University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Chasing Cultural Authenticity: Echoes of the Kankanaey in the Midwest

Wolf, Gabrielle

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/128164

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Title
Chasing Cultural Authenticity: Echoes of the Kankanaey in the Midwest
Author(s)
Wolf, Gabrielle
Issue Date
2025
Keyword(s)
  • Filipino
  • indigenous dance
Date of Ingest
2025-05-08T12:30:52-05:00
Abstract
Why chase cultural authenticity when Manila is 8,130 miles away from Chicago, and you’ve never set foot in the Philippines—when all you have are stories and research, yet the need to connect, interpret, and represent remains just as strong?This is a dance I choreographed for Battle of the Bamboo, a Filipino dance competition. It draws inspiration from Kankanaey dances to tell Alamat ng Bundok Ara-at, a creation myth about the love between Maria Sinakuan and Ara-at, which, according to legend, became Mt. Arayat in Pampanga. While not a fully authentic representation, this piece is a contemporary fusion, blending distinct Kankanaey dances to narrate a story, and remains one of the rare moments where Kankanaey culture has been showcased on a Midwest stage. The competition and the dances it features raise a crucial question: Is cultural authenticity always the goal, or can reinterpretation be just as meaningful?My research examines how Battle of the Bamboo has evolved to reproduce indigenous Filipino culture in the Midwest, exploring how institutional influences, diasporic identity, and audience reception shape the competition. Ultimately, Battle serves as a dynamic site of cultural reproduction, where traditions are preserved and reimagined, challenging how we define authenticity in diaspora.
Type of Resource
  • still image
  • text
Language
eng
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2025 Gabrielle Wolf

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