Read the full article by Justine Chahal at Sacramento News & Review
Music swelled in the air as bamboo poles were placed parallel to each other against the concrete floor at Elk Grove’s District56 event venue. The poles beat against the floor before clicking together, narrowly avoiding the feet of dancers weaving between the bamboo. This is the Tinikling, a traditional Filipino dance, performed by dancers wearing cultural attire during the third annual Bayanihan Festival on Sunday, Oct. 12.
The audience clapped their hands along to the beat in celebration of the local Filipino culture. Madeline Do, a festival attendee who grew up in Elk Grove, said she thinks the increase of cultural events similar to the festival over the years has been great.
“Those aspects of community gathering [and] sharing with people who may not be part of this community is really cool,” Do said. “Elk Grove is a pretty diverse community welcoming a lot of different people from a lot of different backgrounds.”