Philippine dance

Dance research and documentation is the process of gathering and recording data on a dance, in the field, dance studio, theater, library, and archives. Frandsca Reyes-Tolentino (later Aquino) pioneered dance research in the Philippines. In the 1930s, she combed the countryside for folk dances with fellow scholars Ramon Tolentino and Antonino Buenaventura, who with her composed the team created by University of the Philippines (UP) president Jorge Bocobo. The team's work resulted in performances of the dances by the UP Folk Song and Dance Club, and the publication of Philippine Folk Dances and Games, 1935, and Phi- lippine National Dances, 1946. Reyes-Aquino's mas- terpiece, achieved with the help of the Bureau of Education and provincial researches, was the six- volume Philippine Folk Dances published from 1953 to 1979. Reyes-Aquino set figures, establishing a stan- dard vocabulary for Philippine folk dance and a system of verbal and sign directions that other researchers follow to this day. She also published glossaries and instructional books on folk dance. Other field researchers followed Reyes-Aquino's ex- ample: Libertad V. Fajardo, with her truee-volume work on Visayan folk dances, 1966; Juan C. Miel who wrote on Samar dances, 1973; Jovita Sison-Friese, with her Pangasinan research, 1980; Teresita Pascua-Ines who

RESEARCH

wrote on Ilocano folk dances; Petronila Suarez with her collection of unpublished dances from Iloilo; Lourdes Buena with her dance interpretations of some Bicol folk songs; Leon Tuy who did an analytical study of several Bicol folk dances; and Gloria Cabahug who studied the fundamental characteristics of Cebuano folk dances. In the 1950s, the Bayanihan Folk Arts Center, pre- ceded by the Philippine Women's University (PWU) Filipiniana Folk Music and Dance Committee in the 1930s, and PWU provincial branches organized field research in folk dance. In the 1950s and 1960s, Lucrecia Reyes-Urtula, Lucrecia Kasilag, and Isabel Santos led the Bayanihan research team. In the 1990s, research continues under the Office of Research Coordination and the President's Committee on Culture and the Arts of the UP. Ramon A. Obusan, former dancer and researcher of the Bayanihan, continues to do extensive research in dance. He owns an invaluable personal video library which form the basis for the staging of folk dances by his dance company, the Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group. Ligaya F. Amilbangsa, a formidable

DANCE RESEARCH PIONEER. Franclsca Reyes-Aqulno's pioneering work In dance research led to the discovery and systemaHc recording of many Philippine ethnic and folk dances from north to south. Here, she studies the steps of a Kallnga dance, 1962. (Franc/sea Reyes-Aqu/no Collecffon)

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researcher, has studied the dances (including move- ments, occasions, and costumes) of the Tausug, Samal, and Badjao of Sulu archipelago and has pub- lished these in her book Pangalay-Traditional Dances and Related Folk Artistic Expressions, 1983. Folk dance research can be conducted by observ- ing and joining Folk Arts Theater festivals and work- shops, which started in 1978. Dances, such as those performed in the First Philippine Folk Festival in 1981 by Lucrecia Reyes-Urtula, are introduced mainly to school teachers. The Dance Education Association of the Philippines holds annual folk dance workshops where regional researchers teach their new discover- ies. The Kaamulan festivals in Bukidnon and other festivals also allow researchers to observe and docu- ment dances all in one place. Video and film is an ubiquitous aid in dance re- search. Movement, color, and sound are recorded all at once and only a notation is necessary to complete the documentation. Film, however, is two-dimensional, requiring documentation from various angles, distances, and heights; several cameras or takes may be necessary to accurately portray performances. Dance research has been popularized by the Tuk- las Sining series of videos and monographs on the Philippine arts of the Cultural Center of the Philip- pines (CCP). To date, the CCP has come out with Sayaw: An Essay on Philippine Dance by Basilio Esteban S. Villaruz and Ramon Obusan, the Phil- ippine Ethnic Dance by the same authors, and The Spanish Influence on Philippine Dance by Lucrecia Reyes-Urtula and Prosperidad M. Arandez. Library or archival research includes the examina- tion of primary materials: any form of dance notation; choreographic notes and scenario; and correspond- ence and related manuscripts. Secondary materials in- clude souvenir programs, posters, flyers, periodical notices, reviews, books, and folios. Libraries now in- clude microfilms of these written or printed materials, and audio and visual recordings. Archives and museums preserve photographs and memorabilia, costumes and musical instruments, designs and libret- tos, rehearsal and performance schedules, and even account bills. Three important books that used library and other materials are: Reynaldo Alejandro's Philippine Dance: Mainstream and Concurrents, 1978, which presents a general survey of the development of ethnic dances,

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Christian lowland dances, social dances, ballet and modern dance in the Philippines; Leonor Orosa- Goquingco's Dances of the Emerald Isles, 1980, which describes the dances of 30 ethnolinguistic groups, among them the Bontoc, Ifugao, Kalinga, Aeta, Mangyan, Tagbanua, Batak, Palawan, Bagobo, Bukidnon, Manobo, Tboli, Tiruray, Tausug, Samal, Maranao, and Maguindanao; and Doreen Fernandez and Rudy Vidad's In Performance, 1981, which de- scribes in text and pictures the classical modern ballets as well as the original modern dance pieces of Ballet Philippines from 1970 to 1980. Interviews, which are essential to shed further light on the dances, are available in recorded and transcribed form in libraries and personal collections. Oral histories of a few key dance figures have been done by Reynaldo G. Alejandro for the New York Dance Library's Dance Collection. The dance degree program at the UP College of Music also requires dance-history students to compile oral histories. Perso- nally, Marcelino Foronda Jr recorded Leonor Orosa- Goquingco, Tina Santos, and Eddie Elejar. Any movement notation has its advantages as well as limitations. Experts have continually reex- amined Labanotation, the Benesh system, the Eskhol- Wachmann, and other systems (including the newly discovered ancient Chinese system) in light of the old (like Fuillet and Arbeau) and new (like Nijinsky and Massine) notation systems. Such meticulous efforts have allowed the restaging of folk and theatrical dances as close to the original as possible. A few Filipi- nos such as Lulu Puertollano, Priscilla Miil.as, and Larry Gabao, use Labanotation. Basilio Esteban S. Villaruz used the Benesh or choreography system for sections of his ballet, Tropical Tapestry, 1980. A book that uses interviews, field documentation and re- search, is Subli: !sang Sayaw sa Apat na Tinig/One Dance in Four Voices, 1989. Illustrated by highly artis- tic photographs of subli dancers, props, and perfor- mers by Neal Oshima, the book contains dance nota- tions by Villaruz and musical notation by Elena Rivera Mirano. • B.E.S Villaruz

MAJOR WORKS

ADARNA

1990. Modern ethnic ballet in two parts. Choreography, Edna Vida; music collage, Edna Vida in consultation with Lucrecia Kasilag and Rudy Vidad; libretto, Nicanor G. Tiongson; costume and set design, Salvador Bernal; lighting design, Alex de Guzman. Premiered by Ballet Philippines on 13 Dec 1990 at the Main Theater (now Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo), Cultural Center of the Philippines. Lead dancers: Enrico Labayen, Jinn Ibarrola, Stanley Canete (Gat Mabait); Amuer Calderon (Gat Malakas); Jun Mabaquiao (Gat Makisig); Melissa Cuachon, Gina Katigbak, Nicole Gaston (Adarna); Leon Koning (Raha Magpantay/Kapre); Joanne Ko, Sofia Zobel (Bai Liwanag); Hazel Sabas, Toni Lopez Gonzales (Sarimanok); Nonoy Froilan (Kaapoan). Based on the traditional korido, this interpretation emphasizes the allegorical meanings of the Thong Adarna story; setting and characters are Filipinized. The illness of the king, for example, is symbolic of the state's moral deterioration. The ballet also transforms the magical bird into an enchanted princess. The tale starts in the kingdom of Palanyag where Raha Magpantay (the just) and his wife Bai Liwanag (the enlightened) live with their three sons-Malakas (the strong), Makisig (the handsome), and Mabait (the good). All is peaceful until the king dreams that Mabait has been mauled by two villains. He falls ill and the court physician advises that only the song of the Thong Adarna can cure him. One after the other, the three sons go to Bundok Tabor in search of the magical bird. When it is Mabait's turn, he saves the firefly Ningning, as she is beset by a Kapre (giant ogre) and Higante (giant). In gratitude, Ningning brings him to a celebra- tion of Kislap, queen of the fireflies and the air spirits; Kaapoan, king of the dwarfs and the earth spirits; and Kalipay, queen of the fairies and the water spirits. They all ·advise the prince on how to capture the Adama. It lives in Batong Pilak, sings seven seductive songs, and scatters its droppings. The song lulls the listener to sleep while the droppings turn him to stone. Mabait is given a golden knife with which to bUt him- self, and seven bitter dayap (sap) to keep him awake, a golden cage for the Adarna, as well as living water to pour over the stones beneath the bird's tree. He flies off with Ningning in a magical vinta, the Caracoa. Act II reveals the rainbow-hued Adarna to Mabait as an enchanted princess, Bai Marilag, princess of the kingdom of Kawayan, who refused her father's choice for a husband and was condemned to live as a bird until loved by one pure of heart. As Mabait pursues her, he hears the Adarna' s seven songs depicting the

seven hwnan frailties: lust, pride, envy, sloth, avarice, gluttony, and anger. Kept awake by Ningning and the pain of his dayap-soaked wounds, Mabait captures the Adarna. Ningning pours water on the stones beneath the tree and the brothers Malakas and Makisig come back to life. But they ungratefully maul Mabait and sail away with the Adarna. The abandoned Mabait is healed by Kislap who helps him fly back to his father's kingdom. Malakas and Makisig are hailed in Palanyag, but the Adama refuses to sing to cure the king. Mabait de- scends from the sky amid thunder and lightning, and the Adama starts to sing. The king revives, banishes his two villainous sons, and names Mabait his heir. The Adama turns back into Bai Marilag and marries Mabait. Adama is the second attempt to use the folkloric material of the korido. This version was especially important in charting directions for Philippine dance, as its libretto was Filipinized and utilized ethnic motifs and movements. • B.E.S. Villaruz

1969. Modern dance in one act and three scenes. Choreography, Alice Reyes; premiered at Sarah Lawrence University, USA in 1969. Premiered by Alice Reyes Modern Dance Company (now Ballet Philip- pines) on 19 Feb 1970 at the Main Theater (now Tang- halang Nicanor Abelardo), Cultural Center of the Philippines. Music, Lucrecia Kasilag; set design, Roberto Chabet; costume design, Arturo Cruz; lighting design, Teodoro Hilado. Cast: Alice Reyes (Dona Amada), Eddie Elejar (Don Rafael), Tina Santos (Tadtarin). In subse- quent performances: set design, Salvador Bernal; light- ing design, Monino Duque, Katsch S.J. Catoy, and Alex de Guzman. Cast in succeeding performances: Ester Rimpos, Joy Coronel, Elizabeth Roxas, Edna Vida (Amada); Manuel Molina, Antonio Fabella, Nonoy Froilan (Don Rafael); Ester Rimpos, Cecile Sicangco (Tadtarin). Inspired by Nick Joaquin's short story, "Summer Solstice," the principal characters of this modem one-act ballet in three scenes are the aristocratic couple, Don Rafael and Dona Amada. The setting is 19th-century Manila, a city to which young men were returning from Europe bringing with them "not the Age of Victoria, but the Age of Byron." Traditional male dominance is sud- denly shaken by the summer solstice Tadtarin ritual that climaxes on the feast of St John the Baptist. Women suddenly reign supreme, and dark frenzied rites cele- brate death and resurrection; primitive impulses shatter the veneer of urbanity, and hispanic molds and patterns. In the end, Don Rafael prostrates himself before Amada' s feet.

As a student at Sarah Lawrence University, Reyes presented Amada as her master's thesis in 1969. When she returned to Manila, the work highlighted her first modern dance concert. Roberto Chabet' s debut paved the way for later stage designers for modern dance. Lucrecia Kasilag' s music for the ballet is atonal and serial with irregular rhythmic meters of fives and sevens. She uses intermittent percussive sounds of drums, sticks and gongs, and piano that had no definite melody, giv- ing the effect of tension and irresolution. The choreography has a distinct Spanish flavor, especially in the solo variations of Amada, and Filipino ethnic movements, juxtaposed with the strong influ- ence of Martha Graham in the dramatic sections of the Tadtarin rituals. Reyes' first major modern choreog- raphic work elicited mixed reactions from the critics and audiences then, but has now emerged as a mile- stone in Filipino modern dance. Amada was performed in a Visayan Summer Dance Tour in April 1970; at the Shell House in Lon- don, United Kingdom in June 1972; at the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid, Spain, where the company opened the Afro-Asiatic Festival in July 1972; at the 50th anniversary celebration of the American Dance Festival in Durham, North Carolina in June 1984; and in other countries like the Union of Soviet Sodalist Republics, China, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Greece, and various Southeast Asian countries.

ANAK-BULAN

AMADA Dona Amado (Allee Reyes) taunts Don Rafael (Nonoy .Frollan) In the confrontaHon scene In this 1970 staging of Amado. (Rudy Vldad, Ballet Philip- pines CollecHon)

A revival of the ballet drew this comment from Basilio Esteban S. Villaruz: "Perfect in craft and right in duration, the ballet Amada compels attention and tears down conventions. Even the Reyes vocabulary here is concise and unadorned, never overfleshing the bones. Lucrecia R. Kasilag's music's sounds and silences ba- lance a razor-edged tension that sustains the ballet from beginning to end. Roberto Chabet's projection and spare box of a set also didn't say more than what was necessary" (Villaruz 1983: 22). • E. Vida

ANAK-BULAN

(Moon Child). 1976. Modem ballet in one act. Cho- reography, Lydia Madarang-Gaston; music, Rosalina Abejo RVM; costume design, Salvador Bernal and Rafael del Casal; lighting design, Monino Duque; set design, Salvador Bernal. Premiered by the CCP Dance Company (now Ballet Philippines) at the Main Theater (now Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo), Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Cast: Lydlyd Gaston (Isabel), Ester Rimpos (Her Mirror Image), Nonoy Froilan (Lover), Lydia Madarang-Gaston (Nursemaid). In this one-act ballet based on Nick Joaquin's story, "May Day Eve," a yaya (nursemaid) frightens her wards into bed. Only the brave Isabel dares go to the mirror; it reflects her own image, and that of a

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MAJOR WORKS

AWIT

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ANG BABAYLAN

(The Shaman). 1988. Dance drama in two acts. Script, lyrics, and direction, Edward Defensor; choreography, Basilio; music, Ang Taga-aton, with the "Kapinangan's Theme" by Arlene Chongson; set de- sign conceived by Defensor and Basilio, executed by Fundador Tan; masks, by Fundador Tan. Premiered by Teatro Amakan of the University of the Philippines (UP) Visayas on 10 Nov 1988 at the UP Visayas Au- ditorium, Iloilo City. Cast: Rey Formacion (Bangonbat- wa), Raoul Cafi.onero (Datu Sumakwel), Geraldine Montelibano (Kapinangan), and Fundador Tan (Gurong-gurong). The story weaves together tales and incidents from pre-Spanish and Spanish colonial times, focusing on the role of the babaylan or priest-Bangotbanwa in Act I, and the female and male babaylanes in Act II who lead the people in struggling against the Spanish authorities. The dance drama in two acts highlights crucial spoken dialogues, but it is mostly told in dance in- spired by folk practices. Occupational dances are in- terspersed with ritual and combat scenes. The ritual dances are performed with bolo and capes, struck chi- na bowls, palaspas (palm fronds), and the legendary long necklace (manangyad) of Kapinangan, Datu Sumakwel's wife. Love dances, a spring ritual dance with fairies, and Kapinangan's bath are more stylized,

as is a mimetic dance between a boar and Sumakwel' s aide, Gurong-gurong. Act II enacts a series of encounters between the natives headed by a succession of babaylan, and the Spanish civil and religious authorities. Seemingly end- ing in the defeat of the rebels, a youthful babaylan rises over dead bodies to martial their spirits, promis- ing to invigorate the next generation that will reassert its claims for freedom. • B.E.S. Villaruz

BAGOBO. The once-dreaded ritual of human sacrifice of the Bagobo of Davao In Mindanao Is the theme of Agnes locsln's Bagobo, an Innovative neoethnlc ballet premiered by Ballet Philippines II In 1990. (Rudy Vldad, Ballet Philippines Collection)

BAGOBO

1990. Modern ethnic dance in one act. Scenario and choreography, Agnes Locsin; music, Peter Gabriel; set and costume design, Salvador Bernal; lighting design, Tony Esteban. Premiered by Ballet Philippines II on 22 Mar 1990 at the Tanghalang Aurelio V. Tolentino, Cultural Center of the Philippines. Cast: Camille Ordinaria (victim); Annette Cruz, Annie Divinagracia, Christine Maranan, Isabel Gregorio, Leilani Hortaleza, and Je-an Salas (Bagobo braves). Described as "neoethnic," the dance draws in- spiration from the "once dreaded ritual" of human sacrifice that was practiced solemnly and secretly by the Bagobo of Davao. The work uses ethnic styles and values. The dance centers on a bound sacrificial victim. Terrified, she can only stamp, twist, walk on her knees, roll, rise and fall, slowly, painfully, unable to use her arms. She dances to the unremitting drone of the music, with its humming and bellowing, flute and voice, shaken beat and ostinato. Against the victim are six Bagobo braves whom Locsin casts as women. Their severe black costumes, their Bagobo stance, steps, and rhythm eliminate all

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MAJOR WORKS

sexual bias. They move not like torturers but an un- equivocal natural force embodying the customary law enthroned by tribal traditions. Their choric power lies in their impersonal, almost supernatural, persona. They traverse the stage deliberately, ponderously as the victim tuns around and amid them, incapable of escaping their hieratic poses and lunges. Their hands and stances are sculptural, almost monumental. Like a prisoner in the maze of the minotaur, the victim is trapped by the cruel inexorability of a supreme life and death code. Neither narrative, literal nor ideological, the piece magically evokes the world of the numinous that the folk believe in. An intense experience that is uncom- promising in the pursuit of its intent, its long-drawn ensemble process, heightened or attenuated at turns, creates a credible yet mysterious and primal world to which an urban audience is drawn. • B.E.S. Villaruz

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