A Monthly Community Dance, Fellowship, and Fundraising Program
Sayawan at Bayanihan sa Rizal Center brings members of the Filipino American community together through dance, movement, music, fellowship, and shared responsibility for the Rizal Center.
Rooted in the Filipino tradition of bayanihan, Sayawan recognizes that sustaining our community center is a collective effort. Everyone can contribute. By joining an evening of line dancing, ballroom, Latin dance, and fellowship, participants can enjoy physical activity and social connection while helping sustain the Center and its programs.
The value of gathering, moving, and connecting may extend beyond recreation. A recent WBEZ In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons segment, “Can dancing improve brain health?” by Micah Yason, featured Chicago physician Dr. Geeta Maker-Clark discussing approaches to health that bring together modern medicine, food, dance, community, and ancestral wisdom. WBEZ
That conversation resonates with the spirit of Sayawan: movement, culture, community, and connection can all have a place in how we care for ourselves and one another. Sayawan is not presented as a medical or therapeutic program, but it creates an opportunity to move, socialize, strengthen community ties, and have fun together.
In this way, every participant becomes part of Bayanihan in Action—supporting both a vibrant community and the Rizal Center that brings us together.
Related listening: WBEZ, In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons, “Can dancing improve brain health?” (Oct. 1, 2026), by Micah Yason. Read or listen to the WBEZ story
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