#fasaperformance

To cut the origin story short, I joined FASA and subsequently FASA E-Board because engaging in my Filipino culture has always been second nature to me, and I did not want my college experience to estrange me from my roots dwelling on the other side of the world. So, at the beginning of my term as performance co-chair, I had many plans and expectations ready to go. I had an anticipated timeline for performance events, inspirations for dances I wanted to conduct, and a solid vision of my sophomore year of college, month by month, lined up ahead of me.

Enter COVID-19, destroyer of plans, devil of expectations, and crusher of hopes and dreams. Prediction became the enemy, as did precedent. The lethargy of quarantine only amplified the helplessness and loss that plagued me as I watched all the opportunities and events I had eagerly awaited disintegrate in front of me, like a meticulously built sandcastle swallowed by the sea and leaving only wet lumps behind.

Alright, I digress. I’m exaggerating. Let an English major be a little dramatic: I don’t always get it out of my system when I’m writing fanfiction, you know.

First FASA performance! Something is awakened...

In all seriousness, the troubles of being a performance chair in the middle of a panna cotta made themselves clear very early on. Kalayaan was cancelled, and to fill the gap of summer performances, we had to quickly figure out a way to get virtual performances to work. We eventually succeeded, to both our relief and excitement. The satisfaction of a single success more than made up for all previously missed opportunities.

I feel like much of my term as performance chair worked out like this. To be transparent, frustration was a defining word of my time on board. Events were constantly cancelled due to COVID, and many of the cool ideas we had at the beginning of the year fell through. Because of this, however, the other defining word of my term was flexibility. I learned to quickly adapt to the constant barrage of cancellations and date moves, and we had to rely on our back-up plans more often than our actual plans -- bend, don’t break. As such, every time something worked out in our favor, it was a victory that negated every loss that came before it. There was no disappointment so great that a single accomplishment could not justify. The bottom line here can be summarized by the poignant lyrics of Chumbawumba’s sweeping 1997 ballad: “I get knocked down, but I get up again/You’re never gonna keep me down.”

I was very much wearing my shirt backward the entire day

If I am mentioning getting up again, however, I cannot do so without acknowledging what it was like being on board as a whole. ‘Teamwork makes the dream work’ is no exaggeration. Although there were rough patches, board members were there to support us through it all. In turn, I learned that support goes both ways and that it’s just as fulfilling to help out a teammate when in need. It seems as though you could always find help from someone, whether it be as a board member or as a friend. The line of professionalism did tend to get a little blurry from how close we were, but it certainly added to the fun I had while on board. The sheer amount of things this year’s board managed to pull off, despite it all, has never failed to impress me, and I am humbled to be a part of a team that contains such talented and driven people.

The talented and driven people in question

One last little divergence before I move on to my little awards ceremony speech segment. I would like to emphasize how proud/happy/excited I am about PCN this year and Performance’s role in it. In its unexpected finality, working through PCN to accomplish something so visible and concrete after everything we’ve been through feels like a sweet yet massive cherry on top. I am writing this after just finishing our last PCN practice of the year. It does not feel real. Almost nothing has, since that fateful March day a year ago, but oddly enough this does not feel like the end to me. I am so grateful that we had this one last opportunity to dance through Filipino culture with FASA, and I can’t wait to see the finished product. I get back up again, indeed.

Performance in the wild

Okay. Without further ado, the awards speech. Thank you, Bea, for being a performance chair inspiration. Thank you, Jason and Jolene, for roping me in your wacky hijinks (JJK supremacy). Thank you, Kate and Estelle, for being an amazing cultural team that pulled off PCN in a year where everything was uncertain. Thank you, all of 2020-2021 E-Board, for good times, for pulling me through bad times, for teaching me new things. Thank you, most of all, to Josh, my lovely partner in crime. Not only would I not have been able to do this job without him, but I would also not have been able to enjoy myself while doing it. With his charm and seemingly endless supply of energy, I truly do not think being a performance chair would have been half as fun without it. We balanced in a way where I could see how my weaknesses aligned with his strengths and vice versa, but we did not settle into a dynamic where he always covered my flaws. Instead, I think he inspired me to strengthen my own personal weaknesses, to find my own voice, and be more assured of myself. I will treasure the memories of the late-night bonding conversations and schemes that took place before elections and continued throughout quarantine until I idly rock back and forth in my chair at the old folks' home. In so many words: hey Josh, you're a fantastic friend and a freaking awesome co-chair. Thank you so, so much for being by my side for this rollercoaster of a school year.

Giggling fit in 3...2...1...

And finally, thank you FASA, thank you for letting me serve you as a performance chair in this ~unprecedented~ time. If someone had told me a year ago exactly what I was getting into, challenges and all, I still would have run for board because even a panettone could not pry me away from my love of FASA and FASA performance. I mean, talk about a found family trope. To me, Filipino culture has always meant the feeling of a warm, ensconcing hug, and I found exactly what I was looking for when I sought out UMich’s Filipino org on the very first day of freshman Festifall. I’ve grown to love this community like a second home, and in turn, this allowed me to grow into a better version of myself (fun fact: I never went by Kris before joining FASA, but somehow that’s just what I ended up being called here. I love it). With FASA, I’ve felt love and friendship and teamwork and all those other shounen anime themes, and I feel like I belong. It’s been fun, it’s been (mostly) safe, it’s been aw yeah FASA yeah. To any future FASA member out there: hold tightly to the open arms FASA welcomes you with. It’s going to be one hell of a ride.

*Friends theme song plays*

Cheers,

Hi! My name is Kendra but some of you may have met Tendra… Just FYI, those two are not the same. So, I would like to walk you through my journey being in FASA.

Chapter 1: Twin 1

I want to start by saying, I am not Filipino. I am Vietnamese. Going to UofM I didn’t really know what to expect or what to get involved in. It all started when freshman year I bumped into Ashley, who told me I should join FASA when I had brought up that I was from the Chicago area and did battle during high school. She mentioned that FASA went to Battle the previous year and was planning on taking a trip to UIUC for FACT, which I found really intriguing because many of my friends go there. She really gave me the rundown of how FASA worked and told me to sign up to be in a FAM/LIN and not even knowing what that might’ve meant for me, I trusted her and did it anyway. 

So… My first FASA “event” was actually an afterset at Ashley’s house where a handful of the other freshmen and I showed up for “anything but a cup” and of course… on time. Board was scrambling to set up still and I still remember that night very clearly and Amanda and Celeste showing up as animals hehe. 

At some point, people started mistaking me for Ashley and vice versa for some reason, and either you see the resemblance or you don’t. Regardless, she is still my twin.  But I want her to know  how much I appreciate her for all that she has done for me. 

Sorry Ashley for the rug!

Chapter 2: Twin 2

I pulled up to Halo Halloween with a group of friends dressed as Sanrio characters but little did I know my lineage was also Sanrio characters! 

Fast forward, now, here I am going to FACT with a group of people that I’ve never met before. I hop into the university van and the first thing Emily Paras says is “ I think you’re in my Lin”. Then Nate Tran says, “ I think you’re in my fam!”. Not knowing what any of that means I’m like “Oh, cool,”. This is where I’m sitting in the back seat with Jess and Adrian and they’re CODING. Anyway, we got there and Emily introduced me to Kris. She says “ This is your ate,” and that my lin twin, Sofia, wasn't able to make it because she was sick. Of course I had to stalk her but her following ratio was scary. I took this opportunity to find out more about performances and then joined PCN dances, which was one of the best decisions I’ve made. But also can we take a moment to acknowledge the fact that I won PUSO Merch through their giveaway?!

That night, we had a senior x freshman bonding session and during hot seat, I got asked which senior I was looking forward to getting to know and I said Kris because she’s my ate. 

So real quick shout out to Kris: Thank you Ate Kris for letting me, Sofia, and Jenny spend countless nights and hours at 815 talking about everything and anything. As your double ding, I have looked up to you in so many different ways and you have really made me feel comfortable in sharing whatever it is that I am going through. I can’t express how much of an inspiration you have been and I really hope that we will continue staying in touch. 

Shoutout to all the freshmen that I met here 🥹

Especially Eli who blew up the air mattress and woke up next to a cockroach!

Fast forward again, Kikilan was having their first lin hang at Slurping Turtle! This is where I met Sofia, so I guess we can call her Twin 2! I am going to skip over the lore but who would’ve thought that we would be bonding over being twins! I must say I love all my Kikilan girl bosses.

Chapter 3: Twin 3

Well now, I’m like “hmm, what if I became an intern?” 

I didn’t even apply l o l.

But this gave me the opportunity to get to know the other freshmen better. We had freshmen pre-games at Markley and more specifically Taryn’s dorm, and boy were they unforgettable memories that we created. 

Look at this one! 

Anyway who knew this Cali Boy would be the reason for the revival of Tendra…

Chapter 4: Throwback Tendra

So how did I end up in this position when I’m not even Filipino??? 

For some context, I am from Skokie, IL, the LARGEST village in the US. (Don’t ask me what that means). Going into high school, we had a huge Filipino student body and most of my friends since elementary school are Filipino. My sister and I both had good friends that were Filipino. Originally, I wasn’t too involved in my Filipino Club, Kapit Bayan because I was more focused on my other dance club. Until it was my sophomore year and all my friends had competed in Battle of the Bamboo and won third place, I was dragged to join and unfortunately during my year we did not win… But I must say it was a thrilling experience! From actually slicing my friend’s scalp to rolling off the 5 foot stage. (You can ask me about it after ) We were also one of, if not the biggest student organization. Right after, COVID hit. Then at the beginning of Junior year, I was asked by the current coordinators if I would be interested in helping coordinate battle with them. I was hesitant at first but then accepted anyway. I spent hours researching and story boarding and it was extremely hard during covid. However when senior year came along unfortunately I dropped out of being a coordinator. Still, I was very familiar with Filipino culture and always felt a sense of community.

Chapter 5: As(h)endra Arc

Back to the question of how did I even end up in this position? I received a message from Ash asking if I would be interested in running as his co because of my experience with Battle. Of course I was hesitant because I wasn’t sure if this was my place to step up in a leadership position especially since many times when I tell people I am in FASA, they always ask why I’m in it because I am not even Filipino. Many times this did make me feel weird about being so involved, but FASA itself has never made me feel like an outsider. I ended up running because I felt that Ash’s ambition to bring FASA back into Battle as a competitor was something that I could help bring to life. 

With both of us living being from Chicago or whatever, when summer hit, we spent hours and hours either just hanging out or working on FASA stuff. I must say, many of those hours were spent grinding Valorant… so @ FASA Hater we are coming for you this Rice Bowl. Even being in Chicago, we made the road trip back for Kalayaan and then Blondra became a thing!

Then when we got back to school, we were already sucked into the PCN grind. I just want to say that I am so proud of everyone who joined a performance even if it was their first time. Everyone truly grew so much and I hope everyone was able to get what they wanted to out of it. Everyone looked amazing on stage! Starting as a general member being on the outside of the circle to being the one saying the chant and starting the hype circle was such an amazing experience.

Then of course, Battle. We went through many battles with this. 17 hours of FASA for 5 weeks. How is that even real?! There were many times where Ash and I were really discouraged and worried about how our vision was gonna turn out. Many times where we were troubleshooting our story board, worrying about cultural accuracy, if we had the funds (*shoutout Andrew!!), and having enough people perform. It felt like a constant struggle with there being so many uncertainties going on and many times where neither of us wanted to do anything but we still pulled through. But even then, I felt confident that we would win. 

Again I would like to sincerely thank everyone who performed and helped us bring our vision to life. Thank you for your patience, and trusting us to lead you into Battle even when we were doing this for the first time, too. I really hope that you guys are proud of your accomplishments as much as I am proud of you all. 

But more importantly.

To Ash:

Hi. I know that we’ve gone through many ups and downs, but I’m glad that I was able to experience this with you. I would have to say that there were many times that I felt like we weren’t doing enough and it really stressed me out.  I know that I focused a lot on appreciating the general members, but I want to say that I acknowledge all the hard work that you have put into performance. Looking back at our year, we let our ambition drive us and it was a really fulfilling and full circle moment especially bringing home our well deserved trophy. I am really proud of us for being able to create FASA Pamana and bringing FASA back to Battle as a competitor. I am really happy with our results and thank you for bearing with me. I also had a lot of fun practicing for FASApalooza and I think our creativity really brought FASA performance to another level. I don’t know if I would’ve been able to grow this much if it were anyone else.  So once again, thank you for everything. It has been a pleasure working with you. 

Chapter 6: Back to Tendra

So, Tendra.. Tendra really started when Eli’s mom was guessing Taryn’s name before Kalayaan. Then for some reason, Philip Churchley says “It starts with a K and ends with Tendra,”. Now, Tendra has been revived! But also, for those of you who don’t know… people would mix me up with Taryn. This makes her Twin 4. In conclusion, I found my own little happy family within FASA. Papa Eli and his quadruplets: Tendra, Karyn, Pip, and Fifi. 

But lastly, my message to board as Kendra:

Dear Board,

Thank you for supporting me and Ash through our vision. I’m glad that I was able to start the Taho train. I appreciate all of you for all the hard work and dedication that you’ve put into making FASA a wonderful and welcoming community for me. I will forever cherish our memories together and wish you all the best in your future endeavors. And if you ever encountered Tendra, no you didn’t.

Five, six, seven, eight. And it begins.

I started my journey with Filipino culture in high school. I auditioned for the Filipino club at my school, “Kapamilya Habang Buhay”. I practiced and practiced and practiced every day after school preparing for our school’s International Night. 2 hours, 5 days a week, I danced until my shins trembled with pain. And I loved every second of it. I didn’t know anything about Filipino culture before I joined this club. But through the members and the practices, I learned so much. At family parties, I always ate the eggrolls. After a year in Filipino club, I realized I always ate the lumpia. Never before have I felt so connected to my culture. I started calling myself Filipino proudly.

My final performance with Kapamilya Habang Buhay was Battle of the Bamboo. While I was here, performing the biggest, best performance I’ve put on so far at this stage, I watched colleges perform their dances. They told stories and myths from Filipino folklore through dance, something that I never got the chance to do. Tinikling was all I ever did in dance. By this time, I didn’t know I was going to Michigan at this point, but I looked at the names on the back of the shirt I bought at the merch stand, FASA’s name nowhere to be found.

Freshman year, I find myself in the diag staring at a Filipino flag and a bamboo stick high in the sky. I learned about FASA, attended the events, and joined a dance. Another notable thing was hearing the Tinikling music live at an SEAS event - something I’ve only ever heard from a recording on Spotify. I was flooded with emotions, so much so that it almost flooded down my face. This was important for later. In the dance, I impressed the  choreographers (my boy and best friend B-sone included), and they knew it all made sense when I said I came from KHB like Christine (shoutout her). I made some of my closest friends through dance and after every practice I looked forward to the next. Practices also helped me grow into a person that I never thought I’d be. Before FASA, before college, I was never this comfortable with who I was and sharing that with everyone else. Performance was how I grew my love for FASA and deepened my love for Filipino culture. I loved the practices, the bonding, and the pounding of my heart as I prepared to step on stage. I continued into FASA as an intern, and after that, I decided to run for board. Before I was on board, I wrote a message to myself at the “IAmFilAm” event. 

Dear me, 

In the past, you didn’t know a lot about Filipino culture, but over the years, you have learned a lot more. You are growing your cultural identity. I hope you are continuing this growth and meeting your new people. I hope you are doing well and hopefully on board. Did we win Battle? Did you make a new dance group within FASA? Solidify your legacy.

Five, six, seven, eight. And it continues.

It started with PCN. I went back to my roots and taught Tinikling. Not Modern Tinikling. Tinikling. I taught the dance the way it was taught to me. Except this time, not with the music from Spotify, but with live music from PACEMI (shoutout them oh my I don’t know where I’d be without them). I fostered a community within my dancers that allowed them to express and learn about their culture in a way they could be proud of. It also served as a way for me to see just how much I’ve grown.

The largest feat of my tenure was placing third at Battle under the name “FASA Pamana” (legacy (solidified)). When I first ran for board, returning FASA to competing at Battle of the Bamboo was my vision and most ambitious goal. I couldn’t have done it without Kendra (shout the [redacted] out to her). We choreographed, practiced, planned, and studied for hours on end preparing for our dance. If there was anyone who poured their heart, soul, passion, blood, time, and culture into FASA, it was us. Battle was my medium in which I showed what FASA really meant to me - what being Filipino really meant to me. I love being Filipino. 

Culture is really a performance in itself. You find yourself in your dance, in your culture. You take every step with intention. You lose yourself in your dance. You express yourself in your dance. And after that, you watch yourself and see all that you’ve done. But the thing that’s different about culture and a performance is that the performance is on stage. Culture is like a performance that you put on for an empty audience. For a crowd that consists of your reflection on the mirrors made of only your own being. Something only you need to be proud of. 

In these words, I’m painting a picture on what my internal performance looks like. This is the one dance I will never finish choreographing.

Five. Six. Seven. Eight. And counting.

Thank you, FASA. 

There was one more thing I wrote in the letter to myself: 

Oh, what a journey it’s been

My FASA story truly began my freshman year at Tinik on the Diag. Stepping into those sticks for the first time was genuinely a life changing experience. I knew I had to get more involved with dancing, which led me to joining a modern tinik set for PCN. I met my current closest friends at the practices and found I had a real passion for performing. Next thing I knew I was up on stage giving a speech to all of FASA on why I should be elected as performance chair, and here we are now.

kalayaan tinik gang

HIT THE GROUND RUNNING

There’s quite literally no time to waste as a performance chair. There are endless opportunities to perform, and they’ll pop up as soon as you’re elected. It’s key to stay on top of your stuff, especially if you want to do more than you can probably handle (Caitlin and I would NEVER do that… 0 chance). Ambition is great! I’d even go to say it’s necessary for being a performance chair. However, ambition and workload are directly correlated. This means that the more ambitious you are, the more planning in advance you’ll have to do and effort you’ll have to put into your job. There’s never not a good time to send out an interest form or submit a room request!!! (Shoutout Justine for being the sole reason we had even one space to practice in this year!!! You saved us so many times) Even if you truly don’t have any current responsibilities, start thinking about things you can do in the future. What other events can you perform at? How can you make your choreo more creative? What are some steps you can take to lay a better foundation for future performance chairs? You obviously don’t have to live and breathe performance, but incorporating aspects of it into your daily life helps you adapt to all of the responsibilities that come with the position.

BO4RD*TOWN bretheren

HAVE FUN

Performance chair is a position where you get out exactly what you put in which can be very overwhelming at times. The largest rewards come with the largest amount of work put in, leading to you striving to take every opportunity presented to you. The single most important thing I’ve realized while being in this position is that you MUST have fun with what you’re doing. I know everyone says that but it’s true! Performance is a job where it’s really easy to translate your “work” into something fun if you’re willing. Watch videos online of other performances to get inspired or imagine some choreography to a song you’re listening to while going about your day. Think about how you basically just get to hang out with a bunch of friends and dance with them for hours every week. If you do it right, the people you’re leading will match your energy every time you show up to practice and love your dance just as much as you do. If you’re having fun with it so will everyone else!! 

love my industry baby squad <3

POSITIVE VIBES

The people you’re leading in your dances aren’t just little choreo guinea pigs, they’re actual human beings believe it or not! And the fact they’re in your dance probably means they share at least one common interest!! During breaks go talk with some new people you haven’t seen before or have a quick chat with a friend to make the environment feel as welcoming as possible. Everyone’s there to dance and have a good time, and it’s your responsibility to foster an environment for that to be possible. Make people want to keep coming back to practice not only for the dance itself, but also to see their friends and meet new ones. Dance practices are the most consistent way in FASA to interact with other members, so you gotta see to it that they’re a fun place to be. You don’t always have to be the choreographer/teacher, take a step down every now and then and maybe do a little dancing yourself. Just because you’re the teacher now doesn’t mean you can’t participate in what made you want this position from the start!

my og tinikists

CHILL OUT

Burnout is a very real thing, so it’s extremely important to take breaks. This doesn’t mean you have to stop performing or holding practices. It’s completely okay to let your dancers or past choreographers step into a leadership role and take charge for a bit. The main reason I gained interest in becoming a performance chair in the first place was because my tinik choreographers, Jason and Jolene, let me give my input on the dance they were leading and made me feel involved in the choreography. Dancers love to help with choreo, so make that happen for them. Sometimes it’s nice to see the people you’ve been teaching expand on the ideas you have and add some new perspcetives and personal touches to it. Once you start that practice it should be everyone’s dance, not just yours. The accomplishing feeling of watching your dance come to fruition is much more satisfying when you can share it with everyone around you!

tinikling slay

MESSAGE TO BOARD

Working alongside all of you has been a pleasure, and I’m very grateful for all of the hard work and dedication you’ve put into keeping this organization thriving. All of you were extremely passionate people coming into this year’s board, and it was awesome to watch everyone make sure we all kept that passion alive. 15 people came together with a common goal of furthering this organization in a positive direction, and I’m happy to say we accomplished that and much much more. Every person went above and beyond when they needed to as well as when they didn’t, never letting there be a moment wasted. We definitely started out as a group of individuals, but the degree of cohesiveness we now have as a unit is one that I never imagined achievable. You’re all amazing people that made my job and everyone else’s easier and fun to do. Thank you guys for being such a wonderful team and family to be a part of during my tenure as a performance chair.

look caitlin i used the picture!!

CAITLIN (MY AMAZING CO)

What’s up co! Can you believe we really did all that this year??? We started strong with Kalayaan in the summer right when we were elected, led our new board through Tinik on the Diag, emceed our open mic night, choreographed our own dances at PCN, and took FASA to Chicago to perform at Battle, just to name a few things. And we still aren’t done!?!?!? Moving on from what we’ve accomplished, I’d like to tell you how much I appreciate you and how much I loved working with you this year. I had a lot of love for performance coming into board, and you not only matched me, but complimented me so well that we ended up forming a separate combined passion for our role. Expanding on this passion for our job and continuously growing it every day with you has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. Looking back on all that we’ve gotten into and done together, it really makes me realize that there’s no one else I could’ve done it with. Watching our relationship turn from a purely professional one into a friendship has been awesome. I’m so glad you’re not only my co, but also someone I can call a good friend. And working alongside a friend is way more fun anyways! Speaking of working, you’re one of the hardest workers I’ve ever met. I don’t know how you manage your classes on top of work on top of the hundreds of things we get ourselves into for this org. The amount of times you’d be on two hours of sleep and still lead a pagapir practice or reach out to make sure my dance was going well even though you didn’t have to blows my mind. You always made sure we were doing our job to our fullest potentials no matter the cost, and that’s something I truly respect. I never once had to fear we wouldn’t be able to finish a task because I knew if we put our minds together to get something done, it would get done. Thank you for making me love performance even more than I did before and for opening my eyes to all that performance can be. I’ll never forget the goals we acheived and the memories we made along the way this year. We may have a one foot height difference and a recorded 1.5% compatibility, but there’s absolutely no one in the world I would’ve wanted to be my co other than you. 

#1 duo

GOODBYE!!!!

Thanks to everyone who’s been a part of my journey in FASA, especially this year during my time as a performance chair. You guys are what make it all worth it and keep me wanting to be a part of and to better this community in every way I can.

Much love,

Performance Chair –– a board position that I have a love-hate relationship with.

What do I mean by this?

 Let’s just say sometimes, the people that you love the most are the people you actually fight with most of the time and sometimes you hate them but deep down you really just hate them at that exact moment but you love them as a whole. You are grateful that you have them. Conflicts are inevitable but you get through it together…you grow together as it goes on.

That is the Performance Chair position for me.

There are times when I was like what if I just quit or I’m so tired of everything (as a whole) that I just wanted to just watch shows or play Call of Duty or play Genshin but thinking about FASA performances is what keeps me going. Thinking about the pride that the performers feel when they hear the crowd cheering, clapping, or even WOAH-ing keeps me going. Thinking about performers bonding and growing together keeps me going. So all year, I’m just GO GO GO!

Battle of the Bamboo Szn (2 week szn)

MoMA Spotted

This is MoMA. The girl who wears this MoMA jacket. I believe her name is Michelle. These are pictures of her. Let me know if you know this girl.

This girl. If we are going to make a movie based on the battle season, it won’t be “Michelle Saves the Day” but “Michelle Saves the Season”. I feel like I have not shown this girl how grateful I am for her for stepping up during the Pagapir practices and working with me in making the performance wonderful in a way that shows compassion to our performers. You played a vital role in keeping the performers’ morale high and making the performance amazing. THINKS!

OMG I FOUND HER!

Pagapiring: FASA, Back on Battle Stage

Performing in battle has become a core memory for me. It is not because Eric Solano gave a good comment on our performance, although it’s also nice. But my favorite part of it is the performers. Performers, I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to get to know all of you. We had our highs and lows…and we bonded over it. Each of you have made this experience memorable for me. I love you all and I hope that you are all proud of yourselves. Ensemblers+Nate and Pagapirers slayed so hard on the battle stage.

My Co looks like Bry-Bry

I really think that this guy I’m working with is Bry-Bry from BO4RD*TOWN. He said no but I have a feeling.

To Bryson:

I am glad that you are my co this year.

I am glad that you are the person I grew with in this position.

I might not have shown it to you but you are one of my rocks this year.

I hope that you are proud of everything that we have achieved. 

I cannot imagine being a performance chair without you as my co.

I appreciate you so much for all the things you have done in your position.

You have worked so hard and it shows.

You are one of the smartest and most professional people I know.

You are so cool.

Some people think we do not work well together because of our checkmate 1.5% compatibility. If that’s true, I wouldn’t have heard.

“It’s literally FASA’s Performance Era”

 - Wesley Liao 3/8/23

A TUNE FOR FASA E-Board:

I wrote a song for you because this is what I think about working with all of you…

🎶(Instrumental)🎶

Here and now it's time for celebration

I finally figured it out (yeah yeah)

That all our dreams have no limitations

That's what it's all about

Everyone is special in their own way

We make each other strong (each other strong)

Were not the same

Were different in a good way

Together's where we belong

We're all in this together

Once we know

That we are

We're all stars

And we see that

We're all in this together

And it shows

When we stand

Hand in hand

Make our dreams come true

🎶(Instrumental)🎶

To FASA:

I am thankful that I am part of this wonderful community. Everyone is amazing and I love seeing us grow bigger and bigger! Knowing each and every one of you brings me different experiences. COZ Y’ALL ARE EXTREMES.

The freshies! I’m not one of them

Bakunawa Spotlight

The bestest and coolest lineage deserves recognition here. DA DAURGS!

Transitioning being COOLturals to being a PERPormance:

Quick sequence of “How’d I get heeeere” (s/o SZA):

Applied as an intern because I thought it was like a FASA resource for an internship opportunity in my field of study.

Getting accepted in the internship program and realizing what it actually was OOPS. (I loved it tho).

I decided to run for both Cultural Chair and Performance Chair positions.

I did all my coffee chat for both positions

Something happened in my life that made me feel more strongly about culturals at that time but I love both positions equally.

I messaged the Presidents, Ate Izzy and Ate Bea saying that I would like to revoke my candidacy for the performance chair and wanted to focus on culturals more.

I promised Ate Bea Fandino that I will run for performance. 

Got the culturals position and the term went wonderful with the love of my life Miss Emily madlamba@um*ch.edu.

A year later and I ran for performance chair → PROMISE FULFILLED!

And now I’m here writing this testimonial.

Co-Cultural Chairs and Co-Performance Chair are positions who play very different roles in FASA although I got the chance to spread culture with all of them. I realized that the workload for each chair is very similar but in different ways. To give you a glimpse of it, being cultural is more research focus, you are mostly making documents or writing emails, and strict planning on everything. Performance on the other side is more work physically, has more informal communications, and planning that will allow flexibility. Also, my cos for both terms work in very different ways. For these reasons, I had to do a whole reset which was hard at first but I got the groove baby!

Key Advice to Future Performance

BE AMBITIOUS

BUT

MAKE SURE YOU MAKE DECISIONS YOU WON’T REGRET

Right now I am writing this and  reflecting about my past 2.5 years on board. I am happy with all my decisions and I am happy that I got to work with two wonderful people: EMILY AND BRYSON. 

AT LAST: I FEEL FULFILLED AND I WILL NOW BE MOVING FORWARD TO FIND MY NEW PURPOSE. THIS WILL BE A MEMORY THAT I WILL LOOK BACK AT WITH A SMILE ON MY FACE. 

One last important thing to say is Bryson is the reason why I finished strong. WE DID IT CO! It was a pleasure working with you.

Thank you performers and everyone for being a part of this journey. 

Signing out.

One of your co-performance chairs,

Caitlin Ruth Gines

>FASA Board Round 2: Choose your character!

>Select character: Performance Chair

>Are you sure you would like to select the same character as the last round?

>Select option: Yes

My tenure as a boardie last year came and went, but my desire to be performance chair did not go with it. I looked back on what I had done, reflected on what I had wanted to do, and decided that yeah, I really wasn’t done yet. There was still so much I wanted to do, given the constraints of remote school and club activities during the 2020-2021 school year, and the performance chair itch was just begging to be scratched. TL;DR: the itch was scratched. Yes, it was very much worth it.

>FASA Board Round 2: Begin!

Obviously, one of the biggest changes was that I no longer had a co chair to rely on (shoutout to Josh my co 5eva). The lack of a partner intimidated me at first, but now that I am at the end of my term, I can say that there was never, ever a point at being a solo boardie that I felt like I was alone. I always had my choreographers with me, ready to take the burden of practice running, scheduling, and dancer organization. Being able to pick choreographers early not only helped me plan for upcoming events but also provided me with a team of people I could always rely on. The fact that had at least one person to count on for support at any given time spoke to the great teamwork that comes from FASA, and not just FASA board. One of the most endearing parts of FASA, to me, has been that anyone from board to general members will find some way to help you if you need it.

Behold: the primary reasons I was able to survive being a solo chair

Another significant change to the role as opposed from last year was the in-person aspect. Call it selfish, but one of the main reasons I really wanted to be performance chair again was because I really wanted to feel the satisfaction that came from running in person events. Boy, did I ever get what was asked of me. First off, we broke the Open Mic Night curse! After almost two years of cancelled Open Mic Nights, I was so happy to see all of FASA’s individual talents shine in that tiny dim Union room. FASApalooza proved a great success and was everything I had always envisioned for the event.

The curse breaks!

Then along came my first in-person PCN. There were definitely a lot of hiccups in the final performances, but hey, maybe the real PCN was the friends we made along the way. I always like to say that one of the most rewarding parts of being in performance is making friends with the same people you’re stuck in a room with week after week after week. Even with the logistical pain that was bangko benches and the constant back-and-forth with the venue, seeing everyone back on stage after two years, surrounded by lights and family and pure hype made everything so incredibly worth it. Sincerely, one of the best parts about being a performance chair is watching everything you’ve spent weeks working towards come to life in a burst of color and music. I could not have asked for a better, more hard working group of performers, and I hope that FASA performance will remain one of their more treasured memories of college.

FASA performers my beloved <3

Alright, now to some life lessons.

>Open inventory: Takeaways as a performance chair

You can plan all you want, outline every single detail, and rehearse for weeks, but there will always be some sort of hiccup, major or minor, when showtime arrives. Do not let this discourage you or freeze you in your place! Learn to be flexible and problem solve along the way.

Delegate and have a team! Nothing I accomplished as performance chair would have been possible if I did not rely on other board members or my choreographers to help me out.

You do not need dance experience or choreography experience to be a performance chair. Most of the choreography I came up with was done by watching other performances and adapting it to better fit our needs.

Don’t try to have a hundred people line dance on the Union Ballroom stage. Please.

An emotional capture of me realizing I had made a very miscalculated error.

>Open inventory: Takeaways as a boardie

Be friends with your team members. I know that this seems impossible in certain circumstances, but upon experiencing different boards and leadership teams, I have to say that the strength and teamwork in FASA board is unlike anything else, and I attribute this to how personally close everyone is. Being familiar and friendly with others encourages better communication and establishes a more positive team environment.

Hold yourself accountable. If you are working in a team, everyone relies on you to get your own stuff done for everything to work properly. Put the needs of the team first as best as you can before attending to your individual prospects. But see 3 for more on this.

If you need to step back, do so and communicate it. The board burn out is very, very real. Overworking yourself will hurt you in the long run, so please don’t be afraid to take time for yourself.

Screaming Justin Timberlake together really does help you grow as a team

>Congratulations! FASA Board Round 2 Complete. Victory!

>Roll credits.

Some thank yous: thank you Jason, Jolene, and Christine for being such wonderful modern tinikling choreographers. Christine, you were a great partner in crime for performance committee heads. Jason, (wah), I am sorry we roped you out of board retirement but you bring life and humor to performance like no other. Jolene, you are one of the best friends I have ever made on FASA and I will only say that to you just this once <3. Thank you Patrick for being an amazing bangko co-choreographer. You took my wild dream and made it into reality and my vision as performance chair could never have been executed without you. I actually can’t thank you enough. Thank you Kate for putting up with all of our room garbage: practice and events could not have occurred without you. Thanks Josh, for helping me get to where I am now and for continuing to cheer me on til today. Thank you board: my time with y’all is something I will treasure forever, and I will be chasing the high of this team for the rest of my working life.

Literally just putting this here because it's one of the funniest pictures I have of Jolene (that's fun and safe, anyways). Also, because she supported me just like she supported this carpet.

Okay, now I’m DONE done. The itch has been cured: I am more than satisfied with my time on FASA board, and although I adored the experience, I am more than ready to retire. This position has been all sorts of exhausting, but the amount of fun and good times I had while being in it far outweighs all that (do that math: that is A LOT of fun and good times to balance all that exhaustion out). I guess I still have GenAPA to look forward to, but as my official tenure ends, I send my best goodbyes to this position that will always hold a special place in my heart. Long live FASA dance! Mabuhay FASA!

Sayaw sa bangko, my pride and joy of this year

Goodbye, with happy tears and cheers,

When coming to Michigan, I truly had no idea about what else I was going to do besides school. I dabbled with the Parkour Club and spent a lot of time at Bursley, but I struggled to find something that I could see myself committing to long-term. My dear friend Christine Agpasa asked me if I wanted to go to something called Tinik on the Diag early on in the year, but I respectfully declined the offer. Then, one fateful October day, she tricked convinced me into joining her for a little event called Halo-Haloween hosted by the one and only, FASA. I am very glad that I did not miss this second opportunity and am forever grateful for what she did to introduce me to this amazing organization. From this day forward, I made it a goal to become more involved because the atmosphere and people were all so welcoming and supportive. It also provided me with the opportunity to explore my culture and learn more about it, which is something I was not able to do in the past. From PCN to Battle of the Bamboo, and everything in between, each experience has been significant to me and led to me truly finding a home and community in college.

The BEST Lineage

All of this led to me making the decision to run for Performance Chair. After not being able to actually perform in PCN, I was excited to participate in the next available opportunity in the winter, Battle of the Bamboo. Though initially hesitant, some encouragement from the iconic Bea Fandiño pushed me over the edge and led to one of the best experiences of my first year. This was the turning point in my decision-making and really convinced me that performance was what I wanted to do. Even still, I had doubts about myself regarding if I really was qualified for the position. Up until that point, I had never really performed or done anything similar. I was just a parkour kid who felt in over his head when considering everything I actually had to do. Without the support and encouragement of my friends and the rest of the executive board, I’m not sure where I would be, but I am so glad that they did what they did because it has allowed me to grow in many ways that I would not have been able to otherwise.

Don’t Ya Wish U Were Us?

To board: Thank you for letting me be who I am. I have appreciated every moment we have shared together and could not have asked for a better group of people to work with. This entire experience has been so enjoyable with all of you at my side. A few ups and downs are inevitable, but that does not take away from how fulfilling and rewarding everything has been.

To my dear co-chair, Kris: Thank you for staying true to yourself and helping us both achieve the vision that we had since the day we were elected. With everything that was going on this past year, I could not have asked for a better partner and friend to have at my side. I am so very grateful and thankful for you and everything you’ve done. I am glad to have shared this experience with you and would not have wanted it any other way.

To future candidates and aspiring Performance Chairs: I hope that your experience within the organization thus far has been everything you have hoped for, if not more. This past year was definitely different, but when faced with a difficult situation or challenge, be ready to face it and fully commit yourself to whatever needs to be done. (Just like a backflip!) Always remember that you are not alone in what you do and that there is an amazing, supportive group of people behind you that is willing to help in any way they can.

FASA Performance: Past and Present

During the unprecedented times of the past year, the conditions were not always the most optimal for performance, but even through it all, I have appreciated all of the experiences, lessons, and opportunities that have resulted. In everything that was able to be done, though limited at times, I hope that it has encompassed the vision and goals for performance as a whole. Nevertheless, the future is looking very bright, and I am excited to see how performance continues to grow.

The best co-chair I could have asked for

Thank you FASA for accepting me with open arms. I have appreciated every moment and experience up until this point and hope that there are many more for as long as I am here in Michigan. Through all of this, I feel more confident in myself and connected in the relationships I have made along the way. This extends to the connection I have to my culture and all of those around me who are also on this journey. I have been able to grow in ways I could not have imagined before and am forever grateful for everything that has come out of this time. I will always remember this experience and am very excited to see what the future holds.

Mahal Kita

Have a blessed rest of your day,

The Start of Something New

Flashback to 363 days ago. It’s FASA E-Board election day, I had barely slept the night before, I’m quaking in my boots the entire afternoon, and I’m with Hannah Banana Anderson bopping [to the top] to all the HSM hits in attempt to deflect the feels.

Music just has that power to take you to another world, ya know?

In fact, that was exactly my motivation behind running for Performance Chair. In my experience, performance, all its forms, offers an opportunity unlike any other. Whether you are sharing your passions on stage or witnessing that passion from the audience, performance has the ability to connect people, regardless of different backgrounds. It’s for this reason that I really tried to push our members to figure out their purpose behind performing with FASA. Who am I dancing for? How does this piece play a role in culture? With the constant laughs and hard work that come with rehearsals, it’s easy to get caught up in the fun of everything. But it’s also important to remember the “why.”

Okay, I’ll step off my soapbox now, thanks for coming to my TED Talk.

#LongLiveFASADance

Performance this year was no easy feat, let me tell you. We jumped right into the game with Kalayaan rehearsals in May, then there was CAPA Asian Fest in July, then PCN, then Battle of the Bamboo, and other small performance cameos from our members in between (e.g. L’anse Creuse’s cultural showcase, the A/PIA Showcase, jam sessions, and external PCN’s). Essentially, there was always something to do; because when you’re in the middle of rehearsals for one event, you’re also busy figuring out the details and choreo for the next event, while at the same time making sure you are there to support your fellow board members planning FASA’s other events.

With that being said, I absolutely could not have done this without the help of E-Board. Coming into this position, I know there was some concern with only one individual trying to juggle a two-person job. But to be honest, I wasn’t that worried (lol I’m not trying to be cocky, I promise). Because from Day 1, my board was behind me, always checking in to see how I was doing, bringing me food when I forgot meals were a thing people did here, and never failing to offer a helping hand, even when I was stubborn and tried not to take it. Thank you guys for holding my hand through this entire process. Our board meetings are what got me through the week, and there is absolutely no other group I’d rather go through hell and back with.

My ride or dies

In particular, there are a few people I especially need to thank:

AJ, I sometimes joked that you were my informal co-chair—but seriously, I could not have done this without you. From helping clean Kalayaan rehearsals to choreographing a Modern Tinik set to teaching our costume committees how to sew (and even to reserving hotel rooms because I’m scared of adulting), you were integral in keeping performance on track [and keeping me sane].

Ate Angela, wow oh wow. You not only choreographed a killer Modern Tinik dance, but you also COMPOSED (:O) FASA’s first-ever traditional music set (#GongGang). Thank you for not only being patient with the ever-changing room and music requests, but also bringing your positivity and hilarious wit to every practice.

EJ—Edgy—I don’t know how I would have handled Battle without your help. Despite the many last-minute changes along the way, you powered through it, even though you were never obligated to. Your creative direction shaped our Battle set, and it was an honor leading my last performance chant with you (I know I’m a sap, sorry not sorry).

🎵We’re all in this together 🎵

At the same time, I owe so much of our success with performance to our general members. FASA, your enthusiasm and drive were contagious and are what kept me motivated through the craziness. Thank you for putting up with the many late nights, for checking up on me when I seemed to be losing my marbles, and for always coming to practice with a smile on your face. Whether you are a first-year exploring your culture for the first time, a sophomore I forced highly encouraged to join the group, or a senior making the most of your last moments in college, I hope you were able to take away something valuable from FASA Performance this year. Everything we accomplished would not have been possible without your ongoing efforts and commitment.

THE TEAM, THE TEAM, THE TEAM

To whoever is graced with the position of Performance Chair(s) in the future, here are a few words of wisdom from this old retired chum:

You do NOT need previous dance experience to succeed in this role. I had never seriously danced before—the most I had ever done was a mediocre attempt at tap for a high school production, and clearly that wasn’t going to be useful for FASA. YouTube is your friend, and definitely enlist other people to help out with choreography.

Be both proactive and reactive. As an extremely detail-oriented person, I always tried to plan ahead with as many details figured out as possible. But the reality is that your plans might suddenly be thwarted due to external factors you simply cannot control. Anticipate issues before they arise and create backup plans, but also be prepared to make last-minute adjustments when the world decides to surprise you.

Don’t be afraid to break “tradition.” Things may have been done one way in the past, but that is by no means a precedent you absolutely have to follow. Take into consideration what has gone well in previous years and what hasn’t. This year I wanted to maintain the strength of FASA Dance while building on the other aspects of performance (i.e. spoken word and traditional instruments) that last year’s performance chairs tried to introduce. Knowing that former hell weeks sometimes went as late as three or four in the morning, I also made it a goal to avoid this by drafting consistent schedules and putting dancers to work right from the beginning so that by the time hell week came, we were in a good place; and it worked. Learn from past experiences and use that as a basis for how you want to carry the position moving forward.

Know your limits. This includes the limits of not just yourself, but also of your board and general members. Various opportunities for performance will arise throughout the year; and while you may be tempted to take all of them, there might be some points where you just have to say no. Be cognizant of your own schedule, board’s responsibility for other events, and the energy of your general members. At the end of the day, you want to be able to give 110% to whatever performances you commit to, and it’s not worth it to spread the organization too thin.

Going off of the previous note, ASK FOR HELP. I was pretty infamous for failing to do this first semester. As the year progressed, though, I found the value in delegating tasks right from the start, instead of trying things out on my own and waiting until I was overwhelmed to ask for help. Designate committee leaders. Keep communication upfront and consistent. Doing so will allow you to better handle your duties and more easily offer help to other boardies. Just because you can do it, that doesn’t mean you should.

🎵Everyone: “I don’t dance.” FASA: “I say you can.” 🎵

All in all, yeah. Performance Chair was a lot. But 100% worth it. Would I do it again? Never. But I loved every second of it. Because of how closely you work with everyone for each performance, this position offers you the unique opportunity to not only build relationships across all grade levels, but also watch members grow throughout the year. It’s a lot of chaos—but it’s beyond fulfilling to see the moving parts come together.

Maraming at maraming salamat, FASA. Thank you for the laughs, for the hours upon hours you gave to rehearsals, for the many blooper-worthy goofy moments. But most of all, thank you for trusting me. It’s been an honor growing with you.

Mahal na mahal kita,