The Philippines is an island country in Southeast Asia, with multiple and various cultures, due to its colony history by Spain and the US. Nowadays more than 80 languages and dialects are spoken in the country, and features from different cultures are lively developed.
Kahayag Dance Company is a community-based dance group in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental. Its spectrum of dance genres ranges from contemporary, jazz, modern with majority on folkloric and cultural dances believing that the group lives to be a beacon of light that uphold national pride through dance. Kahayag has been performing in the Cultural Center of the Philippines in Manila and in other countries such as Nanning City and Macau, People's Republic of China, Kingdom of Cambodia and Korea.
Carrying its mission of cultural leadership and artistic excellence, Kahayag created an international traction when they won the Grand Prize of the 2015 IYF World Cultural Dance Festival in Korea last year. This earned them a Resolution Of Recognition from the City Government of Dumaguete while the Province of Negros Oriental proclaimed them as a Resident Artistic Group of Negros Oriental. The company is now under Mr Engel Boen Zerna as Artistic Director. As the official representative of the Republic of the Philippines, Kahayag Dance Company presented the country's unending array of vibrant cultural and modern summertime festivities during the 2015 IYF World Cultural Dance Festival in Korea. Their winning entry entitled, “Tag-araw” which is a Filipino term for summer, is a dance amalgamation reflective of the Filipinos’ creativity, artistry, and natural high when it comes to celebrations.