The UP Diliman (UPD) community bid farewell to one of its faculty members, Corazon Generoso Iñigo, who passed away on Aug. 5.
Iñigo, fondly called Ma’am Cora by colleagues and mentees, was a professor at the UPD College of Human Kinetics (CHK) where she served from 1973 to 1996 and the artistic director of the UP Filipiniana Dance Group (UPFDG) from 1973 to 1991.
She was recognized as among the pioneer choreographers of folk dance and ballet in the Philippines, influencing several generations of dancers and choreographers here and abroad.
Under her artistic directorship, the UPFDG became the first Philippine group to win the Grand Prix in Dance and Music at the 1978 Wine and Folkloric Festival in Dijon, France marked by the prestigious Collar of Gold and Disc of Gold.
According to the UPFDG, “Inigo’s mastery of logistics and production enabled acclaimed performances across Europe, Asia, North America, and Australia, with audiences remembering their showcases as among the finest in the world. Inigo’s research into indigenous and folk dances, including the lfugao Funeral Dance, Tiruray Festival Dance, Manobo Courtship Dance, and Maranaw Fan Dance, has also been instrumental in preserving and integrating these traditions into formal repertoires.”
Furthermore, her scholarly writings have enriched the archives of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), World Dance Alliance, and UP publications.
Iñigo served as CCP trustee and artistic director, NCCA committee leader, and president of CIOFF [Conseil International des Organisations de Festivals de Folklore et d’Arts Traditionnels / International Council of Organizations of Folklore Festivals and Folk Arts]—PhiIippines.
She received the Quezon City Manuel L. Quezon Gawad Parangal in 2017, UP Alumni Association Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011, and the UPD College of Human Kinetics Alumni Association Lifetime Achievement Award in 2025.