by Shanferd Robino
Pilipinx Cultural Night, or PCN, is an annual production by AkbayanSJSU that includes dancing, singing, and acting which takes a whole school year of work, preparation, and struggle for two nights of performing. PCN 35, titled “Hiraya Manawari,” took the effort of over 100 students, all of whom worked towards the single goal of putting out a performance that no one will forget. Whether we were practicing in the cold rain in the South Garage or the scorching heat on top of the event center, the entire cast put all of their energy into this production throughout the entire spring.
For PCN 35, I mainly participated in the cultural dancing aspect, where I was both a choreographer and a performer for 3 dances. Chotis, the dance I choreographed, still has a special place in my heart as the work that everyone and myself put into it was shown during the performances. Both nights of performance were filled with so much passion and adrenaline that I couldn’t help but smile as I enjoyed being on the stage for every second I had. As the cast took their bow and the curtains closed on the final night of PCN 35, I was proud of myself for what I accomplished, but I still felt like something was missing. After the cast celebrated and gave each other compliments to each other, the dancers for Chotis were about to leave to celebrate when a cast member I had little interaction with came up to me.
“I can tell by your smile while you’re dancing that you genuinely enjoy cultural dancing. The way you perform on stage makes it look like you were meant to do this.” The compliment I received on the final night of Hiraya Manawari ended with me bursting into tears. The bottled-up emotions of the entire year towards this production came up because of one person. The feelings of accomplishment and recognition still reside in my memory today.
The Bolt Magazine 