Nannette Matilac

The Philippine Arts Festival (PAF) opened with pangalay choreographies performed by the AlunAlun Dance Circle to celebrate Philippine Arts Month on 6 February 2013 at the Marikina Riverpark. The  PAF is sponsored by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA). The festival is under the supervision of NCCA chairman Felipe de Leon Jr. and executive director Emelita Almosara. The PAF Opening Program  is in cooperation with the City of Marikina and in cooperation with Damlay, Inc. of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Marikina.

The 2013 Philippine Arts Festival promoted icons of Philippine arts. The Opening Ceremony of the PAF began with a pangalay choreography to the choral rendition of “Bituing Marikit.” The pangalay choreography was led by Nannette Matilac featuring the use of the janggay or metal claws.  The janggay is also called saling kuku, sulakengkeng or salukengkeng in the Sulu and Tawitawi provinces. Rama Marcaida with young dancers from various schools also danced in a circular formation much like a sunset ritual.

This was followed by a dance suite on three songs by Yoyoy Villame whose iconic songs can also be considered as significant to Philippine folk and pop culture. The pangalay dance movement vocabulary was utilized in interpreting Villame’s “Granada”, “Buchikik” and “Nasaan Ka Darling?”. Despite the whacky rendition of these innovative songs, the pangalay choreography remained faithful to the tradition of pangalay dancing–slow, meditative and defiant of space-time,  relying on rhythm of the breath and not the musical beat.

 Pangalay, also known as igal among the Sama and paunjalay among the Yakan, is an important cultural icon and symbol of our cultural heritage.  Aside from pangalay, other icons of Philippine arts  presented in the PAF are the kundiman and the balagtasan.

Photos by Levi Azarcon

By Louanne Mae Calipayan with photos by Levi Azarcon

Amid festive, distinctly southern décor, the AlunAlun Dance Circle (ADC) heralded the opening of the exhibit entitled Masjid/Mosque: Jewels of the Philippine Islamic Faith held on 5 February 2013 at the historic Museum of  the University of Sto. Tomas (UST).

The National Committee on Architecture and Allied Arts of the NCCA, in partnership with UST Museum, organized the exhibit to showcase Islamic Architecture in the Philippines as  part of the celebration of the Philippine Arts Month.

Among the honored guests who officiated the ribbon-cutting ceremony were NCCA Chair Felipe de Leon, NCCA Commissioner Regalado Jose,  Rep. Fatima Aliah Dimaporo of the 2^nd District of  Lanao Del Norte and Court of Appeals Justice Japar Dimaampao, with Rev. Fr. Isidro C. Abaño, O.P., Director of the UST Museum.

The ADC, represented by dancers Jimo Angeles, Louanne Mae Calipayan, Temay Padero, and Mannex Siapno, performed two consecutive numbers as a prelude to the ribbon-cutting ceremony to formally open the exhibit. The first was a group dance choreographed by Ms. Ligaya Fernando-Amilbangsa, featuring three lengths of cloth with traditional ukkil motifs as the focal point.

The second was a medley of different traditional dances to afford the audience a glimpse into the rich culture of the Sulu Archipelago. During the second number, each dancer briefly performed a dance, then slowly went up the grand staircase, ultimately leading the guests up to the landing where the ribbon-cutting was to take place.

On the 27^thof January, majority of the members of the ADC brought food to share in the sumptuous afternoon of food and Asian dances with kulintangan music.  Among the guests who came were Prof. Filemon Romero from Tawi-Tawi, Prof. Apo Chua from UP Diliman, Jeremy de la Cruz from UP Los Banos and Levi Azarcon of Pangalay Artists Circle.

Jeremy de la Cruz joined the ADC members in dancing basic pangalay postures and gestures especially the figure 8. Then he shared a spontaneous choreography of Javanese and Balinese movements which he learned from his dance training in Indonesia.

Rama Marcaida also performed a Balinese dance to enrich the afternoon of dance and music. The occasion became an instant tertulia.

Even without much ado and planning, there was abundant food for everyone:  vegetarian pancit, soup, sandwiches, puto, mango cake, menudo, pizza and many more.

Satisfied with the sumptuous meal, everyone danced again, not only to burn the calories but also to bring the celebration to a joyous end.

Then, as everyone left by early evening, we saw a glorious full moon in the sky to usher an auspicious year ahead.    Happy New Year!

Text and photos by Nannette Matilac

The AlunAlun Dance Circle using the Amilbangsa Instruction Method conducted pangalay training from October to December 2012 among 29 children in Manila Boys’ Town.

The young people came from difficult circumstances like physical abuse, labor exploitation, child trafficking, troubled neighborhoods, homelessness and other dire situations.

Joining the pangalay classes were 23 sprightly seniors aged 60 to 81 years old. The elders themselves have sad stories to tell–like rejection by their family, being poor and alone, being cast out by a long-time employer, being homeless in Luneta.

But through pangalay, they learned an effective way to transcend their circumstances and uplift their souls.

Now it is time to celebrate life through dance.

This project is in cooperation with HASIK, City of Manila and InfraMachineries, Inc.

Manila Boys’ Town Complex

Parang, Marikina City

11 December 2012
3 PM to 4 PM

PROGRAM

1. Welcome Remarks: Leonila A. Borja, MBT Assistant OIC

2. Ano Ang Pangalay?

Dance demonstration at maikling pahayag tungkol sa pangalay

Sayaw ng mga bata at nakatatanda ng Manila Boys’ Town

3. Pangalay at Iba’t Ibang Musika

Tubig

African water drumming

Sayaw ng mga bata ng Manila Boys’ Town

Sonata in C Major

Musika ni Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, rendisyon ni Tony Pastor

Sayaw ng mga bata ng Manila Boys’ Town

Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa
Titik ni Andres Bonifacio, rendisyon ni Inang Laya

Sayaw ng mga taga-Luwalhati ng Maynila

Upuan

Musika ni Gloc 9, rendisyon ni Jeazel Grutas at Gloc 9

Sayaw ng mga bata ng MBT

4. Tribute kay Yoyoy Villame

Granada: sayaw ng mga batang lalake ng MBT

Buchikik: sayaw ng mga batang babae ng MBT

Tsismis: sayaw ng AlunAlun Dance Circle

Mag-Exercise Tayo: sayaw ng mga taga-Luwalhati ng Maynila

Nasaan ka Darling : sayaw ng AlunAlun Dance Circle

5. Tradisyonal na Sayaw

Bula’bula sayaw na may bamboo clappers

Linggisan: sayaw na ginagaya ang kilos ng ibon at gumagamit ng janggay o metal na kuko

6. Bonggahan

Pinoy rock rendition ni Sampaguita

Sayaw ng pangalay students ng MBT at ng ADC Members

By Nannette Matilac

Photos by Leonard Reyes, NTFP

To dance pangalay among ASEAN compatriots is a privileged experience, especially because fellow nationals from Asian countries appreciate this dance tradition that is akin to their own.

I was lucky to be in Siem Reap in October 2012 as the official documenter of the “First Regional Policy Workshop on Community Carbon Pools for Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation Plus Enhancing Forest Carbon Stocks (REDD+).”

The conference gave me the opportunity to dance pangalay for cultural exhange and friendship during the closing dinner event on 25 October 2012 at the Angkor Paradise Hotel inSiem Reap,Cambodia.

Home to the architectural marvels of Angkor Wat, Ta Phrom, Bayon, Banteay Srei and other beautiful temples, the experience of dancing pangalay in Siem Reap side by side with the Robam boran performed by Khmer dancers,  is a gift.

The rationale of the conference–to reduce carbon dioxide emissions being released to the atmosphere of our planet that is now causing climate change—is an incredible task. The two-day meeting was convoluted with presentations, workshops, panel discussions and planning activities from morning to early evening.

Documenting the proceedings was exhausting and confusing especially with the quaint inflections, enunciations and pronunciations of fellow Southeast Asians. Imagine dealing with technical terms and acronyms–GHG, LUCLUF, CCP, CF, REDD+, UN FCCC and so on–along with struggle to decipher the words and meanings being articulated by the delegates. (For instance, “carbon rights”, the byword in the conference, was pronounced in peculiar ways indiscernible to my ears.)

Therefore, to be able to dance after the chores of two long days is a pleasure and a present for me, for the workshop participants, for Cambodia, for Asia and the world. It is also an opportunity to thank heaven for bringing me at the right place to dance the pangalay. After all, our ancestors danced to be able to affect climate and the seasons. Maybe I was dancing with them to help appease Mother Nature and influence climate change.

And, of course, there is the image of Shiva who dances to express vitality in the universe, maintaining harmony, symbolizing the twin opposites of life and death, of creation and destruction.  It is perhaps Shiva’s cosmic dance that influenced the dancing of the devatas and apsaras  magnificently sculpted on theAngkor temples in Siem Reap.  I suppose it is not by accident that the conference was held in the ancient capital of the Khmer civilization. Many of the bas reliefs on the stone walls beckon the story of the universe, the self-same story that is perhaps the bottomline underlying the jargon on reducing carbon dioxide emissions and climate change, which is the dualism in nature as expressed by the cosmic dance of Shiva.

As for pangalay, I have re-affirmed the original theory of my teacher Ligaya Fernando-Amilbangsa that pangalay is the “Philippine dance style closest to a classical form”, and the “living link to the dance cultures in Asia such as the Indian, Thai, Balinese, Javanese and Cambodian styles of classical dancing”.  I was told that the young dancers and the musicians who performed the Robam boran were smiling and nodding in appreciation as I danced the pangalay. Maybe they felt the affinity in their souls. In the corner of my eye, I saw some were busy recording the pangalay dance with their cellphones.

The Asians and Europeans among the audience articulated the similarity between the postures and gestures of the Khmer classical dance and the pangalay.

Ironically,  the Filipinos in the audience were clueless that pangalay is a Filipino dance style—not Thai or Khmer but truly Filipino. This brings to mind how deep the effect of colonial acculturation is on us, and how important it is to promote this precious intangible cultural heritage among the Filipino people.

Finally, dancing pangalay in Siem Reap have led me to deepen my understanding of the need to dance and breathe in harmony with nature to mitigate if not stop the devastating effects of climate change.

August 2012 is memorable as the month with two full moons and rains brought about by the great ‘Habagat’ that caused the great deluge in Mega Manila.  The heavy rains and thunderstorms  did not stop the significant performances scheduled in August 2012.

DISCOURSING PHILIPPINE MUSLIM HISTORY AT NHCP

Two days after the Habagat floods, the AlunAlun Dance Circle performed at the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. Celebrating History Month in August 2012 with the theme “Kamalayang Kasaysayan: Sandigan ng Sambayanan”, the NHCP organized a forum on Muslim contributions to Philippine history.

Hundreds of students from various schools and universities trooped to the Multi-purpose Hall to listen to the lectures of important intellectuals and artists like Dr. Abraham Sakili, Dean Julkipli Wadi, and ADC artistic director Ligaya F. Amilbangsa.

The forum coincided with the opening of an art exhibit featuring the works of Dr. Abraham Sakili who is also a member of the NHCP Board.

The ADC performed several dance numbers after the lecture of Dr. Sakili.

The ADC performance consisted of traditional pangalay dances like the tawti, the bula’bula, tariray and the original pangalay choreography using a fan called Igal Kabkab. The performance was highlighted by a new choreography about a historical event that has become part of Sulu folklore. This is the abduction of Napsa which utilized the use of masks.

EID’L FITR AT THE SM THE BLOCK

The Eid’l Fitr shows at the Atrium of SM The Block in North Edsa gave us valuable experience in performing in a mall setting. It was a great challenge for the ADC to perform in a frenzied environment where throngs of people come and go from all directions.

The AlunAlun Dance Circle (ADC) performances were in cooperation with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA)
Magbassa Kita Foundation, Inc. (MKFI), Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), Commission on Muslim Filipinos (CMF) and the Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy (PCID).

Important personalities attended the opening ceremonies of the Eid’l Fitr on 24 August 2012.  The keynote speaker was Hon. Juan Ponce-Enrile, Senate President. His speech came after the Linggisan and Pangasik performance of the AlunAlun Dance Circle.

Other luminaries who attended were former senator Santanina Rasul, chair of Magbassa Kita Foundation, Hon. Mujiv S. Hataman, governor of Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Hon. Mehol K. Sadain, head of National Commission on Muslim Filipinos, Amin T. Rasul, president of Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy, Atty. Adel Tamano, Atty. Romina Bernardo, Prof. Moner M. Bajunaid who is the secretary-general of the National Ulama Conference of the Philippines, QC Mayor Herbert Bautista and MMDA Chair Francis Tolentino.

BUWAN NG WIKA AT MIRIAM COLLEGE

Then on August 31, the pangalay choreographies of the ADC became a significant part of the Buwan ng Wika celebration of Miriam College.  This beautiful celebration was organized by  Dr. Corazon R. Reyes, director for Basic Education.

The Marian auditorium has a beautiful stage that enhanced the flowing movements of the pangalay.

Yes, August 2012 may have given us an unforgettable crisis by way of natural and man-made disasters. But it also offered us the grand experiences of performing for various audiences.