The group consists of Carmelita ‘Carmen’ Fraser (the leader), Linda Price, Zeny Hollebone, Corazon ‘Cora’ Paras, Nora Howell, Dorothy Blanco (the youngest), Alma Middlebrook and Juliet Byrne.
Linda informs us that there is a linkage between the movements of a particular dance to the culture of a province. Being raised in the northern part of Luzon, Linda uses ‘La Jota Cagayana’ as an example; she points out that its gracefulness reflects the culture of Cagayan. Zeny further adds on this particularly with ‘Polka sa Nayon,’ a common folk dance in the Tagalog region, that reflects the courtship between a man and a woman.
SBS Filipino asks the group how they will characterize the traditional Filipino dance and many descriptions have been thought of; it is honest, fun, romantic, tells a story, meaningful and modest. Zeny, on the other hand, personifies it through Maria Clara and Andres Bonifacio.
All smiles for the 'bakya' dance Source: Carmen Fraser
The group is resourceful with most of their costumes being modified and ‘mix and match’ by their dance teacher and designer, Carmen. She relates that it is a mission for them (despite the lack of fund) to promote the Filipino culture.
Cora supports this and wants the involvement of the younger generation. She says that they have to introduce to them the Filipino culture so that they can learn about its ‘beauty.’ Zeny adds that she encourages the children and teenagers alike by approaching the parents and showing to them the photos of their performances. Despite this, their efforts seem to be ‘unheard.’
It is in this regard that SBS Filipino asks the two youngest members of Fil-Oz why they choose to be part of the group (with an attempt to also encourage our young Filipino-Australian listeners of the benefits of learning Filipino dances). Alma shares that dancing with the older member make these dances more meaningful while Dorothy sees it as a way to answer her curiosity about Filipino dance.
Carmen Fraser and her dance group for the Liverpool Centenary Celebration Source: Carmen Fraser
Dorothy is the youngest and is raised in Australia. She tells SBS Filipino that she is willing to find a Filipino dance she will be interested in and teach it someday to the younger generation.
The members of the Fil-Oz dance group have nice words for each other. Juliet talks about the importance of giving respect to their leader while Zeny and Cora recognize the good qualities of Carmen; she is loyal and a good listener.
In the second part of the interview, the members are asked to give their personal answers to questions regarding Filipino traditional dances (You can listen to this by clicking the ‘play’ button at the topmost image).
Carmen gives her final message to the community by encouraging the parents to teach their children about where they came from and the history of the Philippines. For her, this is a way to pass on the tradition and culture of our country to the young Filipino-Australians.
Dance performance during Santacruzan Source: Carmen Fraser
You can watch the performance of Fil-Oz dance group during Santacruzan, celebration of Philippine Independence Day and Senior’s week.
Looking back at the past performances
Dance performance during the Liverpool Centenary Celebration 1 Source: Carmen Fraser
Dance performance during the Liverpool Centenary Celebration 2 Source: Carmen Fraser
Dance performance during the Liverpool Centenary Celebration 3 Source: Carmen Fraser
