CREATIVE + PRODUCTION TEAM
LADISLAO ‘JUNE’ ARELLANO
COSTUME DESIGNER
Ladislao ‘June’ Arellano was born in Bataan, Philippines. He trained at the Philippine Women’s University and New York’s Broadway Dance School. He is a lead dancer in Parangal Dance Company since 2008 and performed in works by Alleluia Panis and Sydney Loyola.
WILFRED GALILA
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
Wilfred Galila is a SF Bay Area based multimedia artist. His films were screened at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival and the Asian Art Museum in SF and his art installations were exhibited at several venues in SF. He is a nominee for the 2018 Isadora Duncan Dance Award for Outstanding Achievement in Visual Design for the KULARTS production, Incarcerated 6×9.
SYDNEY LOYOLA
CHOREOGRAPHER & DANCE ARTIST
For over three decades, Sydney Loyola has created dance works performed by cultural groups in the US, Philippines, Asia, and Europe. She toured internationally as a principal dancer of Bayanihan Philippine National Folk Dance Company. She is the co-founder of Haraya Dance Project—an ensemble that encourages initiative and participation among Filipino-American trans artists in SF.
JOSHUA ICBAN
COMPOSER & MUSIC DIRECTOR
Joshua Icban is a musician, sound designer, and composer based in Vallejo, CA, and worked with prestigious talents and organizations such as Grammy winner Fantastic Negrito, KULARTS under the direction of Alleluia Panis, Oakland Hip Hop Collective Grand Nationxl and The SF Symphony orchestra with Michael Tilson Thomas.
AIMEE AMPARO
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR
Aimee Amparo has been combining music, spiritual work & healing arts, and travel for 9 years. Each song is a connection to the other, revealing a shared human experience. She uses music to tell the stories that have been passed down to her and to create intention for the future.
DANCE ARTISTS
JAE TIOSECO
Having begun their journey in Philippine dance and music in 2008, Jae Tioseco began dancing under the guidance of Bonifacio Valera, Jr. through Skyline College's Kababayan Learning Community with their PCN Class and Filipino folk dance class. Jae eventually joined Barangay and currently serves as the company’s Managing and Dance Director.
SYDNEY RAE LEONG
Sydney Leong is a performing/teaching artist and Pilates instructor based on Ramatush/Ohlone land in San Francisco. She attended CA State Summer School for the Arts, Ailey School Summer Intensive, LINES Ballet Winter Intensive, and State Street Ballet. She currently dances with Parangal Dance Company.
ANGEL VELEZ
Angel Velez is a dance artist who has performed works by Parangal, eMotion Arts, LV Dance Collective, Embodiment Project, and notable others in the Bay Area. Trained in multiple dance lineages from a young age, Angel draws from Laban/Bartenieff fundamentals and is informed by internal sensations, emotions, and visualizations.
THEO CAPULONG
Theo Capulong is a Bay Area based fashion stylist and dance artist. Certified in Fashion Merchandising and Fashion Styling and Personal Styling at CCSF and B.S. in Marketing at SFSU. Theo dances with Haraya Dance Project, dance collective that create spaces for trans, non-binary & gender queer Filipinx founded by Sydney Loyola
DRE ‘POKO’ DEVIS
Dre ‘Poko’ Devis is a born-and-raised San Francisco Pinay, emerging from matriarchal roots. Poko moves with a foundation of competitive gymnastics, martial arts, aerial dance, and hard-hitting animalistic synergy.
FRANCES TEVES SEDAYAO
Frances Teves Sedayao is a Philippine native whose dance and martial arts training began at CSU, Hayward. Her background includes works with NUBA Dance Theatre, Dandelion Dancetheater, Veronica Combs, Anne Bluethenthal, Laura Ellis, Robert Henry Johnson, Paufve Dance, Nina Haft & Company, Purple Moon Dance Project, among others.
ALLELUIA PANIS
DIRECTOR
Alleluia Panis, Artistic & Executive Director, is the driving force behind KULARTS and respected elder artist in the US and the Philippines. She has created 20 full-length dance theater works since 1985. She was awarded the prestigious 2017 SFAC Artist Legacy, 2019-20 Gerbode Special Artist Award, 2019-2020 Dance USA Artist Fellow, and 2020 Hewlett 50 Arts Commission.
JOHAN CASAL
Johan Casal is an interdisciplinary artist based in the bay area. He is the director and producer of "Manalo: The Movie Musical" a feature-length original movie musical that highlights Filipinx American Stories. Additionally, Johan played the lead dancer for Netflix's production of "The Queens Ball: A Bridgerton Live Experience" in San Francisco.
STEPHANIE MANALO HERRERA
Bay Area native Stephanie started dancing when she was 14. She has performed in various events and festivals with Kariktan Dance Company of which she is currently Dance Director. Stephanie has performed with KULARTS under Alleluia Panis and Sydney Loyola in Maség (2014), BaeMakiling (2016), Lakbai Diwa (2020), Man@ng is Deity (2019, 2021) and various projects since 2014.
SPECIAL PERFORMERS
THE RICE ROCKETTES
The Rice Rockettes is San Francisco’s premier Asian & Pacific Islander Drag Queen Troupe and House. Officially formed in the summer of 2009, the group came together to champion a fun and safe space for individuals in the A&PI communities to empower and express themselves through the art of drag and performance, at a time when drag was not quite as mainstream nor as prevalent in said communities as it is today.