Even in international
stage and foreign-based performers, Philippine dances, with a touch of our rich
heritage and history, are being performed with complete passion and devotion,
proving how Filipinos are uniquely global and globally unique.
There comes a point in
your life that you’ll be totally mesmerized by simple things that will truly
affect your life. And watching this one-of-a-kind presentation is no exception.
It’ll snatch your attention from the time you sit down until you find yourself
applauding to the production team at the end. You’ll hold your breath from the
way the lights were projected in a silhouette, the way the actor-performer
bends and shouts in front of a totally amazed crowd, and most of all, the way
the entire presentation bring you back to the totality of ancientness and
history. Trans-continental dance, indeed.
With complete honesty,
I was never a fan of theatrical performances simply because I don’t easily get
the main point of a presentation, and I seldom watch such. From the beginning I
thought the presentation would be some sort of a tribal or cultural dance that
would entertain the majority, the rest would prefer criticizing it. I was
seated at the very front of the stage, where I’ve seen the over-all performance
with ease and satisfaction. And I must say, it was a product of sweat and
devotion- of bringing the best of this genre into international audience.
As the show goes on and
on, I watched with complete attention and scrutiny although at some point, I
got distracted by my own questions throughout the show. If there’s one thing I
have to commend for its impact on me, it’s the passion and devotion shown by
the sole performer- with complete professionalism for being naked at some time,
and his pride for what was he doing on stage. I almost lost my senses when I
heard he was raised in Canada more than the years he stayed here in the
country, Canadian-born but Filipino in heart and performance. As soon as I
learned about it, I felt some guilt in me for I know that I will never be able
to present an equally passionate cultural dance, a presentation shouting
perfection and oozing with bits of history in my entire life. The way he
projects something on stage, everybody would feel nothing but complete
amusement and envy- that a simple Filipino couldn’t do better. He still has
Filipino blood running in his veins and he must be celebrated for it, I just
comforted myself.
Now
is my turn to shine.
The fact that I was seated in the nearest place for inquiry, I knew it- the
opportunity to be heard by hundreds of students who graced the occasion, was a
way closer to me. I undoubtedly raised my question amidst the crowd about the
staging of the show in my home province, Albay and asked the team about their
preparations to hook up the Bicolano taste. Mr. Tolentino quickly responded by
saying they have never been in my place so they will really take the
opportunity to impress other audiences, including Bicolanos.
The over-all impact on
me was about reimagining the past- of Philippine cultural and social landscape,
and the ancestry of our race. It was about a call for returning in history and
paying attention and importance to its wonders, which many of us, including my
very own self, seldom does. The presentation is neither about showcasing some
of the Philippines’ celebrated professionals nor flashing the images of our
ancestors-it’s simply about us, of taking a quick flashback in our rich culture
and identity as a free and as independent people of a resource-rich nation,
that we are of international calibre, having some of the best performers and
dances, elsewhere in the world.
It may not always seem
to be real, but rest assured, every presentation is a product of creative and
culturally-centered minds, working together for a well-defined goal-of perfection
and appreciation from the viewers, things that were apparently showcased and
succeeded by the team of Colonial.
Internationally
performed but Filipino-claimed genre- every Filipino should be proud of. Thumbs
up!
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