DAGYAW THEATER AND DANCE CO.

The company is composed of high school students all enrolled at the ILOILO NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL, ILOILO CITY, CENTRAL PHILIPPINES. It was organized on July 16, 1990 by its present Artistic Director, Mrs. Ria Blanco Española through the efforts of the school principal, Dr. Riza S. Amaguin.

The company maintains a 30-member troupe which is required to attend classes offered by the company in acting,dance (ballet, modern and folk) and music requires ethnic instrumentation.

On the first year of its founding, the company was sent to two national tours with command performances at the Malacañang Palace for former PRESIDENT CORAZON C. AQUINO. In 1992, they toured Japan upon invitation of the Philippine-Japan Cultural Organization, followed by performances in Bangkok for the International Dance Festival. In the same year, they joined the Midosuji Parade in Osaka, Japan, as Philippine representative of the Department of Tourism.


June of 1992, DAGYAW was sent by the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) to the World Expo in Seville, Spain where they performed their world famous dance-drama "HINILAWOD". The same production was showcased last March 1994 for the THIRD ASEAN DANCE FESTIVAL in Manila. After a year, they were again asked to represent the country in the International Festival for Experimental Theater in Cairo, Egypt. Their performances were always hailed by the jury and critics alike. Other places visited by the Company are Paris, Madrid, Frankfurt and Rome.


Recently, they toured the UNITED STATE OF AMERICA AND CANADA during their Centennial Tour last April-June of 1998. Dagyaw also represented the Philippines in the Lisboa World Exposition '98 in Lisbon, Portugal last June 14-24, 1998.


Living up to its primary mission of providing positive 
alternative choice for its members, Dagyaw, as a performing group, is also a forum wherein high school students can learn and realize through practice and active involvement, the meaning of national identity, discipline, personal interaction, confidence, and above all, humility in achievement.