breathtaking native dance called SINGKIL during the gala night of the Asian Heritage Month.

Julie McDonald, a nortside resident and the Chair of the cultural committee of the association was one of the performers.

She pointed out the value of presenting the dance to the Fredericton community.

"Dancing the Singkil allowed us to portray the richness of the Filipino culture to the Fredericton Community," McDonald said.

"The Philipppines has a diverse culture and is divided ino three major regions Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, each offering its own ethnicity and uniqueness."

McDonald and 16 others performed the traditional Philippine Dance about a lost princess.

The dancers, dressed in elegant colourful costumes, skillfully moved their feet in and out of clicking bambo poles.

Luisa Misa-Toyer directed the dance which they rehearsed three times a week for one month.

McDonald recalled the challenges the group encountered to practicing and preparing for the event.

"It was quite a challenge for most of us, especially for me. It was my first time to do the dance. On several practices, my foot and ankle were whacked several times by the bamboo poles causing me to fall and hurt myself but eventually I mastered the steps," McDonald said.

"Everyone sacrificed a lit of familiy time just to be able to attend every dance rehearsal. Another challenge was canvassing the right costumes and purchasing and shipping them from the Philippines. I was really worried that all the costumes wouldn't be here on the third week of May, but I received them without delay."

Singkil was one of the multicultural performances presented at the gala night of the Asian Heritage Month held on May 31st at the Le Centre communaire Sainte-Anne.