Brooklyn, NY – Oct. 11, 2005 - St. Joseph’s College’s Council for the Arts will present the Filipino Dance and Cultural Organization, Kinding Sindaw (Dance of Light), on Wednesday, November 9, 2005 at 12:40 p.m. in the College’s Auditorium in Tuohy Hall on the Brooklyn Campus. The lecture demonstration will include a special preview of “Sultan Kudarat” which will be premiering at LaMama E.T.C. on Thursday, November 10, 2005. “Sultan Kudarat,” (Lord Kudarat) resurrects the monumental story of the 17th century ruler and his people of Maguindanao (Flooded Plains) - from Sultan Kudarat’s ascendancy, his defeats by the Spaniards and rival sultans and to his eventual triumph, when he united virtually all of present-day Southern Philippines against Spanish colonialism. The St. Joseph’s College event, co-sponsored by the College’s Asian Awareness and Dance Clubs, will also involve a martial arts demonstration. The event is free and open to the public.

Kinding Sindaw (Dance of Light), founded in 1992 by Potri Ranka Manis, is a resident repertory company at La MaMa, E.T.C, where it premiered the dance dramas "Rajah Mangandiri" to critical acclaim in December 2001 and "Lemlunay" in May 2003. Kinding Sindaw asserts, preserves, reclaims, and re-creates the traditions of dance, music, martial arts and storytelling of the indigenous peoples of the Philippines. By asserting their arts and traditions, the historical and contemporary stories of these peoples are brought to life.

Kinding Sindaw’s past venues included Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, the Sylvia and Danny Kaye Playhouse, Puffin Room, Wave Hill, Mulberry Street Theater, Theatre of the Riverside Church, the United Nations, the American Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian Institution. The company has also performed at conferences, schools, public libraries and community events, such as New York City’s annual Philippine Independence Day Parade and Festival.

Founded by Sister Elizabeth A. Hill, CSJ, J.D., president, the St. Joseph’s College Council for the Arts is a coalition of students, faculty members and staff who serve as a focal point for the College’s educational and community outreach programming in the arts. By expanding and integrating campus arts activities, the Council seeks to enhance the public image of the College as a cultural center in Brooklyn and aims to make arts and cultural events more accessible to its students and area neighbors. For more information about this exhibit or other upcoming cultural events at the College’s Brooklyn campus, please call (718) 783-0374 or visit www.sjcny.edu.

About St. Joseph's College

St. Joseph’s College has been dedicated to providing a diverse population of students in the New York metropolitan area with an affordable education rooted in the liberal arts tradition since 1916. Independent and coeducational, the College provides a strong academic and value-oriented education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, aiming to prepare each student for a life characterized by integrity, intellectual and spiritual values, social responsibility, and service. With campuses located in the Clinton Hill area of Brooklyn and in Patchogue, Long Island, the College offers degrees in over 21 majors, special course offerings and certificates, affiliated and pre-professional programs through its School of Arts and Sciences and its School of Adult and Professional Education. Graduate degrees are also offered including an Executive MBA, a Master of Science in Management, a Master of Science Degree with a Major in Nursing, a Master of Arts in Literacy/Cognition and a Master of Arts in Infant/Toddler Early Childhood Special Education.