PASINAYA FESTIVAL 2009
I have a very beautiful sunday since we went to Cultural Center of the Philippines and watched the opening of PASINAYA Open House Festival a show case of various theatrical, music, literature, film and visual art presentation of this year CCP 40th year anniversary.
My hunger for arts was really satisfied. First, we listened to the Chiang Kia Shek Choral group, most of the singers were chinese young girls and boys and hearing their angelic voices brings my soul to heaven with their great rendition of "Aleluya" it was more than attending a one-month mass because the singers were really had this powerful voices. But what is most memorable for me was when they sung the song "A girl from the North country" because we used to sing that song in Kazakhstan and I really love that part of the lyrics "She was once, a true love of mine". So beautiful!.
Then, we also watched in Star theater the Ballet Manila presentation about High school Musical. Wow! the dancers were really great! most especially the gay dancers were really amazing. There were two gay dancers and despite wearing high heels she/he can tip toe. So great!
Another funny presentation was the musical version of ZA sha Saturna with Eula Valdez as the lead character. It's also awesome!
The St. Benilde Romancion Dancers also caught my attention because their presentation struck me because I can't imagine how they dance like a birds using tip toe in a fast music and movements. Looking at them dancing gives me so much energy and inspiration. So energizing!.
After the festival I feel so alive again and highly energize well, what makes PASINAYA great was there are fifty shows and you will just choose which shows your going to watch for 30 minutes and so you have a tour to CCP complex in one day. Actually I feel on that day that day that my world is a grand theater. All my stress about thesis and other work really gone out of my consciousness. That is why I agree what is written at the back of Pasinaya brochure "Iba talaga pag may art sa buhay mo".
Tribute to Lantaw Ondee
"on stage", "lights on!", "occupy the space" and "the show must go on". These are theater jargon that I always heard everyday. Thinking about highschool days remind me always of Lantaw Ondee because half of my life was spent there and not in school work. At exactly six o-clock we must be in Balay Pasilungan for our daily rehearsal.
"Lantaw Ondee" is a children's theater created by Davao City Government through the Send a Street Child to School program. The name of the group was taken from two words "Lantaw" from bisayan dialect meaning "Vision" and "Ondee" from Badjao dialect "Ondee-ondee" which means "bata". This makes Lantaw Ondee a group for child's vision.
Not all street child can be qualified to become a member of the group, only those kids who passed the two months intensive theater training and those kids who were good in their academic performance. This means you need to balance your time between school and theater. But there are so many privileges given to Lantaw Ondee member first is the opportunity to visit various places in the city like best hotels like Marco Polo, Mandaya, Grand Menseng and resorts for free during presentation.
Lantaw Ondee also performed during opening ceremony of Araw ng Davao and Kadayawan Festival and also street dances. During the first Kadayawan festival it's Lantaw Ondee theater group which garnered the first prize and later won prizes during float parade.
I remember when I was still in the group we were having shows in the mall as well as in public schools. I think for every member what is unforgettable was when we stage play "oh! what a teardrop" in San Pedro Auditorium, Brokenshire College and Magsaysay Park together with Councilor Leo Avila acting as God. That is the reason we don't call him councilor but kuya leo instead because he was a part of Lantaw Ondee. His our God.
The group also showcase it's talent in local television and other advocacy related to children's rights and environment because the Philippine Foundation for Environment supported the group to advocate environmental issues. So, most of the dances of Lantaw Ondee are songs from Joey Ayala like Agila (The Eagle) and Bathala (God).
Being a member of this group for four years was one of the most happiest and funniest moment in my life and through that I forgot that I don't have a father because I've met there my surrogate parents like Papa P and other kuyas like Kuya R, Kuya I and kuya J and ate rose. I also feel that I have many brothers and sisters in the group because once we performed we take care of each other's needs like make-up and custome and watch out each other's movement.The group is a good instrument for socialization because we just think that everyday we are going to play.
Lantaw taught me many things like I have learned that when the "lights on" you need to focus on your role and forget about the rest including your emotional baggages.It's simply saying "focus".
The "element of space" is also crucial in theater because you have to conquer the space especially when you do solo performance. If you are a solo performer it means that you have all the power to make use of it but in theater normally the space includes other which you need to work with others in harmony.
"Curtain call" reminds me always of time and there is time for everything which means given that limited time you have to deliver your line.
Finally, the "show must go on" is a learning point that whatever happens you have to perform as plan which is clearly based on your script or if you forget your lines you have to "ad lib". In this situation, you will learn spontaneity, fast thinking and reading between the lines.
I left Lantaw Ondee after highschool because I am not a child anymore and then we trained second liners through holding of Art Camp and then DIECT (Drama and Education and Children's Theater) Workshop but when the program was turned over to CSSDO (City Social Services and Development Office) Lantaw Ondee eventually dies.
Now, most of the members were professionals and the rest pursue their artistic work like JM and went to other country to perform. I think theater was very helpful tool for street children transformatin because in stage play and workshops they can freely expressed their buried emotions which social workers cannot easily get in their counseling session.
What is good about theater? is the fact that it's a total performing arts and it's encompassing music, dance, visual art, puppet, acting and the child needs not to master one material but just taste everything which makes a person multi-talented that wherever you put him or her for sure he/she can survived with so many talents that person has but now programs focused only in one thing like making crafts.
When, I started being academician that part of me subsides because an artist is free but in the academe everything was structured and they are not complimentary. But sometimes, I integrate it in the classroom like art review competition for my gender subjects but actually in the academic field only few appreciate an art because maybe they have never gone through such experienced. It's because most academic person thinks that art is a waste of time. Actually, for a non-artistic person art is quite useless because only an artist can make sense of an artistic environment. The waste of the human world can be an art for a person with talent in arts.
When I watched stage presentation like PASINAYA or in Kazakhstan it reminds me of Lantaw Ondee days especially my funny friend "Juan" although he died now. How I wish we can replay things again but for sure only in our memory but that night we played on stage was a wonderful memory that makes me laugh unknowingly sometimes.
That's why despite of hardships I just think that my life is like a theater.
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