Flo lauded at 14th Asian Festival in Charlotte

Florami Lao Cordero-Lee (left) poses with  friend Roxanna

by Susan Palmes-Dennis

Yet another Fil-American achiever was given recognition by the Carolinas Asian American Chamber of Commerce during the 14th Asian Festival last May 17.

Florami Lao Cordero-Lee, head of the Philippine Cultural Dance Troupe here in Charlotte, wore a native Filipina dress in preparation for a subli dance when she received the award from CAACC chairman Dr. Chen, CAAC President Nimish Bhatt and Phin Xaypangna, president of the Charlotte Asian Heritage Association (CAHA).

Cordero-Lee was awarded for promoting Filipino culture through traditional costumes and dance performances. She said it was the first time the group received recognition from the CAACC after being awarded by different groups and schools.

“It was a proud moment to get this and I was surprised,” Cordero-Lee said. She also credited the group for their tireless efforts in making every performance special.

Lee said there would be new dances to learn and more Fil-Americans joining the group this summer. “Time, practice and availability is much required besides buying our own costume,” she said.

The Philippine Cultural Dance Troupe at the Charlotte World Parade and Festival

The Philippine Cultural Dance Troupe had been receiving invitations left and right and recently represented the Fil-American community in the Charlotte World Parade Festival.

It was set up by Florami Lao Cordero-Lee four years ago before she became the president of the Filipino American Association of the Carolinas (FACC).

Lee said there are seven adult members including her and the youngest, Ginger Butler, is nine years old. 

Other members include Maria Benrokiya, Alma Butler, Raquel Robinson, Blessel Butler, Allyssa Abalos and Rutchie Secretaria.  “I had different performers as the years go by,” Lee said. 

She said some of the members are in college while the others got married. The dance troupe had been invited to different gatherings, not just in Asian communities.

Of the many dances in the Philippines they performed, the “tinikling,” “binasuan” and “subli” are among the most requested. “Different dancers, different choreographies and different times,” Lee added with a smile. 

The tinikling dance is one of the most popular and well-known of the traditional Philippine dances, a pre-Spanish routine that involves two people beating, tapping and sliding bamboo poles on the ground and against each other.

While two people handle the bamboo poles, one or more dancers step in and out between the poles. 

The dance originated in Leyte among the Visayan islands in the central Philippines as an imitation of the tinikling bird dodging bamboo traps set by rice farmers.

(Susan Palmes-Dennis is a veteran journalist from Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental, Northern Mindanao in the Philippines who works as a nanny in North Carolina. This page will serve as a venue for news and discussion on Filipino communities in the Carolinas. Visit and read her website at www.susanpalmes-dennis.simplesite.com. Read her blogs on susanpalmesstraightfrom the Carolinas.com. These and other articles also appear at http://www.sunstar.com.ph/author/2582/susan-palmes-dennis.
You can also connect with her through her Pinterest account at http://www.pinterest.com/pin/41025046580074350/) and https://www.facebook.com/pages/Straight-from-the-Carolinas-/494156950678063)