Filipino Student Union celebrates its second annual dinner
Geneseo students enjoying the dinner and utilizing the festive decorations as a perfect photo background (Photo courtesy of Jemorie Nsiah).
SUNY Geneseo is a college that hosts various cultural and identity organizations, and each club hosts a cultural dinner in the MacVittie College Union’s ballroom every year. The point of these dinners is to spread awareness, raise money, and celebrate the individual cultures of each organization. Aside from serving food specific to each culture, these dinners often feature performances, fashion shows, or skits from the club to help the audience understand their particular culture. This year, I have made it a goal to attend as many cultural dinners as possible in order to further inform myself. On Saturday, Apr. 20, I attended the Filipino Student Union’s dinner, “Pasinaya.”
As the name implies, the Filipino Student Union (FSU) is a cultural organization at SUNY Geneseo that aims to celebrate Filipino culture. FSU has hosted many events on campus this year, including Pasinaya. According to Kaela Dimanlig, current co-president of FSU, “pasinaya” is Filipino for celebration or debut and is a term used whenever a Filipino woman turns eighteen years old or when a Filipino man turns twenty-one. Pasinaya was the second cultural dinner FSU has hosted, so the name “pasinaya” felt appropriate. Former co-presidents Aaron Enri and Sam Dumitrescu were also reportedly ecstatic to see the tradition of Filipino cultural dinners continue.
FSU's dinner began with an introduction of all executive board (e-board) members and standing for the Filipino national anthem. Then, former e-board member Sam Ellingsen read a poem titled “Philippines.” Dinner was then served with a menu consisting of lumpia, white rice, adobo chicken, BBQ pork skewers (my favorite dish served), and more. That delicious meal was followed by all members of the e-board giving roses to members of the audience who came to the dinner and/or who have consistently supported FSU. This includes family, friends, alumni, and every other culture club who came to support. Special thanks were given to the Chinese Culture Club at Geneseo because many members helped with the performances and logistics at FSU’s dinner.
The first major performance of the night was when e-board members Ebony Ruffin and Kiara Barney sang “Lacy” by famous singer and actress Olivia Rodrigo, a Filipino pop superstar. The last two performances of the night were the national dances of the Philippines, Cariñosa and Tinikling. Cariñosa (Spanish for loving and affection) is a flirtatious folk partner dance that requires fluid movement; in traditional arrangements, a woman would perform holding a fan while a man would have a handkerchief. The latter cultural dance involves two people holding and slamming bamboo sticks in a rhythmic sequence on the ground. At the same time, the dancers are required to avoid the poles while moving in the center. The name and practices of this dance are based on the graceful movements of tinkling birds—also known as buff-banded rail.
I’m happy to say that FSU’s second cultural dinner was a grand success! From the delicious food, music, well-choreographed performances, and the organization's appreciation for its audience and supporters, Pasinaya stands as one of the best cultural dinners I have attended. FSU has helped me better understand Filipino culture, and I am excited to learn even more. This is why I highly recommend Filipino students and their allies join FSU; they meet every Thursday at 7:15 p.m. in the Multi-Cultural Center!