RUBY PEARL CHIONG, Artistic Director

Ruby Pearl Bersamin Chiong joined Samahan in 1975 as choreographer, teacher, and dancer. Over the years she was a key collaborator with our late founder, Dr. Lolita Diñoso Carter, not only teaching and performing Filipino folk dances but also producing annual concerts and cultural festivals that helped shape our community’s artistic identity. A Business Administration graduate from Far Eastern University, she has an extensive performance history with groups such as Manileña, Mabuhay, Bell Aloha, and the ABS-CBN Dance Troupe. She has led master classes for the California Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, San Diego State’s Multicultural Program, and the San Diego Area Dance Alliance, and has taught Philippine dance workshops for San Diego City Schools, Sweetwater School District, and SD Young Audiences, reaching students and audiences across generations.

NICO DELMUNDO, Assistant Artistic Director, Dance Instructor, Choreographer, Performing Artist

Nico Delmundo was appointed Assistant Artistic Director by the SAMAHAN Board in December 2021. He took on the responsibility of co-directing the recent Gala Concert held in November 2021, bringing creative leadership and energy to the production. He first trained in the Bayanihan style of Philippine dance under Joji Ramirez, grounding his practice in classical technique and Filipino cultural expression. Nico joined SAMAHAN in 2014 as a dancer and progressed to roles as a teacher and choreographer, contributing both onstage and in the studio. He has trained and performed with other respected companies, including PASACAT Philippine Performing Arts Company, Malaya Dance Arts, and Parangal Dance Company. In addition to his extensive performance work, Nico has conducted field research with native practitioners and indigenous dance artists across the Sulu archipelago, Eastern Sabah in Malaysia, and throughout Mindanao and Luzon in the Philippines. That research, conducted alongside Dr. Bernard Ellorin, was supported by The San Diego Foundation through the Lolita Dinoso Carter Endowment.

JD LYN CHIONG, Performing Artist, Contributing Choreographer, Dance Instructor 

Jd Lynn Chiong has been part of the SAMAHAN Arts family since birth. With her mother serving as the company’s artistic director, her fascination with Philippine folk dancing was ignited at an early age. She began dancing with Samahan’s junior group at age four and never looked back, later becoming a dance apprentice in 1989. Since 1991 she has performed as one of Samahan’s principal dancers and has continued to contribute as a committed choreographer and instructor. She also serves as the Board Secretary and events booking coordinator. Recently, she participated in SAMAHAN’s Cultural Field Research trip to the Philippines to deepen and broaden her knowledge and experience in traditional dances from various regions of the country. 

MARY GRACE NIEVERA, Performing Artist, Dance Instructor

Mary Grace Nievera began learning Filipino folk dances in outreach classes at Bethune Elementary School taught by Ruby Chiong. She and her classmates eventually joined the dance company and performed for several subsequent years as senior dancers. Over time Mary Grace has consistently performed with SAMAHAN Arts, rising to become one of the company’s current principal dancers. She is regularly relied upon for privately sponsored gigs and is a trusted performer at numerous events. In addition to performing, Mary Grace teaches dance classes for young students and has taken on responsibility for preparing and directing their performances.

BERNARD BARROS ELLORIN, PhD, Music Director

Dr. Ellorin has over 30 years of experience as SAMAHAN Rondalla’s lead banduria player and as Director of the SAMAHAN Pakaraguian Kulintang Ensemble. His longstanding work with SAMAHAN deeply influenced his decision to pursue ethnomusicology as a career. He earned a BA in Ethnomusicology, cum laude, from UCLA, followed by an MA and PhD in Music from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. He received Apprenticeship Program grants from the Alliance for California Traditional Arts in 2019 and 2021 as a Master Artist mentoring two SAMAHAN kulintang apprentices and was awarded an ACTA Living Culture grant to produce instructional kulintang recordings tailored to Maguindanao and Maranao dance repertoires. He has traveled repeatedly throughout the Southern Philippines to conduct cultural field research, studying closely with Master Artists in the region to deepen his knowledge and practice. He currently offers Kulintang music lessons both on-line and in-person.  Read more…

MICHELLE CAMAYA JULIAN, Dance Instructor, Contributing Choreographer, Performing Artist

After joining the junior company at the age of eight in 1985, Michelle Camaya Julian steadily progressed to become one of the principal dancers of the Philippine dance company and also served as a contributing choreographer. She brings boundless enthusiasm to passing the torch and inspiring further study and deeper appreciation of our rich Philippine cultural arts among today’s young artists. Michelle graduated from the San Diego School of Performing Arts and earned a BA in Dance from UC Irvine. Her wide-ranging performance credits include the musicals Fame, Swing, Kismet, The Lion King on Broadway, Sinatra – Dance with Me, and Come Fly Away, choreographed by Twyla Tharp. She is also certified in Bikram and Modo yoga. Michelle now teaches dance performance classes at the San Diego School of Performing Arts and serves as a Lecturer of Philippine Dances at UCSD. To deepen her knowledge and experience in traditional Philippine dances and music, Michelle has participated in multiple cultural field research trips to the Philippines sponsored by SAMAHAN Arts. She has been an active member of the Actors’ Equity Association for more than 20 years.

DOROTHY PARKER CORONA, Performing Artist, Dance Instructor, Contributing Choreographer 

Dorothy Corona has been a devoted member of Samahan for over 20 years, having first joined the dance classes led by Ruby Chiong alongside her sister, Carla, in 1996. Her family has maintained an active, multi-generational involvement with Samahan for decades. Her maternal grandfather, Carlos Linayao, was a long-time Board member and served as President in the 1980s, and during that same era three of her aunts performed as dancers and musicians with the Samahan Philippine Dance Company. Over the years Dorothy progressed through the company and has become a principal dancer as well as a dedicated instructor and contributing choreographer for the junior dance classes.

REINA BELLE CHIONG, Perfoming Artist, Team Assistant, Board President

Reina Chiong, the middle daughter of Ruby Chiong, has been dancing with Samahan for many years and remains a dedicated member of the community. She is the proud mother of junior dancers Aiden and Emily Quenaon, and has performed as a senior dancer since the early 2000s. In addition to performing, Reina regularly assists in dance classes and helps with concert productions. She takes great pride in her culture and is committed to continuing to pass those traditions and values down to her children. After serving as Vice-President for a number of years, she has been elected in 2023 to lead the organization as the President of SAMAHAN Arts’ Board of Director.