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PANGALAY DURING  AWARDS FOR HEROES OF THE ENVIRONMENT

Environmental workers know the importance of indigenous dances in the struggle to save the planet. Therefore, on 5 December 2013, the Gawad Bayani ng Kalikasan spearheaded by the Center for Environmental Concerns (CEC) invited the “beloved Pangalay Dancers to perform at the awards ceremonies” of the Ikatlong Gawad Bayani ng Kalikasan.

The awards event recognizes outstanding individuals and organizations “who have become part of the people’s movement to defend our environment, lives, and rights.”

The seven-minute performance by Rama Marcaida and Nannette Matilac used a contemporary composition advocating about issues regarding the environment entitled “Mayad Pag Surip”.

The pangalay choreography fused with some Balinese movements along with a mask (to signify the disturbed environment) was the finale of the awards ceremonies held at the convention hall of the Bureau of Soils and Water Management,Visayas Avenue,Quezon City. Photos by Erl Elvina.

“OUT OF TRADITION” CONCERT:   “SMALL STEPS BY CHILDREN” WITH CHOREOGRAPHY OF PANGALAY AND CONTEMPORARY DANCE AT PETA THEATER CENTER, QC

Another opportunity to deliver the message of hope for the ailing environment came on 11 December 2013, during the occasion of the “Out of Tradition” concert by the Bob Aves Jazz Group.

 

One of the highlights of the concert is a choreography of pangalay in contrast with contemporary dance. The fusion of contrasts is the essence of the interpretation of the music entitled “Small Steps” composed by Bob Aves.

The six-minute composition is re-interpreted by Nannette Matilac with a short film composed of images of children creating art works to express what they deem as “Small Steps by Children” to save the planet.

The short film is made possible with the support of LotusBlaze Projects/ DocuCinema Media Collective and the children as co-creators, with their creative visualizations onscreen.

The child artists who shared their “small steps” to save the Earth are Hannah Wadi, Careema Wadi, Ayana Matilac, Juan Martin Paz, Tomas Javier Sazon and  Abigail Aicie V. Lukban.

 

 Nannette Matilac (for pangalay) and Carlon Matobato (for contemporary dance) interpret the Bob Aves composition as the dualities in human nature that may result in destruction or renewal of the earth. The concert started around 8 PM to a full-packed audience at the Philippine Educationa Theater Association (PETA) Theater Center.  Photos courtesy of Al Avellana.

 

Pangalay in Earthdance Manila, September 21, 2013

By Rama Marcaida with photos by Levi Azarcon

Experience giving homage to the great Spirit of the universe, honoring the invisible stewards of nature, acknowledging the ancestors with generous offerings like steamed whole chicken, mounds of kakanin, fresh fragrant blooms and green bamboo containers brimming with native brew blessed by a babaylan.

Relish the sweet air wafting with incense and smoke. Feel the space charged with primeval energy through the organic music resounding from skin drums, gongs, bells and bamboo instruments.

Witness ancient dances being performed to purify the space represented by a mandala and join the small community of kindred souls gathering in an unbroken circle hoping and praying for healing, harmony and abundant harvests.

All these may seem part of a tribal ritual in a remote Pacific island from a distant past. But this happened in 2013–on the 21st of September–right in the heart of ultra-modern Bonifacio Global City on the occasion of Earthdance Manila. The ‘island’ where the ritual for the Earth transpired at the urban oasis called the Arts in the City.

There were healing sessions and seminars on health, spiritual philosophies, the art of the traditional Arbolaryo and Hilot and workshop in pangalay dance. Participants set up booths and exhibits  on organic and fresh produce, vegetarian products, intricate jewelry fashioned from discarded materials, practical products recycled from tarpaulin material, mystical crystals and gemstones, books on Asian spirituality and many more.

The AlunAlun Dance Circle’s participation in the Earthdance Manila 2013, through the invitation of festival organizer Ms. Rosanna Escudero, was a way to bridge the past to the present and to connect the sacred to the mundane. What better way to invoke the gods and spirits than through the ancient dance of our forefathers,  for in beauty, one always sees the divine. Every slow gesture and passage of the pangalay articulated the desire of every participant or spectator to be united with the divine. Pangalay dancing allowed spectators to see the dance of their pre-colonial forebears from the Sulu Archipelago.

The AlunAlun dancers there were not mere performers. They became conduits of the gods to mortals– modern day babaylans that keep the tradition alive through every exacting posture and graceful gesticulation, through every undulating movement, like waves ever gently lapping against the shore, and breathing in unison to symbolize wholeness. All these expressed awareness and oneness with Earthdance’s  loftiest sentiment – PEACE!

 

Pangalay and the Ed’l Fitr Celebration at The Block SM Northe Edsa, 10 August 2013
By Rama Marcaida

For two years in a row now the AlunAlun Dance Circle has been invited to celebrate with the  Ed’l Fitr Festival at SM The Block in Quezon City. This year’s performance on 10 August 2013 was a grant from the National Commision on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and sponsorship by the Magbassa Kita Foundation.

The concept of the show is very educational and celebratory, a fitting show for the Eid’l Fitr Festival —  Konsiyerto ng Pangalay, mga sagisag ng ating lahi: AlunAlun Dance Circle popularizes  filipino cultural icons in new choreography. The show was structured around Philippine Cultural Icons, the pangalay being one of them.

 

             In keeping with the ADC tradition, the show began with a dance demonstration entitled ‘What is Pangalay?’ explaining why the dance, that is also called igal by the Sama and paunjalay by the Yakan, is a treasured Philippine intangible cultural heritage.

 

 

 

 

 

The colorful patadyong/patajung  or tubular piece of cloth is indispensable in the everyday life of the people in many parts of the Philippines and Asia.  ADC dancers paraded on stage showing off the numerous ways of using it whether as a cradle, a head protection, a hilt for a sword, a shopping basket, a body garb, a sun shield, a belt, a fashion accessory, and so on.

 

Janggay as a symbol of Philippine dance in a choreography with children dancing the pangalay ha agung.

 

The janggay or metal claws, are interesting finger ornaments in dancing Pangalay. The janggay represents Philippine dance in much the same way as the toe shoe represents Western ballet. It is there an apt Philippine Icon and was chreographed with the young children wearing the janggay gleefully imitating a senior dancer. Then, one by one, they got on top of an agung, a huge knobbed gong, while dancing pangalay. A remarkable sight!

 

The show featured intricately designed Laminusa tepo or banig from the Sulu Archipelago,  vividly-dyed and woven in double layers. The playful chreography revealed a dancer coming out from a  rolled-up mat. Then the mat was laid on stage like a carpet for the female dancer to dance onto.  A second mat became the backdrop of a tariray dancer using bamboo clappers. Then the mats were furled out and waved furiously on stage by two male dancers to simulate how the Badjaw quarrel while out at sea, venting out emotions using the mats.

 

 

The lepa, or Badjaw houseboat,  another vanishing Philippine Icon, was projected on the video wall while a group of male dancers danced the occupational dance called tauti, after children playfully glided as fishes on stage.

 

A collaboration with a group of arnis practitioners was the final number of the show. They demonstrated graceful but ferocious moves as two competent fighters spar on stage.

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, a female sikado practitioner showed stances that looked more of a dance than a martial art. Sikado, a Filipino martial art from the Visayas, was performed in harmony with langka budjang, a martial arts for women in the Sulu Archipelago.

The percussive sounds from the arnis sticks as they hit mounted rubber tires counterpoint with the bula-bula or bamboo clappers. The constant ‘kok-kak, kok-kak’ created by a line of dignified women dressed in black crossing in front of the audience off stage, their regular rhythm contrasting with the outbursts of the arnis, is  a surrealist’s dream come true.

We were enthusiastic to do a pangalay show for the Eid’l Fitr Festival with the Wadi family who hail from the Sulu Archipelago.  The Wadi children and their mother, Joi,  have been dancing with the ADC for more than two years now. Their father, Dean Julkipli Wadi of the UP Institute of Islamic Studies is a kulintangan player himself and an avid supporter of pangalay conservation.

 

Not even the physical condition of our beloved Ligaya Fernando-Amilbangsa could deter her from celebrating Ed’l Fitr. Ligaya danced Igal Kabkab– which is her own original choreography based on the pangalay movement vocabulary–using a flirty fan. She danced the Igal Kabkab  while seated on a wheelchair to show that persons with disabilities can still dance the pangalay. This is during the segment on ukkil that also featured the artworks of first Muslim National Artist   Abdulmari Imao.

Live kulintangan music lent a festive air throughout the show.  As soon as the pangalay performance began, the mall audience became a big crowd as they watched from  five storeys  surrounding  the majestic atrium of the SM The Block.  The show ended with the audience wanting for more.

AlunAlun Dance Circle will always be united with the Filipino Muslim Community  as proven by the Ed’l Fitr celebration year after year.

Filming of ADC Children at Museo Pambata

On 7 May 2013, the children of the AlunAlun Dance Circle went to Museo Pambata Boulevard, Manila to dance pangalay and be documented on film. The project is in cooperation with the NCCA and Museo Pambata, where Ligaya Amilbangsa’s  pangalay silhouettes  depicting various pangalay postures and gestures are displayed at the Karapatan Hall of the children’s museum.

(The dance instructors of theAlunAlun Dance Circleunder the guidance of Ligaya Amilbangsa’s teaching method—the Amilbangsa Instruction Method or AIM, teach pangalay to students from ages 3 to 80 years. Pangalay is a gentle dance style that can be learned by all ages.)

The children who all danced solo atop an agung were Roni Matilac—8 years old, Careema Wadi—7 years old, Hannah Wadi—5 years old. Meanwhile, Gemely Amar, 15, who started pangalay training when she was only 3 years old,  danced the igal kabkab which is an original choreography of pangalay using a fan created by Ligaya Amilbangsa.

The digital film documentation of children dancing pangalay will be part of a film supported by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts in 2013.

The film with the working title of “Pagbabalik sa Tawitawi” traces the journey of Ligaya Amilbangsa in documenting and preserving the traditional dances and related artistic expressions of the Sulu Archipelago from the 1960s until the present. The documentary film is written and directed by Nannette Matilac, ADC Managing Director.

 

Celebrating Pangalay at Malayan Colleges Laguna

 On 8 March 2013, coinciding on International Women’s Day and in post-celebration of the National Arts Month, the students of classes under Prof. Bani Ambion in  the Malayan Colleges Laguna hosted the AlunAlun Dance Circlefor a dance lecture and film showing entitled Celebrating Pangalay  at the Francisco Balagtas Auditorium in the Laguna campus from 10AM to 12 NN.

 

 

 

 

Dean Joy Hofileña who gave an inspirational talk after the opening remarks by Ms. Maria Rovilla stayed through the two-hour celebration to watch the film showing and enjoy the lecture performance.

Dean Joy Hofileña who gave an inspirational talk after the opening remarks by Ms. Maria Rovilla stayed through the two-hour celebration to watch the film showing and enjoy the lecture performance. Preceding the pangalay lecture performance was the film showing of “Sayaw sa Alon”  (Dancing on Waves). Written and directed by Nannette Matilac, the documentary film “Sayaw sa Alon” started in 2005 and was completed in 2008. The film won Best Director and Best Cinematography in the 5^th Moonrise Environmental Film Festival. The film has been shown in Japan as one of the finalist of the 17^th Tokyo Earth Vision Global Environmental Film Festival and was subsequently chosen as one of the Best of Tokyo Earth Vision in 2009.   “Sayaw sa Alon” (Dancing on Waves) is a journey into the life and culture of an endangered people, the Sama Dilaut also known as the Badjao (Bajau), whose cultural demise will be a great loss to humanity itself. Also called sea gypsies, they are one of the ethnic groups inSouthern Philippines wherein  pangalay dance style originates.

Right after the closing credits of the film, ADC dancers Jimo

Angeles, Louanne Mae Calipayan and Nannette Matilac presented a lecture demonstration on the pangalay dance style featuring linggisan (bird dance), tariray (dance with bamboo clappers) and tauti (mimetic dance on catching cat fish).

The film showing and the performance was followed by an open forum  moderated by Ms. Sheryl Hermosa.

 

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.