The Philippine Dance Troupe of Ottawa (PDTO) was established on January 7, 1984 by Danny Arriola and friends to:

1. To foster a greater sense of enthusiasm and participation in the community
2. To provide an activity and a safe outlet for the youth, with the intention of ongoing community involvement and leadership roles, while preventing future problems
3. To pass on to the children, who are mostly first generation Filipino – Canadians, a part of their heritage

Local parents shared Danny’s belief that the time had come for the children to be given an active role in promoting Filipino culture in the National Capital Region. The task of stirring the children’s interest was a rewarding experience for the adults, and they were able to observe their child’s enthusiasm and eagerness to learn about their culture.

Some local choreographers were invited to handle the demanding assignment of teaching folk dance to the children who had almost no familiarity with Filipino music and dance. Manny Obas, promptly, volunteered his services. Shortly afterwards, Nori Melgarejo took on the role of choreographer and was later joined by Maggie Yrenaya.

The group, tentatively called the “Young Philippine Dance Troupe of Ottawa,” premiered their dancing skills on April 26, 1984 at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. Since then, the group has been active in promoting our culture and has adopted the registered name, The Philippine Dance Troupe of Ottawa.

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Concentrating on developing its role in the promotion of Filipino culture through the medium of folk dance, the troupe has performed as far as Washington D.C., Philadelphia (PA), Rochester (NY), and Drummondville (Quebec). In 1989 and 1991, the PDTO sponsored the visit of the Barangay Dance Troupe, a professional Filipino dance company from the Philippines conducted by Dr. Paz Cielo Belmonte. The PDTO, during it’s fifteen years of existence, widened it’s repertoire, provided instruction at an advanced level for children, developed a wider range of traditional folk dance, and has also provided instruction in the use of Anklung bamboo instruments.

In 1992, Didi Arriola Col took over the role of choreographer after having been one of the dance troupe’s active founding members for 8 years. Her enthusiasm and creative capacity for Filipino dancing combined with an easy rapport with the dancers has created a new and refreshing energy for performers and audiences alike. She has, in the past, been assisted by Chris de Jesus and Zinnia Bonifacio (RIP May 2017), one of the dance troupe’s original founding dancers. Vanessa Gomez took the reins in 2000 as PDTO’s choreographer. As we prepared for our 20th year performance on November 27, 2004 Chris de Jesus and Cheryl Lavoie joined in as choreographers with Vanessa Gomez as Assistant Choreographer.

PDTO has succeeded beyond all expectations and is still doing well after more than three decades of representing the Filipino community in Canada’s National Capital Region (Ottawa). PDTO members and performers hope to continue to share our rich culture with family, friends and the community for many years to come.