The De La Salle Alumni Association (DLSAA) held the 2015 Grand Alumni Homecoming last March 14 at the Henry Sy, Sr. Hall grounds. The event, held to celebrate decades of Lasallian education and unity, sparked uproar online when a photo of performers wearing revealing clothing circulated on social media.
A photo of scantily clad members of the entertainment group The GoGirls Dancers made rounds on Facebook last March 15, resulting to members of the Lasallian community raising concerns via social media platforms. A great percent of the comments portrayed confusion and displeasure over the dance number and questioned its appropriateness for the event, where members of the University’s administration, including De La Salle Brothers, were present. The show was dubbed indecent and unbecoming for a Catholic institution in some of the comments.
In an interview with The LaSallian, DLSAA Alumni Services Head Bing Capuno explained that the alumni organization meant no harm in staging the performance. “I understand that [the DLSAA] will get mixed criticisms. Some will be happy, some will be enraged with what happened,” Capuno stated. In light of the general disapproval online over the racy performance, Capuno defended the DLSAA, stating, “I understand that [the public] only saw the photo, but if [they] experienced what happened during the homecoming, [they will realize] it was really just a short portion.”
Capuno clarified that the performance of the GoGirls Dancers, which lasted for approximately five minutes, was only an intermission number for the alumni. “[It is] not really intended for the students [and for those] who are not from La Salle,” he explained. According to Capuno, students were not involved in the show, citing again that the homecoming was a night of celebration primarily for the University’s alumni.
While Capuno acknowledged that people who came across the photo online could dismiss the photo as “shocking” because it only depicted the provocative nature of the production, he expressed that the GoGirls Dancers’ performance was only one of the different intermission numbers for that night. Other acts that performed during the event were homegrown talents De La Salle Innersoul, La Salle Dance Company, and the DLSU Animo Squad. Additionally, Capuno shared that band performances and short skits by the alumni present were also included on the event’s entertainment line-up.
“Rest assured that [the dance performance] was not our focus. The [entertainment] program was just a part of the homecoming, and the photo is just a portion of the program. It is not the whole program itself,” Capuno continued. He further stated that the performance was not held for the entire duration of the show. He also emphasized that the controversial dance number was “not the highlight” of the event and should not be perceived as such.