Festival to honor Asian culture returned to Tampa Saturday: ‘Passion to promote our culture’

TAMPA, Fla. - When Karina Jahrling takes the stage to perform traditional Filipino dances like the binasuan, all eyes are on her impressive balance, movement and form.

"The dance had sprouted from just them teasing the guys of how much they were drinking, and it has evolved into now one of our more common rural dances," Jahrling said as she balanced a glass of coconut wine on her head.

Karina Jahrling dancing on stage at Tampa's Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Festival.

For this seventeen-year-old young woman with Filipino roots, joining this Philippine Performing Arts Company was about so much more than putting on a show. 

What they're saying:

"Being able to dance culturally is my way of connecting with my roots," Jahrling added. "It's how I feel safe in my identity, you know, especially meeting other people who have my identity."

That is exactly what Jahrling got to do on stage at the annual Tampa Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Festival at Curtis Hixon Park.

Nearly a dozen countries were represented at the event, which Mayor Jane Castor's AAPI Council hosted. The event featured dance, food, art, handmade creations and interactive experiences.

"It's an exciting time to be in Tampa to celebrate the Asian community in Tampa," said Donna McCallister, Senior Special Events Coordinator for the City of Tampa, who also has Thai roots.

Big picture view:

Guests not only celebrated and honored Asian heritage, but they also learned something new. 

"What we do is have a passion to promote our culture and to educate folks around that," McCallister said. "We want everything to be very inclusive."

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