The Bayanihan Dance Company takes its name from the ancient Filipino term bayanihan, which means "working together for a common good." The company was originally founded in 1956 by Dr. Helena Z. Benitez at the Philippine Women's University. In 1957, the group was formally incorporated as the Bayanihan Folk Arts Center with the Bayanihan Philippine Dance Company serving as the performing troupe. The dance company made its debut at the Brussels Universal Exposition on May 27, 1958. The success of the debut launched the company on to a five-decade journey representing the Philippines and Filipino culture.
Bayanihan received its big break when American television host Ed Sullivan featured the dance company during his "Highlights of the Brussels Fair" telecast that reached an estimated audience of 40 million. The success of the company's early performances led to Broadway as Bayanihan opened at the Winter Garden Theater in New York City on Oct. 13, 1959. The Broadway debut received rave reviews from New York critics and was seen as a major breakthrough in Philippine dance history.
Since its inception, the mission of the Bayanihan Dance Company has been to research and preserve indigenous Philippine art forms in music, dance, costumes and folklore. The company has also restructured and enhanced the country's art forms to make them suitable for contemporary theater. The dance performances are seen as a way to promote international goodwill in the Philippines and across the world.
In its history, Bayanihan has embarked on 14 major world tours lasting up to a year and more than 100 short tours to foreign countries. In total, the company has performed on six continents and in 66 countries and roughly 700 cities worldwide.
The continued success has allowed Bayanihan to achieve many unique distinctions, including being the first Filipino group to perform on Broadway and the first non-American dance company to perform at the New York State Theater of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. It is also the first Filipino group to perform in Russia, conduct a large scale tour of South America and to showcase itself at Disney World's Epcot Center in Florida.
In 2005, Bayanihan was recognized with the "Diwa ng Lahi" award, which is the highest honor given by the country's capital city of Manila for outstanding achievement in culture and the arts.
Bayanihan continued to extensively tour in 2006, including a four-month tour in the United States that concluded with a performance in Hawaii to mark the centennial of Filipino migration to the U.S. In 2007, the company embarked on another full year of touring as well as winning first prize at the World Folk Dances Festival in Spain.
To recognize Bayanihan's efforts and international success, the Filipino government officially declared the Bayanihan Philippine Dance Company as The Philippines National Folk Dance Company.
The country also declared that May 27 of each year is "National Day," a day to commemorate the dance company and Bayanihan spirit of people coming together for a common cause.