A year ago, I had lunch with Rhosam Prudenciado Jr. and we randomly talked about our dreams. Both giddy and excited, we talked about the concept of YOLO (You Only Live Once) and how it doesn't make sense to simply enjoy a life without purpose. I talked about expanding my scholarship program even more. I wanted to develop Hampton Court Ballet as an earning junior company so we can supplement the schooling of the scholars. I talked about wanting my kids to expand their knowledge on different dance forms so that they would have more options in the future. He on the other hand talked about LIKHAPH and how he wanted it to be a community that is not about him, but rather about people united by dance. At that time, LIKHAPH was already set up but it was more like Prudenciado doing a national tour to educate the regional areas about alternatives to elitist ballet. He wanted everyone to get to know his language of contemporary dance. Tirelessly, he happily hopped from one province to another and taught dance in small studios, big studios, gyms and an array of NON-studio looking venues. It was his first step in making LIKHAPH. Just as I had detailed to him my dreams, he expounded on how he wanted LIKHAPH to a. expand the reach of dance in the Philippines in terms of interest b. ensure accessibility to quality training across the regions and c. spearhead a national scholarship program. He was so excited to have met some of my scholars. He even said that once he had the means, they would be among the first recipients of training scholarships of LIKHAPH. While we were certain about what we wanted, we had always talked about plans in the context of the future.
COVID-19 hit us all by surprise. It was the pandemic that changed all of our plans except for one. Prudenciado's dreams materialized before my eyes in three months time. Wanting to spread some positivity during the early days of quarantine, he invited people to a free online class via Facebook Live last March 14. I actually attended that class and there was shockingly at least 50-60 participants. It was a resounding success with people grateful for the sharing of energy online. It quickly generated interest but what truly transformed Sam's online activities was the amount of love it was given by the dance community. It came as no surprise that Sam recognized this as an opportunity to help. The succeeding online classes were done under the LIKHAPH branding which was repurposed to help. LIKHAPH solidified their goal and communicated to the public that it sought to equip the dance community hope and assistance during this pandemic, pursuing the three goals he had set a year before with one more intention. It wanted to help members of the dance community who were affected greatly by the pandemic. LIKHAPH launched the LIKHAPH Fundraiser.
There were several people who helped LIKHAPH fly but among them were PJ Rebullida and Rhea Dumdum-Bautista who, like Prudenciado, started the trend of online classes. The combined network multiplied the reach allowing hundreds of dancers to take classes every day with their preferred teachers. More teachers started teaching, and as a consequence, more dancers started dancing. The boundaries were blurred as people from Mindanao were taking classes from Manila teachers and vice versa. Inter-regional friendships were formed online. In its own little way, it also destroyed the concept that amateurs could not dance alongside professionals. It presented dance simply as a celebration of the body, totally unrelated to egos (or at least it should be). It should be noted that even professionals had a chance to go beyond their comfort zone with several dance styles they could try. The dance community was experiencing a dance revolution where nobody judged and everyone just danced together everyday. Everything was delightfully documented online. His first ever goal was achieved as early as March. Not only did this initiative make dance inter-regional, it was also inter-generation. More importantly, it was free for all. First goal achieved.
By April, LIKHAPH was already offering eight different dance practices all for free. By May, it had already expanded its roster of teachers to international teachers from different parts of the world. The variety was refreshing. Undoubtedly, access to quality education was momentarily raised with the likes of icons such as Ms. Lisa Macuja-Elizalde joining in the mix alongside international artists. Second goal achieved.
The LIKHAPH Fundraiser already launched its outreach scholarship program. Fundraising classes were offered with a minimal fee to help raise funds. Based on the classes Prudenciado taught, he picked a few dancers with potential from different parts of the Philippines. (and yes as he had envisioned it, some of my Hampton Court Ballet dancers were part of the first batch.) He invited them to a month-long workshop in contemporary jazz and linear fluidity. He met with them thrice a week and has been mentoring them in their contemporary journey. I would say this strikes off goal number three. Hopefully the beginning of a long lasting national wide scholarship program. This is a beautiful beginning because it is intimate despite the distance. It is intense despite the online platform.
With its primary goals accomplished, that leaves the fundraising element. In three months, LIKHAPH Fundraiser has raised Php 589,787.15. The amount has so far supported three core companies namely Galaw.Co Dance Theater, Daloy Dance Company, and Airdance. In addition, it has provided assistance to sixty two displaced artists. Prudenciado and his support group have every intention of raising the number to a very ambitious 200 in the coming months. With more support coming including, but not limited to, the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Steps Dance Studio, Steps Scholarship Foundation, and Ms. Sofia Elizalde, LIKHAPH will definitely be able to reach this target. To put a positive spin to this, by the looks of it they might be able to spiral all the way into December. These numbers make me feel quite emotional because it reminds me of the serendipitous statement Prudenciado said a year ago when we had lunch. I vividly remember him saying, "With LIKHAPH, I want to leave a mark not in history books but in people's hearts". Well, I think this did the trick. At a time where so many have forgotten to help the artists, LIKHAPH embraced them. Beyond the financial assistance, they did the community good, showing them that it is ok to believe in art. Art will always be powerful. Its influence should never be undermined. To those who were helped, this will be a warm memory that will be cherished. It is not merely as simple dole out but a dose of hope that art was able to move mountains.
I shared this story because I feel empowered by it. This transient pandemic has brought out the worst in some people. It is so easy to stop believing in good things. The LIKHAPH journey runs contrary to this. It reminds people that despite everything, dreams are indeed still valid. In every difficulty, an opportunity presents itself. By accident, Prudenciado saw it and seized it. Perhaps unknowingly, he has realized one of his dreams. I look forward to seeing him run with this idea so that the project can contribute more to this dance community. In addition I look forward to more people being involved in the dance community. I am thankful to the village that runs LIKHAPH. With Prudencio's leadership they have done so much. I look forward to seeing the hashtag #sweatandsupport all over my social media feed. Let it be the new norm, after all whether we like it or not, we are all in this together.
