(PHOTOS – Top: Cheonan City Mayor Park Sang-Don (1st from right) officially opens the Cheonan World Dance Festival 2023 with representatives from the 15 participating countries. Bottom left: Mayor Park with representatives from the Diplomatic Corps. Bottom right: Ms. Marielle Benitez Javellana, Trustee and Executive Director of the Bayanihan Folk Arts Foundation with Publisher & Chairman Lee Kyung-sik of the Korea Post (1st from right), Chief Monk Park Seung-Uk (1st from left) and Embassy Cultural Officer Anthony Z. Cornista.)
24 October 2023, Cheonan City – The annual Cheonan World Dance Festival 2023 was held recently at the Cheonan Sports Complex in Cheonan-si, Chungcheongnam-do from 05 to 09 October 2023 featuring the world-renowned Bayanihan dance company. Led by Trustee and Executive Director Marielle B. Javellana, the Bayanihan rendered several performances showcasing the Philippines dances and costumes before an international audience numbering about 1,500.
Mayor Park Sang-don officially opened the dance festival together with local representatives from Chungcheongnam province, officials from the Federation of International Dance Festivals (FIDAF), and members of the Diplomatic Corps based in Seoul.
Ensembles from Brazil, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Malaysia, Poland, Slovakia, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, and the Philippines participated in this years’ festival.
The annual cultural and tourism festival is organized by the Cheonan Cultural Foundation in cooperation with the Korea Post.
The Bayanihan also participated in the 32nd Korea Dance Festival held in Changwon-si from 10 to 15 October 2023 where they rendered four performances at the Gyeongsangnam-do provincial government Hall, Changwon Samjung middle school, Seongsan Art Hall and at the Jinhaeru Park. The festival was organized through the Korea Dance Association. END
(PHOTOS – The Bayanihan with dance troupes from other participating countries.) 
(PHOTOS – Participating foreign and local dance groups with the international audience at the festival.)
