Maranao Tradition-Bearer; a Resident Doctor of Philosophy in public administration and a Bailabi Pagrangan Sambuanga del Sur, a noble woman and a member of the royal ladies of Sultan Kudarat’s descendants of the Philippines. She is from Cotabato City in Mindanao worked 43 years in government but has now retired. She studied in Marawi State University and was a member of the Derangen Cultural troupe and now acts as one of their dance advisors. She is a scholar, dancer, kulintang player, singer, and actor. She wants to support the show in order to promote her very rich culture and strives to be globally known. She has aspirations for her community to be known and recognized as part of the Philippines, to garner recognition for her preserved culture, traditions, and government despite 400 years of colonization from different foreign entities.

Maranao Tradition-Bearer; a well-recognized poet, playwright, fiction and songwriter, he has won awards in many literary contests, including the Palanca, CCP, and Talaang Ginto, and was appointed as UPCB’s Artist-in-Residence in 1981-1983 by the University of the Philippines system, in recognition of his achievements, literary production, and contributions to Philippine Literature. As songwriter, he is best recognized for his work, “Alay Kay Macliing Dulag” which he wrote in honor of the Kalinga Chieftain and hero who gave his life to the Cordillera Peoples struggle against the Chico River Dam Project during the Marcos regime. In 1990 while on leave to complete his masters and Ph.D. degrees, his musical interest and talents brought him to join Kinding Sindaw as a kulintang artist and consultant. He continued to teach with DECL, UP Diliman, upon his return from the US and until his formal retirement in 2012, although his teaching extended until 2014. In 2018, his short story, “Migrante”, appeared in the UP Institute of Creative Writing, LIKHAAN Anthology, 40/40. 

Maranao Tradition-Bearer; a granddaughter of Sultan a Gaus of Borocot, one of the royal houses of Lanao del Sur, she was married to the son of Sultan of Macadar and is currently a proud mother of six children. She graduated from Mindanao State University with a B.S. in International Relations and while in college, was awarded best performer of the year as a member of Sining Pananadem, cultural troupe (2001). She strives to fulfill her grandfather’s wish of honoring her ancestry by learning, preserving, and promoting her people’s traditions as a member of the royal family. She hopes that through these efforts she will change other people’s perspectives on her culture while expanding her knowledge of other nations and their cultures as well.

Maguidanao Tradition-Bearer; the choreographer of the CCSPC-Salamindanao Dance Company. He is an exceptional Moro Master in arts, dance, and traditional music, as well as a skilled chanter and shaman. He plays various traditional instruments: kulintang, agong, debakan, babendil, and gandingan. He has shown excellence in dance production, collaborating with other Maguindanaon dance masters in several Philippine festivals like the Kalilangan Festival (Gensan), T’nalak Festival (South Cotabato), Meguyaya Festival (Nuro, Upi Maguindanao), to name a few. As a traditional musician, his Kulintang Group Magui Moro Master Artist has been invited by Kularts, SF CA USA as a Philippine Master Artist in Residence and performed several times in selected states of the USA such as Asia Alive!, Asia Arts Museum (San Francisco), A Musical Travelogue of the Philippine Towson University (Maryland), UCLA Class Lectures, Dance Demonstration, and many others across the country. He is also a resident artist of the Tao Foundation for Culture and the Arts (Quezon City, Philippines) and joined Grace Nono’s major concert abroad in Nagoya, Japan, and Asia Pacific week (Berlin, Germany, Barcelona, Spain).

Maranao Tradition-Bearer; a visual artist, stage performer, choreographer, and theatrical director. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Forestry and a Diploma in Public Administration from Mindanao State University (MSU)–Marawi. He has been an active member of Sining Pananadem since his first year in college and has performed on local, regional, national, and international stages, promoting and showcasing Meranaw culture. His notable international performances include appearances at La MaMa in New York and various venues in Malaysia, including Kuala Lumpur, Kota Belud, and Kota Kinabalu. Hadji Usman is also one of the scriptwriters of Maharadja Lawana, a stage production sponsored by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA). In addition to his artistic work, he serves as Head Pressman of the Office of Information, Press and Publication (OIPP) and as the Artistic Director of MSU Sining Pananadem.

Taosug Tradition-Bearer; Lingling, as she is fondly called, was taught by her mother, all the traditional dances and kissa (chant story) of the Taosug people. Her family are originally from Tawi Tawi, Jolo, Southern Philippines, she is currently in Davao City along with her immediate and extended family. She is a true dance master teacher who transmits her culture and tradition despite being displaced from her home island.

T’Boli Tradition-Bearer; was born in Lake Sebu. It is the home of the Tboli people who are surrounded by three lakes: Lake Lahit, Lake Seluton, and Lake Sebu. She grew up in the traditional Bong Guno surrounded by Tnalak and other hand-woven baskets, mats, beaded necklaces, and lewek (along). The dances and music that Lyn performs and teaches are all learned as part of her life.

Iranun Tradition-Bearer; preserving the Derangen chants and kulintang musical practices.

Iranun Tradition-Bearer; involved in the continuation of traditional musical practices

Maranao and Iranu Tradition-Bearer; joined Kinding Sindaw in January 2008. He first learned of Kinding Sindaw when he was still in the Philippines during a TV feature about the treatment of Moro Muslims after 9/11 and was surprised to see a proud Maranao in New York. He quickly joined once he moved to NYC and performed in the LaMama, E.T.C. produced shows Bemberan, Pandibulan, Tao Marayao, and Mindanao: The Legend of Tabunaway and Mamalu. He is the son of Sultan sa Masiu Mohammad Ali Dimaporo (Maranao) and Bai Momina Pataran–Potri Maamor sa Kormatan, a tradition bearer (Iranun), direct descendant of the Sultan sa Maguindanao (Maruhom Batua). He is a badminton enthusiast besides being a Community Health Worker and Patient Care Associate. Mohammad also has expertise in accounting and insurance.

Iranun Tradition-Bearer; has been a member of Kinding Sindaw since 2009. She is also a member of Kalilangan and Cultural Dance Ensemble Troupe. Nodiah came to the U.S. in 2007 as a Registered Nurse, currently specializing in Behavioral Health. She learned the southern Philippine Sultanate dances from her mother, who is a tradition-bearer (Iranun).

Maranao Tradition-Bearer

Marano and Tagalog Tradition-Bearer; a community organizer and cultural artist of southern Philippine, classical Indian, and Indonesian dance. She has been studying Bharata Natyam with Kamala Cesar, disciple of T. Balasaraswati, since elementary school. She has also studied Indonesian traditional dance with Amalia Suryani, founder of the Saung Budaya Indonesian dance company. She started performing at the young age of 2 as a dancer in Kinding Sindaw, a NYC-based nonprofit dance theater troupe dedicated to asserting, preserving and re-creating the oral history of the indigenous peoples of Mindanao, Southern Philippines. She developed into the main musician and Co-Executive Director of Kinding Sindaw through training by master kulintang artist, the late Danongan Kalanduyan. She advocates for the Maranao people to return to their beloved Marawi, to which they tie their identity as the People of the Lake (Ranao) through the #Love4Marawi social media campaign to spread awareness of the 2017 Marawi Siege and the ongoing effects on the people it displaced. In addition to her cultural work and activism, Malaika serves as the Certification Analyst at Women Business Enterprise Council Metro NY.

Tau’sug Tradition Bearer;