I am excited to officially announce that I was able to attend my very first Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA) event this past week! SIPA, for newbies like myself, presented an inaugural event that displayed a wide array of local talent celebrating and supporting the community in collaboration with MEZÇLÃO. The event, aptly called Kita Tayo sa SIPA, was held in Historic Filipinotown. Kita Tayo had the feel of an intimate neighborhood celebration, with the sense of pride, support, and amity palpably felt among all those in attendance.
Being a new attendee, I was eager to see what the night had in store. The program lineup ran the gamut of performances from vocalists and rapping, dancing, spoken word, instrumentalists and even an improv comedy set that had the audience bursting with laughter at their hilarious antics.
Check out the videos of the performances:
- Philippine Chamber Singers - Los Angeles
- Rondalla Club of Los Angeles
- Kayamanan Ng Lahi
- Dom Magwili
- Cold Tofu Improv
- Yes, and ... Productions
- Joannarae Ibanez
- Cast of Magno Rubio
- Surrender Deeg
- Bryan Geli
- Jennie Kwan
- SIPA Sessions LA
- Gingee
- Willie Fortes
- Alison de la Cruz
- Zero 3
All that cheering and chuckling can definitely work one’s appetite too! However, there was no need to fret because the ever delicious food trucks Pogi Boy, Curbside, Cravings, and Get Toasted were also at Kita Tayo to satiate the attendees’ taste buds. The amount of creativity and talent that I experienced at Kita Tayo was an awe-inspiring sight to see. The programs and resources offered through SIPA genuinely help to nurture and provide a platform for anyone to get the chance to accomplish anything they set their minds to. Being a nonprofit association, SIPA has found a way to stay influential throughout the years, yet what they have attained has not been an easy feat. So as much as they give back to the community, it would be wonderful for the rest of us to follow suit.
As the night came to a close, one walks away from Kita Tayo sa SIPA with a higher regard of the caliber of the individuals who performed, but I’m not surprised; as a cast member of the comedy group Cold Tofu appropriately said, “I’m Pilipino, I’m already talented.”
*Videos by Jay Eusantos
