CHRISTMAS IN SEPIA

Ever wonder what Facebook looks like as it unfolds before your very eyes? Watch Alice Reyes Dance Philippines production of Puso ng Pasko and have a rollicking good time! The ballet starts off with a ZOOM re-union of friends scattered all over the planet like your typical Filipino families. 

Val (Audie Gemora), now based in the US and having to deal with glitches in the connection has to interact with Angelita (Trisha Lim), his grand daughter who travels to the happy Hippie decade to experience a Christmas she has never known all her life. So the time frame shifts to 5 decades back where Flower Power was in and bell bottoms were de riguer. It's like watching a retro fashion show but in muted tones of earth colors that make the five lead characters stand out.

One can clearly see Alice Reyes' vision in depicting a truly Filipino Christmas celebration. Traditions abound in the country during this time of the year so the direction incorporates regional practices for a unique experience for Angelita , who grew up in the US. It's like watching a throwback Christmas celebration in sepia. Eric Cruz' set painted in earth tones is enlivened with pops of color. The production incorporates a whole lot of our tradition to literally and figuratively give the ballet flavour. Parols in bright colors, higantes dressed as Santas, arañas of kiping, a life-sized living Belenisimo tableaux...and a stylized Sayaw sa Bangko set to National Artist Ryan Cayabyab's music. All the dancers were up to par. Even the younger scholars were dancing along with seasoned artists of ARDP. Ronelson Yadao's contemporary choreography was a showcase of the company's strength. Seventies maski-pops (that's what we called it then, a diminutive term for maski paano) effortlessly merged with modern ballet technique to Mr. Cayabyab's infectious music. I'm sure people who watched will be humming his tunes for days.The light show with kids to the music of Gabi'ng Payapa was a solemn moment. Very poignant was the pas de deux of EJ Arisola (young Val) and Monica Gana (young Sab) to the tune of "Ano'ng Gagawin Mo Ngayon'g Pasko?". It could bring up memories of young love that I'm sure senior citizens will recall. 

Speaking of seniors, the rigodon dancers deserve a good round of applause. They spent a great amount of their time learning intricate patterns on the CCP stage as "ninongs" and "ninangs" to their dance kids. They brought their own costumes as well. The corps was excellent despite varying degrees of proficiency. The scholars blended in well with company members. With that kind of talent, ARDP has a pool of dancers that will continue on to become the next generation of stars. There was no intermission as the show had a short running time but just enough to convey the story of a Pinoy Christmas that's very in the now! Very relevant in these pandemic times. Carlitos Siguion-Reyna's video featuring Gener Caringal, Butch Esperanza, Liza Dela Fuente and Imelda Tatad- Pagdanganan as the elder Teroy, Caloy, Sab and Osang respectively was genius! After all, how many of us have checked in on our friends during COVID-19? Kudos to ARDP for giving us brilliant dancing, a show that touches our Filipino spirit and a concept that's grounded on local virtues and values. Everyone came out to the main theater lobby with a big smile on their faces.

PREMIERES AND ENCORES

 

Premieres and Encores

The Alice Reyes Dance Philippines continues its stand on no-non-sense dance performances with its second offering entitled Premieres and Encores. The stage is left to the bare minimum as with the costumes. Again, as the fledgeling dance company stresses, a worthy performance doesn't require spending for millions in installation art nor sets. You just need technically strong dancers that deliver a performance that leaves the gob-smacked audience's jaw on the floor... literally! Despite the threat of typhoon Paeng acting up, a mixed audience of French expats, diplomats and Filipino balletomanes trooped to the CCP's main theater to witness French guest choreographer, Redha Benteifour's two new works: "L’espoir Des Lendemain" (The Hope of Tomorrow) and "L’homme Assis Dans Le Fauteuil" (The Man on the Armchair). This is an auspicious move to commemorate the 75th diplomatic relations between France and the Philippines. and what a gift these two pieces were! 

The evening starts off with JM Cabling's I Want To Say Something, The piece is a study on an introvert's vacillation to speak up when the urge hits him or to stay quiet even if it eats him up inside. Erl Sorilla is at stage center as the corps enters one by one. Slowly the dance becomes more energetic and eventually peaks in a crescendo of movement constantly flinging a gliterring microphone across and aroud the stage area until Erl decides to recoil into a fetal position and keep his pent up emotion to himself. In a world where social media makes so much noise, sometimes, the best remedy is to sign off.

"L’homme Assis Dans Le Fauteuil" (The Man on the Armchair) by Redha is a tale of ill-fated love. Macel Dofitas as the love-struck woman delivers an emotional performance with near-impossible leg extensions that are picture-perfect. While Richard Yadao's interpretation of a jaded lover who considers falling in love a handicap injects pathos into his role. His lifts are so secure, Macel Dofitas can jump into his arms in total abandon. They both can act, too! This choreography is so romantically charged one can turn it into a teleserye. It's beautiful and haunting at the same time. 

Providing the perfect foil to an otherwise somber mood is Visayan Suites. It's a collab of the ARDP dancers who can choreograph  and their colleagues who perform it with gusto. The ensemble dancing was  light and fun. The solos and pas de deux were witty and note worthy. Katrene San Miguel and Monica Gana have matured in their technique immensely. San Miguel in "Pasayawa Ko Day" revealed a comic side to her strong pirouettes and fluid arabesques. Tim Cabrera as her ever reliable partner proved to be a perfect match. Meanwhile, Monica Gana's dancing has evolved further. She's a revelation in her "Ay Kalisud" solo. She moves reservedly at first, and then progresses as the song goes on to pirouettes landing in  a split on the floor or jumping on to the waiting arms of male dancers in  a pas de chat. She was tear-jerking, desperate and almost comical in the ending. It brought to mind my memory of Giselle's mad scene, only Visayan version.

L'Espoir Des Lendemain ( The Hope of Tomorrow) was the evening's piece de resistance. I have two words to describe this piece: pandemic angst!  In it Redha pours out his choreographic genius to the receptive bodies of ARDP's dancers. He provokes them... he dares them... he pushes the dancers to their limits. And just when you think the dancers can do no more, they dance with full abandon to deliver a performance that is cogent! I saw this piece at rehearsals, and thought, yeah, it's a strong piece. But when I saw the Gala, my jaw dropped. There is a certain uneasiness in the whole fabric of the piece... and yet, it's relatable. The dance is replete with difficult and very complicated lifts, the women jumping into the air are unpredictable, and the men catching the women in pressage are amazing. But it's when they are dancing in unison that makes the piece whole. There is no gender discrimination in this dance; only  men and women exhibiting feats of strength, courage, and the feeling of security that their co- dancers will catch them in mid-flight. The stage was bereft of sets with only black dominating the color scheme. The ending with silver and white confetti resembling snow is cathartic - the silver lining in a choreography drenched in desolation and despair. And so, the evening ends on a positive note. 

Bravo, Redha! We hope to be working with you yet again. Bravo, Guan Ming dancers! Your youthful energy is delightful. Bravo, Alice Reyes Dance Philippines! We're hoping to see more of your performances. 

97.9 HOME RADIO INTERVIEW

 

I received a message on my Messenger from friend and Advocates for Heritage Preservation founder Tito Encarnacion about a possible radio talkshow interview on 97.9 Home Radio. I thought nothing of it at first but I did broach the idea with a chat group I'm in. We were ok with the idea but we were wondering what would come out of the invite. We said "yes" but not all of us were available. So three of us were amenable to do the talk show.

I would get intermittent messages from Tito requesting for some requirements: 30 guide questions re. Tour guiding, half body photos for an art card promoting the show, our short bio for an intro. All of which we would provide at different points in time.

Eventually, Patrick June came up with a partial set of questions and Home Radio gave us an updated set which completed the 30 questions they had originally asked for.

After a few weeks we received a study of the art card meant to announce our guesting on the show A Place We Call Home. It was hosted by DJ Braggy and it was the station's way of revitalizing the country's efforts at boosting the tourism industry.

Everything was more or less set for a September 7 interview. We really didn't think much of it. But after a few days, the art card came out. Great! We were all satisfied and gave it our approval.

Finally, the day of the talk show arrives. The night prior, I made arrangements to pick up Dhanggit Labignette in a cab. Guess what? I left the house at 8:30 a.m. but had no luck at hailing a cab. I have already been waiting for thirty minutes and still no such luck!! I frantically called Dhang to go ahead to the radio station on her own and I would just follow. After my call, I did get a cab and was about to pass for her but she was already on her way. The pressure!!! I had to be at the station by 9:30 a.m. for a briefing so I was praying for smooth traffic while sitting in the cab. Thankfully, I got to Home Radio in Shaw Boulevard, Ortigas at the appointed time. While waiting for the elevators I met the VP for Sales and Marketing Marvin Nisperos Estigoy who graciously escorted me to their offices. I was finally in the conference room exchanging pleasantries with sirs Marvin, Tito and DJ Braggy along with Dhang and Patrick.

A few minutes before ten, we were ushered into the DJ booth. The start was a little shaky with us having to introduce ourselves but we eventually settled down and got into the rhythm of the conversation. It became more animated as we went along. With peals of laughter puncturing the radio airwaves. Before we even knew it, an hour had nearly passed. What? We've only begun! Prompting DJ Braggy to comment we needed a part two for this show. We posed for our obligatory photos for posterity. I mean, how often do we do a talk show? Then as we bid our leave, we were told DJ Braggy's birthday was on the 15th. We rushed back to his office to sing him a birthday/Christmas carol song. We tackled 5 flights of stairs as the elevators were taking too long. We ended up in Via Mare having an early lunch before dispersing and finally heading home.

Thank you Dhanggit Labignette, Patrick June , Marvin Estigoy, Tito Encarnacion and DJ Braggy. The show brought back memories of my college days at Ateneo learning the rudiments of radio production with my professor Puri Navarrete. I wonder where she is now...

 

Gawad CCP Para Sa Sining is the highest recognition given by the Sentro'ng Pangkultura ng Pilipinas to artists and cultural workers who have devoted their lives and work for the upliftment of culture and the arts in the Philippines. Today's awards ceremonies are given special impetus by the fact that I personally know three (four, including Tito Eddie) of the awardees and at some point have received valuable mentorship from them in my short, mildly successful and albeit, aborted dance career.

I spent the early afternoon with former CCP awardee Tito Eddie Elejar , Butch Esperanza and Ken San Jose . In between servings of soft tacos, lumpian'g Shanghai and spaghetti, we laughed at Tito Eddie's humorous anecdotes of his life in ballet.

We were later joined by no other than Lisa Macuja Elizalde and one of this year's awardees Nonoy Froilan and CCP president Margie Moran Floirendo. We chit chatted away much of the time, catching up on things related to dance and the state of the performing arts during and after the Pandemic. I talked to Lisa about the re-opening of the Aliw Theater and the upcoming season of Ballet Manila that will start in February of next year. That's something we can all look forward to as 2023 and the closing of CCP for renovations looms.

Leslie Noble and Edna Vida joined us for more catching up. Then out of the blue walks in Cecilia Manikan , former executive director of Ballet Philippines, whom I haven't seen in ages. It was an afternoon cocktail of ballet luminaries that managed to weather out COVID.

By five p.m., the all too familiar budyong was calling out to the guests to enter the main theater as the ceremonies were about to start. All the awardees were announced as they entered the theater on their way to the VIP seats.

The CCP Gawad awards is given every two years. But because of the pandemic, I guess they had to wait until there was less of a threat of this dreaded virus. This year's awardees are as follows: 1. Lualhati T. Bautista (Panitikan); 2. Kenneth Cobonpue ( Disenyo at mga Kaugnay na Dining); 3. Clodualdo A. Del Mundo (Pelikula at Singing Broadcast); 4. Antonio L. Fabella (Sayaw, posthumous na Gawad); 5. Rafael Catalina Froilan (Sayaw) ; 6. Alice Guillermo (Pananaliksik Pangkultura, posthumous na Gawad); 7. Nestor T. Horfilla (Gawaing Pangkultura at Pananaliksik); 8. Integrated Performing Arts Guild (IPAG) (Pagpapalaganap ng Kultura ng Rehiyon); 9. Liwayway Magazine (Pagpapaunlad ng Kultura sa Pilipinas); 10. Danilo L. Dolor (Tanging Parangal); 11. Felix Padilla (Teatro), 12. Raul M. Sunico (Musika); 13. Cristina V. Turalba (Arkitektura); 14. Luis E. Yee, Jr. (Sining Biswal).

The acceptance speeches were poignant, touching, nostalgic and at times funny. Also, a little known fact is that Liwayway magazine will be celebrating its one hundredth year of publication. They started printing in November of 1922 and November of this year will be their centenary.

Most memorable were Nonoy Froilan's and Nonon Padilla's speeches. There were dance and theater alumni present to give the awardees moral support and the appreciation of knowledge they learned from being part of their respective resident companies. I had brief encounters with Shamaine Centenera and Volpi Best Actor John Arcilla. We didn't have much time to interact in between restroom breaks and the proceedings going with no intermission. Musical numbers were provided by Stefanie Quintin, the Philippine Madrigal Singers and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra. Hosts of the proceedings were Sheila Valderrama-Martinez and Arman Ferrer with Juliene Mendoza providing the voice -overs. It was a long evening but well worth attending despite the rains.

Kudos to the recipients and Bravo for your devotion to the arts!

GUIDING FOR NATIONAL HEROES' DAY

 

National Heroes' Day. We honor the people who sacrificed their lives so we can enjoy the benefits of freedom. In their memory, a full day was dedicated to them by the Intramuros Administration, the management and staff of the Intramuros Visitors' Center and the Intramuros Volunteer Guides. Today being a holiday, what better way for families to spend the day on a historical tour of Fort Santiago (and perhaps the Intramuros area) with knowledgeable DOT accredited tour guides!

On my part, I had free time to commit to the event. I re-posted the announcement on my Facebook page in the hope that friends will jump at the chance to get some fresh air, get an urge to join a guided tour as a sort of refresher... Or if not, at least get a handful of "new" people who might be interested in historical commentary. It was a blast!

A few minutes after I arrived at Fort Santiago, I was immediately assigned a group of fifteen people of different backgrounds, different social strata, different interests and age ranges. It brought me back to a time when I was learning to balance crowd interest so my audience doesn't feel left out or bored. As I mentioned to IVC head honcho and avowed "prince of Intramuros" Rancho Arcilla , guiding is a skill!

You can be the most learned, scholarly, erudite individual but if you don't have your group's full, undivided attention and can't control them , then a tour guide, you're not!!

Streams of people started to arrive: families with toddlers, married educator couples, historical enthusiasts, students from Dumaguete who were in Manila for their on-the-job training, visiting Spaniards getting a furlough from the pharmaceutical company that brought them to the country. Just about anybody wanted to experience the tours. And we Intramuros Volunteer Guides, didn't turn anyone away! Despite the assigned groups, there were some ambulant tourists who would join in and listen to our commentaries. From time to time, isolated areas would burst out with rounds of applause as guests express their thanks to the guides for a job well done. Congratulations, JB Jb Hallig Quemado , Vincent Ray Vr Hallig , Reynaldo Cadiz, Salve Aragones, Anthony de Guzman, Elgin Silvestre, Dom's Valencia, Shogun Gaijin , Tabalanza Cedhie, Pau Lagasin, Debbie Abadines Sison , Jerome Relente, Orlando Domingo, Mark Fernandez, Marianito Malacaman. We did ourselves proud!!!

By the time the free tours were concluded at four p.m., headcount of the guests had doubled if not tripled compared to any ordinary day. It only proves to show, one doesn't need to do humungous acts to serve the country. One can be of service doing small things with great passion!

Para sa Bayan!!!

MALATE'S SOCIAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE

Our Lady of Remedies in Malate has always been especially dear to my heart. For one, I was born and raised in Malate, went to school there and served as a reader/commentator too. So when a message reached me on my Messenger with an invitation to join the social communications committee this Saturday, I could not say "no"! I went to the Remedios Jubilee Center's audio-visual room at nine a.m. to find the seminar had started but relieved that I wasn't too late. Familiar faces greeted me: film director Mel Bacani III , technical and internet wiz Ramz Espina , and former co-commentator and friend Joy Jante - Deanon were the leaders/mentors charged with orienting the volunteers for the seminar.

Basically, the seminar was an introduction into photography, video presentation and live streaming. The parish sees the need to increase the number of volunteers who can man , produce and live stream Masses and other liturgical celebrations and events happening at Malate Church that may be significant for online viewers. Let's not forget that we are still in a pandemic. Until thIt was a simple three camera set-up and audio link with a Master's control booth, WiFi connection design for on-line, real time broadcast.

What differentiates a live stream of MALATE church is that the Eucharistic celebration is given emphasis rather than production value. So we decided it would be in the church's best interest to imbue the streaming with a sharper focus and a more solemn quality with less camera movement and more readable graphics. What is more important to the viewers is the message. That sounds so simple but not easy to achieve. So we decided it would be best to make studies that will make camera movement and angling less jarring and conduct more studies so the volunteers can familiarize themselves with the equipment. By noon, we concluded with the seminar with a promise to conduct further exercises. So much to look forward to but Fr. Leo in his closing remarks concludes with a relevant statement that it's worthwhile training youthful volunteers who use their talent in a skill they're passionate about with a goal of service to the Church.e threat is cleared, parishes must bring the Word into the homes of the flock who must listen from the safety and comfort of their own homes.

I'm not new to Church volunteerism. But this seminar reflects a need for the Catholic Church to step up to the technological advancements of the 21st century. The program was a concise primer on Basic Photography with Andrew Mayang; Basic Videography with Mel Bacani III; Live Streaming with Ramz Espina; and Live Streaming Troubleshooting with Sherwin Layoso as mentors. Emmanuel Añago, Rhea delos Santos, Julia Mancera & Lilli Dela Cruz were on-hand to assist with the OBS training. By mid-morning, all the lectures were accomplished and after a short coffee break, all participants were led to the church where they were given a hands-on experience of actual operations of equipment.

REVISITING LIWASAN'G BONIFACIO

 I had a fun day today! First of all it's not the first time I did a tour of the Liwasan'g Bonifacio area, we covered it before after some colleagues of mine became Mabuhay Guides. What made this tour work for me was the nostalgia. My father was a stamp collector back in the day when I was a schoolboy. As kids growing up, we were encouraged to establish international friendships through penpals. I can't recall the name of the organization we joined as students back then. We submitted our names and in return, we received five names of kids our age with corresponding addresses. So we would write them and the more responses we received, the more names we were given to correspond with. I had sent postcards to Italy, Ireland, the US, etc. And then, eventually the letters stopped... maybe as teenagers, we had all developed other interests, gone to university, fallen in love, had families and responsibilities of our own... This tour of Renacimiento de Manila and Heritage Conservation Society, brought back a ton of memories for me as I recall: expecting presents, waiting for cards on Christmas or Valentine's day with money tacked onto the inner folds of the cards, parcels sent from friends and relatives abroad, the much awaited money order notice to ensure we as recipients received the love offerings fondly sent by ninongs and ninangs who have decided to live abroad.

Time and technology have changed the landscape of communications over a short span of a few decades. There's the ominous presence of email now. There are apps for facilitating the exchange of money. Social media and cellular phones have altered our mode of communication with friends and loved ones. Everything has become faster but not necessarily for the better... I still gush over receiving a well written greeting on Christmas cards. I enjoy receiving packages wrapped in brown paper and sealed in a gazillion feet of duct tape. I would enjoy messages from friends with all the sides of the envelope taped to prevent it from bursting at the folds because of the photos tucked inside with that one photo that has the hundred dollar bill stuck at the back with carbon paper and invisible tape. Time flies. But SJ Go (Stephen Pamorada) and Diego Torres gave me one hell of trip down memory lane. Thank you, Renacimiento de Manila, Heritage Conservation Society and Pilipinas Philately for today!