JACKSONVILLE, N.C. — Tinikling is one of the biggest traditional dances in the Philippines. 

Lee Tucker is an instructor of tinikling, teaching people the dance as well as performing it all over North Carolina.

“First, the Philippines is made up of over 7,000 islands. And so we have cultures coming from the Malay people, from the Chinese, from the Spaniards and also the native Filipinos. And so culturally, we have so many different dances that we can show so that we can promote our culture,” Tucker said. 

Tucker was born and raised in the Philippines. She came the United States in 1997 with her family. In Georgia, she met her husband and moved to North Carolina. Tucker is also a registered dietitian. 

“This is one way of letting people know that you can exercise with something that you love and, you know, maintain your weight and maintain your health,” Tucker said. 

Tucker says physical activity is extremely important to stay healthy. 

“I'm a breast cancer survivor, too, but health is very important to me, not just for nutrition, but also physical activity to help keep all those complications at bay,” Tucker said. 

With recent acts of hate towards Asians, Tucker says it’s important now, more than ever, to appreciate Asian Pacific American heritage.

“In this time of Asian hate, I think that just showcases that we bring something good to the United States and that we are a part of this country that we love and that we have embraced the United States as our home country. Now, even though we still go back home to the Philippines as our home country, and we are raising our children here to realize that they shouldn't be ashamed to be called Asian,” Tucker said.