How a Los Angeles-based Filipino dance group prepped for its Disneyland debut
During the Disney Festival of Holidays at California Adventure, we interviewed the artistic director of Malaya, the event’s first Filipino cultural group.
Malaya: Dancing with tradition and freedom
This holiday season, Disney California Adventure’s Festival of Holidays brought the vibrant cultures of Southern California to life through music, dance, and culinary traditions. Among the 11 performing groups, Malaya Filipino American Dance Arts held a special place as the first Filipino cultural group to perform at this festival.
Malaya, based in Los Angeles, embodies the spirit of “freedom” reflected in their name, which means “to be free” in Tagalog. The group’s performances at Disneyland Resort blended traditional Filipino dances with modern influences, offering audiences a unique and captivating cultural experience. For Malaya, this event was a performance opportunity and a milestone in showcasing Filipino art to mainstream audiences.
“It means a lot to us because we’ve worked so hard to achieve success and bring Filipino culture to the mainstream audience,” said Peter DeGuzman, artistic director at Malaya. “Performing for Disney’s Festival of Holidays is especially important because it’s in front of our home crowd since we’re from LA, and we get to share our art with people beyond our community.”
Malaya performed on Nov. 16 and Dec. 10 & 17, 2024 with four daily shows. Each 25-minute performance featured DeGuzman explaining the significance of the dances to the crowd, providing cultural context and enriching the audience’s experience. A video of one of their performances is available to view below.
This year’s festival also featured new groups like Joy, Rangoli Rhythms, and Keali’I O Nālani & Daniel Ho, celebrating diverse cultural narratives.
Only at Disney
For Malaya, the collaboration with Disney offered unique opportunities and challenges. “Disney specifically wanted us to create a performance that could only be seen at Disney,” DeGuzman explained. “We took this request seriously, so we re-choreographed our dances to be specific to the show, and we also choreographed two original dances to popular Filipino Christmas carols.”
Malaya’s performances integrated theater with traditional folk dance, creating colorful and stimulating shows that reflected everyday life in the Philippines and the joy of the Christmas season. “The dances we presented all originate as traditional dances that mimic life in the tropical islands,” DeGuzman shared.
‘Freedom means many expressions for us’
By participating in the Festival of Holidays, Malaya amplified its mission to represent Filipino culture on a larger stage. “Malaya is highly respected as leaders representing Filipino art, culture, and traditions to not only the Los Angeles community but also to California and the United States,” DeGuzman stated. “Our programming specifically aims to reach not only our local community but cross-culturally with other ethnic groups to reach far and wide.”
The group’s involvement in the festival also aligns with their future goals. “We definitely hope Disney brings us back next year,” said DeGuzman. “We’ve had nothing but great experiences and feedback from the audience and Disney. We now have a unique-to-Malaya holiday repertoire to share with other holiday events and festivals.” Beyond Disney, Malaya is gearing up for more community workshops across Los Angeles and preparing for a self-produced show in 2025.
Malaya’s approach to performance is deeply rooted in the values of freedom and community. DeGuzman said, “Freedom means many expressions for us: the ability to celebrate our identity as both American and Filipinos, the freedom one achieves once they conquer their fear of performing in public, and simply the feeling when one lets go of inhibitions and gives their whole heart as they dance.”
Malaya’s performances were a highlight of the Festival of Holidays — a blend of tradition, innovation, and heartfelt expression. To learn more about Malaya Filipino American Dance Arts, visit Malayadance.org or follow them on social media @Malayadanceco.
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