A Night at a Fil-Am Dinner Dance

A Parody by Maya Teague

A nother dance, another dress, another Installation

It seems like every other week there is a celebration

The Marriott, the Elks, the Performing Arts Center

A letter to the Mayor with comp tickets, I just sent her.

T he social hour five-to-six is when we drink and mingle

To catch up on the latest buzz, who’s taken and who’s single

We then sit down to eat a meal of chicken and some veggies

Then to the restroom we all go to fix those little wedgies.

O range, red and pink lips, powdered and rouged cheeks

Some men look like Greek gods, others look like geeks

Before you twirl your lovely spouse or cha-cha on the floor

You have to sit and listen to ten speeches, maybe more.

R affle tickets will be peddled all throughout the night

Certificates and trophies to be given left and right

And while you contemplate with pride the laurels of past years

You’re lost in your own reverie, the memories trigger tears.

T he speeches may be tiresome, the rituals nothing new

The chicken may be rubbery, the red wine almost blue

And even though I may not dance the latest ballroom move

I will just stomp and shout here, to the music I will groove.

T hough I may gripe and carp about these unimportant things

The truth is that I have enjoyed these Installation flings

It is our chance to meet once more as Filipinos all

So eat your wretched tri-tip, smile, and have a ball.

It Is Time to Reinvent the Filipino Presence in America and Build Philippine Centers  

QUOTE. In 1993 on the occasion of the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, I lifted a line from his famous “I have a dream” speech and paraphrased it. I wrote, “I hope that history shall judge Filipino Americans by the content of their character and not by the color of their tuxedos or party gowns.”

In some American cities like Los Angeles, California, catering managers and hotel executives are some of the best supporters of the Filipino-American community. Why? Because some of the hotel industry’s biggest customers are Filipino-American associations that hold annual grand balls . . .

Many Filipino Americans joke that the Philippines will finally have a gold medal at the Olympic Games if and when ballroom dancing becomes a sporting event . . . UNQUOTE.