Neo Filipino is the culminating level of the CCP Choreographers Series featuring the work of established choreographers. Being the last step of the program it has always been regarded as a spring board to greater things. It is expected to be the stimulus that can unleash the choreographer's inner dialogue trans mutated into movement. However, I have this personal impression that some audiences (and maybe even choreographers) think of the grant as simply a showcase that benefits only the creators. To me this casts a shadow on the platform's relevance and may depict the show as a "recital". Neo Filipino is not only meaningful for the choreographers who are given a chance to do what they are good at. It also represents the state of contemporary dance in the Philippines. The truth is there are only a few opportunities to showcase this genre in legitimate theaters. While the genre survives ferociously in this country, it is almost always performed in intimate settings with smaller audiences and with the frequency far from constant. That is why I find it imperative that Neo Filipino who has developed a passionate market represents the community fiercely reminding everyone that it is a generations's gift to another for the love of dance. It's a tradition that keeps the art (not just the dance makers) and the community alive. I have been chronicling this endeavor for quite some time and it always shows astounding creations. However in the last two years, I felt that its ability to represent the community was on a decline. Take into consideration Neo Filipino 2018 with the theme "The New Filipina Movement". It was obviously meant to represent the role of women in contemporary dance. However the overall message was muffled by the contradicting, off topic, or even demeaning images of the woman. While all the choreographers were organically talented, it was obvious they were also not on an even playing field. While the pieces were individually valuable collectively, it did not leave a dent in my thirsty mind. Were the choreographer's successful in their pieces? Did they grow as artists? Maybe so, but that was about it. For some perhaps it became (not necessarily on purpose) a self-serving exercise. 2017 was not any different. The theme was "Other Matters" showcasing brilliant choreographers with rehashed, old or new work that didn't quite go together. Again I cannot discount the rich aesthetics and the powerful dancing, I just hoped for a more purposeful outcome similar to choreographic platforms in other countries. To clarify I don't necessary mean that the pieces have to fit a mold or a theme. It could still send a message of hope if the curated pieces would leave an electric current running through the audience's veins, puncturing if need be (Think Himala the Musical!) I believe the Neo Filipino, like any art piece, is a snapshot of a generation and a moment in time and I would love for it to be colored with so much more than a bland portrait. Having said that, I am completely floored about Neo Filipino 2019. Exceeding my expectations, the performance was a monumental leap from recent years and was reminiscent of Neo Filipino glory days. Appropriately called "Arrest" it did make the audience stop and be in the moment. It did seize the opportunity to silence thoughts and prompt the audience to draw from the pieces something to think about for a long long time. With the extra challenge of collaboration, Ava Villanueva-Ong, Biag Gaongen, Georgette Sanchez- Vargas and JM Cabling successfully represented contemporary dance.Victoriously Neo-Filipino showed that Filipino art can be selflessly enriched by relevance, honesty, innovation, content, intent and empathy. More importantly, the pieces all had the power to put the audience in the shoes of other unheard, possibly forgotten humans. It was a way to reconnect to the real world.
Order and Disorder / Sibol
Choreographed by Ava Villanueva-Ong
Music by Krina Cayabyab (Collaborator)
After a long hiatus in choreography, Ava Villanueva-Ong presented a worthy masterpiece to announce, what I would hope, is a real comeback. Sibol is a piece about the flow of life from birth, childhood, adolescence to adulting in real life in the perspective of a mother. It starts strong with grounded dancers running towards center stage assembling as a unit. Matching her temperament, Krina Cayabyab's eclectic beats complemented this rumbling dance piece. Interrupting the circular unified movement were quick outward spikes of movement which progressed in speed and in range of movement until the formation transitioned into a long diagonal. In an instant, it reminded me of molecular movement. Search DNA replication and you'll easily understand how the dancers depicted somewhat the science of creation. The dancers would run in different directions as a group and melt unto each other launching several canon patterns. With an unstoppable wind, they proceeded to dance in groups with athletic lifts and emergence of unpredictable canon sequences. Eventually the piece shifts to two boys who perform both a duet with the the quick tempo mellowing down. In a lighthearted interplay they emerge from the beautiful chaos as connected children playing, exploring with excited eyes. The crowd eventually comes back and the two are sucked into a vortex of organized disorder. In my eyes it was a picture of struggle, distractions. As the two boys join the grind, they adapt to the grit. The piece ends with the two leading them towards the unknown. First they walk slowly with fear and trepidation in their eyes. But then they find a little light and it seemed like hope was at the end of the road. Despite the very structured performance, I felt that it had a relatable story. When a mother gives birth, it's utter madness. The window of safety is so short and you soon have to let go of the child's hands. When they enter into the real life, a mom is left anxious. Your heart starts beating faster than it should and you can do nothing but look on as your child makes his move. Though it's a long shot, when the soloist looks forward and walks, I hoped he was looking for comfort. In my head, maybe he was looking for mom. (I'm a mom and I would want my kid to look for mom when the going gets tough.)
The aesthetic level of this piece was exceptional. Ong overcame her initial hesitation and delivered a solid piece with a lot of heart and creativity. She had eight sessions with these kids and she came up with a crisp clean masterpiece. Despite the high technical content, Ong was able to command the bodies of the students from Philippine High School for the Arts. They looked every bit professional in the execution of highly technical lifts and difficult musical patterns. John Ferrer and Carlos Seneres who played the male soloists were fearless and just like the brothers that they portrayed, they were in sync in movement and in expression. It shows that contemporary dancing doesn't have to be cluttered with unnecessary additions, it can be pure dancing meshing beautifully with the perfect music.
Tatak Ta-tu
Choreographed by Biag Gaongen
Music by Jose Centenara Buencamino
Mixed Media Installation by Manny Montelibano
Tatak Ta-tu explores the skin tattoo as a cultural marker. For different ethnicity, it is an identifying mark, a sign of community. However nowadays, the sacramental value of it has been compromised with the rise of city side tattoo culture. Known to many, (Kalinga tattoos are now part of bucket-lists with only a portion of them understanding its roots. Note that Kalinga is only one of the many communities that have tattoo traditions) In the piece, the choreographer Biag Gaongen himself performs against the visuals of Manny Montelibano. Dramatically he began performing against a long white drape. A projection of ink dripping started framing his movement. Splashes of ink projecting on Gaongen's body. As he traverses on stage, he is seen as well on film but in the film he is dressed in traditional Igorot garb walking in city streets. On stage and on film he performs a similar routine symbolizing that he remains the same person, a proud "Igorot". You can hear questions being thrown at Gaongen "Igorot ka ba?", "Taga Sagada ka?". The questions are said almost flippantly and it shows how insensitive people can be. There's a million things that sets apart communities yet people only know or care about Baguio's famous Igorots. In Montelibano's film, I can almost imagine someone asking a native why he was wearing city clothes if he was an Igorot. Gaongen at one point writes on his body using his fingers and Montelibano supports this with ethnic patterns. The manner in which his fingers navigate his body go from furious speed to long winding strokes. At that point I could feel his frustration in dealing with the closed minded. I felt it was important for him to show that labels are stereotypes that discredit what it means to be a real "Igorot". To be an Igorot goes beyond skin deep tattoos, clothes or even movement. The dignity of an Igorot or any tribe for that matter is to adhere to the script of ancestral heritage. Everything is tattooed in a person's heart from the moment they look into their parents' eyes. The message of the piece was translated beautifully with the message clearly glorified. Gaongen's performance was strong enough to make me rethink if I was ever that kind of person. It definitely coaxed me to think about culture and how sensitive we really are towards history and community. I did however think that the pacing could have been faster. One dancer dancing for twenty minutes or so is tough if there are minimal highs and lows. Gaongen humbly said he did not consider himself an established choreographer as this is his first ever major piece of work. However, his artistic decision to draw from something personal was a good one. His ability to ensure that the film and visuals did not take away from his core message was also a sign that he has a strong artistic point of view.
Arrhythmia
Georgette Sanchez-Vargas
Music by Divan Gattamorta
Literature by Gianne Sanchez Sanson
I still remember having seen Arrhythmia in BP Entablado. Georgette Sanchez-Vargas created a piece about the reality of our beating heart. It explored its unpredictable nature. Without warning it beats for love and life, anger, weakness and even numbness. The piece is an ensemble piece showcasing athleticism in contemporary dance with hinges, extensions and jumps. I thought the formations were also cleverly made to look like a heart with all its ventricles and arteries interconnected. Just like a heart in love the piece was exciting. Vargas collaborated with her sister Gianne-Sanchez Sanson who created beautiful words to accompany the piece. Though I am not a fan of dance pieces being accompanied with words, I do recognize that the words that were written aptly describe the piece itself. I did however have issues with the execution. I thought that it was not seamlessly incorporated into the piece because the dancers' momentum was constantly interrupted by the need to use technology like a laptop or a cellphone. The words could have been voiced over so that there was no lag. As Sanson so eloquently wrote, the heartbeat becomes the music and the music gives light to the dance. There was no need to stop the music at any point because it felt like a heart stopped beating for a breath. The written sections could also have been edited to avoid too much explanation of the piece leaving something for the audience to imagine. Nonetheless, this piece speaks of power. It's explosively entertaining and memorable. It has a youthful feel and it's easy to love.
Ang Lihim ni Lea
Choreographed by JM Cabling
Dramateur/Collaborator: Tuxqs Tustaquio
Story by Augie Rivera
Music by Arvy Dimaculangan
JM Cabling is among my favorite choreographers because of the way he perceives choreography. In contemporary dance, there is a natural desire to dive into abstraction. Some choreographers end up never really figuring out what they want to say with their piece because there's little pressure to be precise. In contrast consistently crystal clear. All of his decisions seem to be purposeful. Clearly he draws far more than just his personal feelings. He must have had a deep reach of understanding towards the topics he chooses to shed light on. His successes (including this last piece) were products of dissecting research, environment, inspiration and creation. In short, I have a feeling he never just "wings it". I'm happy that such kind of choreographers are out there because it means the audience has access to more than beautiful movement and the dancers have access to relevant work.
"Ang Lihim ni Lea" is a children's story created by Augie Rivera. JM Cabling had the challenge of confronting the very layered and dark topic of sexual molestation while keeping the perspective of a child. With a reputable dramateur and director by his side, Cabling created a playground for the protagonist character Lea played by Abbey Carlos. In the story, Lea moves into a new condo and discovers that she suddenly has super powers. She had the ability to fly and go through different walls. She could see what her neighbors were doing and hear everything that was going on. Soon enough her teacher found out that her superpower was not flying. Her super power was surviving through the repetitive trauma of molestation from her father (played by Michael Barry Que). Her mind would transport her to anywhere but there in the same room where her torture took place. With a movable lightweight cube, Cabling allowed magic to happen with Carlos seen flying through walls. It allowed for transition of scenes and split scene story telling. The construction is something I have seen many times over but it worked in giving the element of magic that a children's story requires. The piece had an Alice and Wonderland feel to it (meant as a compliment) largely because of the airy transitions and the glorious visuals that really stay imprinted in your head. There was a scene where the cube kept moving and moving and it made me feel like it was sucking me into Lea's danger zone. It felt almost claustrophobic seeing Que and Carlos performing a pas de deux in between two sides of the cube intensifying the stress levels of a depiction of pain. While the story obviously ends well, it does leave you a bitter taste of the evil that exists. It is hauntingly beautiful but absolutely devastating. Worthy of mention is Carlos who portrayed Lea with a firm resolve to embody child like innocence. The support characters all contributed their own piece of magic. If there's anything to be improved I would say there were scenes that were too dark to appreciate the support characters. Without compromising the essence of the book, some edits of supporting character scenes could also benefit audience attention retention. The pliability of the structure could also be improved to minimize the necessity of the characters carrying it often as it sometimes takes away from the scenes. In other countries the structure is attached to a harness that helps move the structure around. I have also seen amazing work via motorized control. In this aspect, I would think restrictions on resources was the impediment. Having said that I look forward to seeing this piece again in the near future.
Cock Vs Cock
Choreographed by Denisa Reyes
Reworked by Myra Beltran
Cock Vs Cock by Denisa Reyes was a riot. Over describing this piece will diminish its value. Simply put it is a poke at chauvinistic society that exists today. The stupidity of "I'm better than thou" was glorified and it was hilarious. Is it relevant? Check! Is it creatively done?! Check! Will I remember the political message every time I see a Cock? Check! It was the masters schooling the choreographers. Art can be simple yet effective. Kudos to Denisa Reyes and Myra Beltran who magnificently demonstrated that you need only to be 100 percent present in this world to find inspiration. An honest observation of the world can lead you to create something that will connect with an audience. Denisa Reyes always says, dance is a fleeting thing. It's an experience, a moment in time. But when the work is genius, you keep the moment. You bring it out of your pocket when you need it. It is a conversation starter-laughter inducing-politically charged piece that can be remembered and enjoyed as needed.
Collectively the pieces that were performed for Neo Filipino show that there is a profound pursuit of truths. This batch of choreographers ensured that they gave a piece of themselves to their creations investing not only their mind but their hearts. Neo Filipino has been revitalized and is raging towards authenticity, profound partnerships, innovation and contribution to society. It now ably represents that contemporary dance can be a tool for action, reaction and understanding. There is a glaze of sophistication in the pieces that makes me proud of the Filipino. I look forward to next year's Neo Filipino because surely this year's performance has set the bar high for the next set of choreographers.
