Sonoma State’s Filipino American Association (FAASSU) is hosting Pacific Culture Night at Person Theatre on Saturday, May 11, from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m., with tickets on sale starting on April 4, 2024. 

Pacific Culture Night will showcase mainly Asian and Pacific Islander dances. Dancers will perform traditional folk dances from the Philippines known as Tinikling and Cariñosa. Other cultures will be showcased through the dancers’ performance of Bollywood, Laos dance, and a hula performance. The yearly event will feature guest performances from the Line Dancing Club and Lambda Sigma Gamma sorority. The performers will also sing the Philippine National Anthem in Tagalog. All of the dancers’ attire is culturally accurate and handmade.

The dance coordinators behind Pacific Culture Night made a point to include a variety of dances and traditional wear from different cultures to make all cultures feel welcome. Sacha Wedner, a fourth-year communication and media studies major said “It is important to build cultural spaces because it helps people build a sense of identity and culture and allows for them to bond over shared commonalities and experiences in a way that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to.” Isay Liwanag, a second-year psychology major and social chairman/dance coordinator of FAASSU said she believes that the event is a great opportunity for Filipinos at Sonoma State to see that a community exists on campus and that they can be a part of it.  

Many of the dancers are of Asian and Pacific Islander descent and choose to perform at Pacific Culture Night to feel more connected with their culture. Liwanag has been doing Polynesian dancing for fifteen years but never got the chance to learn Filipino dances. “I heard stories and saw videos of my grandma who was a professional Filipino dancer when she was younger, which intrigued me and made me feel like this was a great way to connect with my culture,” Liwanag said.  

Liwanag said a lot of dancers at PCN have never performed before, which created a lot of nerves and anticipation. Dancers who weren’t Filipino or didn’t feel as connected to their culture had hesitations about performing the dances. Emily Coad, a fourth-year liberal studies major and co-president/dance coordinator of FAASSU said that choreographing a unique dance posed an extra challenge. “There’s only a certain amount of moves you can do,” Coad said, “being able to put them together in a new and exciting way that other people haven’t done or getting the chance to put your own spin on it is a difficult yet rewarding process.” 

Tickets cost $8 for SSU students and are available for purchase at tickets.sonoma.edu or in person at the Info & Tickets desk at the Student Center.