A blank stage is like a pure white canvass waiting for the brushstroke of colors. It is like a blank piece of paper with a question waiting to be answered. To some the, nothingness can be intimidating but to creators of art it is simple a long luxurious exhale. CCP Choreographers Series is all about providing choreographers of different levels a chance to breath and express themselves. It is a three part platform that seeks to encourage the act of creating art of movement. The Wifi body.ph is a competition for emerging choreographers, the Koryolab is a presentation of short but completed dance pieces by mid-career choreographers and Neo Filipino is a venue for established choreographers to create and stage major works.
This weekend Koryolab 2017 will present six bold new works from a diverse group of choreographers . Despite having different backgrounds, there is a cloud of likemindedness in this group. Perhaps it is their work ethic or their sense of responsibility that makes them collectively a group I would call a brotherhood of movers.
After undergoing mentorship from some of the best industry they will put color on their stage expressing their individual state of mind. Check out what they have to say about their pieces captured from their page CCP Choreographers Series Page
ALL REHEARSAL PHOTOS BY MICA FABELLA
"I feel like [through KoryoLab] I'll be having a larger audience and with that opportunity, I feel like I should be saying something more pressing, saying something about issues that we are really facing." - Russ Ligtas, last March, KoryoLab 2017
Russ Ligtas' "Postcard" is an offshoot of a solo performance of his, entitled "Letters from Manila." An approximation of a performance artist’s daily reverie conjured by the sunset at Manila Bay, "Postcard" is a visual commentary on one of the heaviest issues in today's socio-political
"Right now, I want something different. [I've been looking at] "Budots"? Something Filipino. I like mirroring Philippine society. [I want] something sarcastic, something that the audience can think about." - Erl Sorilla, last March, KoryoLab 2017
Erl debuts "Pidots", a play off the the term "budots", a slang word for bum Filipino people having no jobs in the slum. The dance is based on the innate tribal movements of the Badjao community, one of the indigenous tribes that remain marginalized with lower wage, higher rate of unemployment, and less access to education, leading to high crime rates, rape cases and teenage pregnancy. The groove within Pidots depicts the setup of the Filipino mentality of just going with the flow, no matter what has the government has done or what life has to offer.
"I'm not letting go of my folk dance and contemporary dance roots. But this time, I'd like to add more layers to the movement." - Al Garcia, last March, KoryoLab 2017
Paying tribute to his folk dance roots, Al Garcia presents the neo-ethnic piece "Haya" for KoryoLab 2017. A word which means "to let be", "Haya" tells of the cycle of life and the passing of history and culture from one storyteller to the next.
Every time I see [special children] dancing, I get very interested. I want to know how they perceive music, how they perceive movement, lines, circles..." - JM Cabling, last March, KoryoLab 2017
JM Cabling's fascination with the world of autistic children inspired him to create "Nothing | Special." As part of his research for the piece, JM spent a lot of time with gifted marimba major from the UP College of Music, Thristan Mendoza.
"I want to play with rawness and technicality. [I want to explore] images that create another perspective." - Jed Amihan last March, KoryoLab 2017
Jed Amihan's exploration has led him to create "Onus," an abstract interpretation of how society manipulates our mind, blurring the distinction between true and false, bad and good.
"Sometimes, we as artists show the people what is happening in society, yet sometimes people are in denial. It's very wrong... The issues must be told, through videos, music... Why not through dance?" - Beauty Balaga last March, KoryoLab 2017
From this initial idea comes Beauty's "Dili Jud Dulaan (Definitely Not A Toy)", a work stemming from the 2015 news of a horrific and controversial video featuring a young toddler named Daisy.
New art is always exciting. Let's all be part of their journey and digest their point of view I can't wait for them to fill the emptiness with something to remember and think about.
KoryoLab 2017
Aug 26 and 27
2pm and 6pm
CCP Studio Theater (Tanghalang Huseng Batute)
Aug 26 and 27
2pm and 6pm
CCP Studio Theater (Tanghalang Huseng Batute)
Tickets are at Php300 each. For inquiries, please call the CCP Box Office at 832-3704 and TicketWorld at 891-9999 or visit https://www.ticketworld.com.ph/Online/Koryolab2017.
Great article and good to see the distribution for both gender. Also a very good avenue for exposure to and appreciation for a global art/dance.
ReplyDeleteOnline fitness courss in UK | Ballet Business Course with Balletbefit
Thank you for the feedback :) Indeed the Koryolab which is part of a three ply platform for choreographers is a great venture. It gives our artists freedom to create and be appreciated for their point of view. :)
Delete