While the delegation of the province of Camarines Sur numbering over a hundred strong brave the waves of the Visayan Sea to participate and compete at the Sinulog Festival in Cebu City last Sunday, the first ever cultural group from Luzon to do so; a small contingent from Mindanao came quietly to the City of Naga and performed a cultural show that is best described as the epitome of stage performace about the people of Southern Philippines.
The six thousand seat capacity Sports Palace of the University of Nueva Caceres was the major venue for the “Tales from Mindanao Cultural Show” held last January 19, 2008. the Gym was filled to capacity by thousands of students coming from different schools in Naga City who trouped to UNC to watch and enjoy the cultural program.
The Naga City performance is part of the 2007 National Tour and brought to reality by the Integrated Performing Arts Guild (IPAG), a resident company of the Mindanao State University, Iligan Institute of Technology. The guild has gone a long way since its founding in 1978 or 30 years ago by eminent dance guru/Ligaya Fernando Amilbangsa and Steven P.C. Fernandez.
In theater, dance, music, literature, the visual arts, and new media, IPAG marks its indelible contributions to Philippines Arts. It is one of the country’s best and makes one really proud of our cultural heritage in the inherent talent of Filipinos specially our brethren from Mindanao.
Each of the seven special numbers performed during the presentation elicit a different kind of reaction, from the audience, from awe to joy and laughter and to its seasons performers served as inspiration that moves the artist to give one’s best to the delight of teachers and students alike. The powerful sound coming from the musical instruments amply magnified by the state of the arts audio system inside the Gym is almost drowned out by the audience exuberant reaction to the performers on stage and off the stage. It is one moving site one has to personally experience and I’m really glad I was there.
This years performance is IPAG’s third visit to Naga and my first to be able to watch the whole show and interact with the artist and its moving spirit. Steven Fernandez, IPAG’s Executive and Artistic Director and Co-Founder of the Cultural Group is a multi awarded playwright and performing artist. His play Ming Ming, earned for him the 2006 Palanca Award. In 2004 he receive the Pilak Award and Citation from the Cultural Center of the Philppines for Outstanding Contribution in Culture and the Arts. In the same year, the 2004 Philippine’s Yearbook, Fookien Times cited him as “Defender of our heritage”. He was also included in the 2001 edition of Who’s Who in the World and Leading 2000 Intellectuals in the World Millennium edition Cambridge Biographical Center.
Steven beams with pride as he pointed to two members of his tour group who had been with IPAG for more than 20 years. The rest of the members of the guild averages 15 years as resident artist including his wife, starting their career on a scholarship grant in the performing arts and deciding to stay. Constant travel demands sacrifices and as a father of his only daughter, two years old Sophia, Steven appreciates what modern cellular technology provides. I over heard her on stage immediately after her performance talking with his daughter in Iligan City.
IPAG is a leading Philippines Dance Theater Ensemble with a repertoire of over 40 full feature productions and has performed in extensive tours worldwide. It has represented the Philippines in major events in North America, the Hawaiian Islands, France, Spain, the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Portugal, Monaco, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore and Japan. IPAG’s production integrate the dance, music drama and art expression of the Southern Philippines where it is based. Critics and large audience here and abroad have acclaimed its works.
This Mindanao based performing group is scheduled this year to participate in the Body Phase Studio Festival in Taipei City, Taiwan on October 27, 2008, a special performance representing the Philippines at the 2008 World Expo in Saragoza, Spain and an October 2008 US Tour. Its productions have been acclaimed in over 100 cities world wide. It has enthralled close to a million audiences in the last 29 seasons, received multiple awards and citations to accent its position in theater and dance in fact, it won the 2002 Grand Prize Concourse De Chanon Internationaux and the most awarded group during the 13th Folkloric Festival at Port Sur Scoure, France.
With 24 resident artist, this years Tales from Mindanao National Tour gave Bicolanos an opportunity to appreciate a tapestry of Southern Philippines stories in dance and music. The UNC presentation is part of its pearl anniversary production and a shorten or a bridge version of its 18 number repertoire. What I had the privilege of watching is but a portion of a truly moving and totally entertaining performance which in the words of theater historian and critic Doreen G. Fernandez “…eloquent in spite of the minimal use of dialogue”…
For the sake of those who never had the opportunity to watch the show, a brief synopsis of the seven numbers and their corresponding lessons are hereto included,
