ILI Dances: Tradition, Creativity, and Grace
Desiree Quintero, PhD and Wayland Quintero, PhD
Performing Arts Professionals and Scholar-Researchers
A school presentation featuring dances of the Philippine archipelago interwoven with stories: a performance with interactive participation. Sample lineup: Bailes De Antanio (Dances of Yesteryear), Bannatiran (a dance based on a poem describing a bird as a metaphor for the poet’s beloved), Pangalay (a dance performed with extended fingernails of the Tausug people), Igal (a festive dance of the Sama people), Ballangbang (a celebratory communal dance of the Igorot people with handheld flat gongs- interactive)
BIOGRAPHY
Desiree Quintero and Wayland Quintero are the co-founders of ILI Dances. They are performing arts professionals, scholars and teachers who research and perform select dances of the Philippines and Malaysia. Desiree is a lifelong dancer trained in tap, ballet, and jazz since childhood followed by Balinese dance and dances of the Philippines. Wayland was raised in Hawaii, brings a contemporary dance and choreography background, and is an MFA graduate from New York University- Tisch School of the Arts. He holds nearly three decades of experience in dance and theatre particularly at the world-renowned La Mama Theatre in New York City where the ensemble that he co-founded, the SLANT Performance Group, continues to be active. In 2016, they both graduated with their doctoral degrees from the University of Malaya- Cultural Centre in Kuala Lumpur. Having returned to Honolulu in 2017, Desiree’s and Wayland’s professional activities continue as performers, guest teachers, as well as writers and editors for academic journal publications. They also serve on the Executive Committee and Publications Committee for the International Council on Traditional Music (ICTM) Study Group on Performing Arts of Southeast Asia (PASEA), an organization in formal consultative status with the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
(ILI is a Philippine language term that refers to town, homeland, motherland)
PERFORMANCE NEEDS
One vocal microphone- preferably handheld wireless, a chair for main musician. (If the presentation is outdoors then five additional microphones, Shure SM-58 uni or omni-directional, or comparable model for musical instruments would be advisable)
