Layag: Journey of the Filipino Soul in Dance

Looking Back and Looking Forward

Submitted by: Wencey Anne O. Mallapre

Submitted to: Mr. Arnold Esguerra

Music and dance are expressions of art that have always been a favorite of the peoples of the world. Every culture has its own collection of songs and dances that are vital to its native traditions. The songs they chanted and the dances they created speak of the history of the country and its people their simple joys and sorrows, their victories and defeats. To that universal fact, the Philippines is not an exception. Last August 3, 2012, at the Folk Arts Theater of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, we, my blockmates and I, were able to witness Layag: Journey of the Filipino Soul in Dance. It was an hour-and-a-half cultural show, presented by the Kaloob Dance Ministry, showcasing the countrys very own indigenous creative traditions from the ethnic dances of our brothers in the mountains of the North and in the fertile plains of the South to the folk dances of the people in the then already Hispanized lowlands which were inspired by the foreign culture brought by the Spaniards but were Filipinized by the natives who, I guess, were still adamant to entirely accept the new customs presented by the Europeans. The dancers danced Filipino favorites that are well-known not only in the country but also in the world such as Tinikling and Singkil and many more that may not be popular overseas but are surely innately recognized by the Filipinos. They also featured the soothing and mellow music provided by the rondalla that are characteristic of the Filipinized folk dances and the loud and excited beats produced by musical instruments such as the agong and kulintang, all proudly native in the Pearl of the Orient. Frankly, I was not shocked. Neither was I amazed. Why should I? These are nothing new to me, having watched and having taken part in such cultural shows before. Of course, the amateur performances that I have seen before are very much different in quality compared to the one exquisitely presented by the Kaloob Dance Ministry. But in some sense, they are all the

same, presented by professionals or not, for they all aim one thing to exhibit the beauty of our countrys rich culture through music and dance. True, I was neither amazed nor shocked. But that does not mean I was not able to appreciate the show. I actually loved every minute of it, though everything is already familiar to me. I could feel my chest puff up with pride, knowing that soon, these performers will leave the country to boast to the whole world the diversity of the Philippines vast cultural heritage. Through dance, they will show who and what the Filipinos really are strong and brave, fun loving, united despite the geographic separation and religious differences, and more than anything else, just like the people of all the other races, worthy to be treated with respect. One thing that particularly pleased me was the realization that the themes of the dances are timeless. They mirror not only the daily lives of our ancestors but also, our lives in the present, modernized we may be now. The beliefs, practices, and values of our forefathers in the past are still evident in our present ways. For example, singing and dancing are never absent whenever there is a special occasion. Wedding receptions, christenings, anniversary celebrations, holiday celebrations and graduation parties are never complete without those mini dance and song numbers rendered by the younger kids, videoke sessions, and random dancing either individually or by pairs. Courtships and marriages nowadays still reflect those of the past as exhibited by Alisig, Salip, Alcamfor and Habanera Botolea. The man, to win the love of his favored girl, promises her that he can provide her both protection and comfort. The woman, due to the nature of her gender, is not allowed to be as expressive as the man can be so she resorts to subtle ways of declaring her sentiments such as trying to catch the mans attention by dousing on perfume, hopefully believing that the sweet female scent will excite his emotions. However, no matter how sincere the lovers are on each other, at the moment of matrimony, there is always

still that inevitable feeling of anxiety and the man has to, yet again, reassure the woman (actually more of to convince himself, oftentimes). Nevertheless, the sacred ceremony will proceed and the newly married couple will eventually get used to the married life. The practice of comforting the bereaved family of a dead person by accompanying them to the cemetery to bury their departed loved one, as depicted by La Jota Moncadea, is still observed nowadays. There are still many others which may still be true to some but I have not personally observed such as the dances of those in the little barrios and in Mindanao where the growing of crops or fishing is the source of living. Another thing that I would like to mention which really amused me was the courtship dance Alcamfor. It made me remember the old belief that the elders used to scare young girls. Be careful to hold on to your handkerchief, they would warn, for if you accidentally drop it and a young man fetches it for you oh, may the Lord take pity on you! yo u are his sweetheart already. It is funny how I and the other dreamy girls dutifully obeyed for the fear of ending up with somebody we never wished for even in our wildest dreams. We learned later in high school that it was an age-old idea that has survived despite the influx of foreign thoughts and modernization. We even played a dating game reminiscent to it in our Filipino IV class where everyone, boys and girls alike, was asked to give a handkerchief to someone in the class who he or she finds the most attractive. Kanya-kanyang diskarte, kagaya noong panahon, I remember my teacher saying. We all left the classroom that day with tomato-red faces but definitely unburdened of the feeling of unspoken admiration. The best lesson we learned that day: When the grandest of all emotions has left you dumbfounded and when it seems impossible for you to speak of your sincerest sentiments to the object of it, do not get frustrated for there are actually

hundreds of ways to get it known. Be like the people of the olden times be creative and determined. And also, watching the Singkil had me going back to memory lane when I first heard the fascinating story of Princess Gandingan. I recalled how charmed the much younger me was while my mother was retelling the tale of the princess who was trapped in a forest during an earthquake caused by the diwata who wanted to play a prank on her. The princess, together with her loyal female servant, nimbly avoided the falling trees until the prince finally arrived to save her. For me, then, it was magic that enabled the princess to go through such an ordeal and come up unscathed. Years later, I discovered the real magic it was merely poise. Wanting to emulate the graceful heroine of the unforgettable Maranao legend, I struggled to perfect my manners and to refine my movement. Unsurprisingly, I was not perfectly successful in attaining that goal but fortunately for me, I still managed to shed the gawkiness. I may not be able to erase several annoying qualities in my character such as giggling noisily but I believe I have acquired the necessary habits to grow up gracefully. I religiously follow my parents instructions on how to behave properly as a young woman and I make it a point to act accordingly at all times. Remembering this past enchantment with the princess of the legend and how it has influenced me, I realized how important our native folk tales are. They exhibit the wisdom of our ancestors and we ought to know them that we may learn from their trusted knowledge. We ought to idolize the heroes of our own legends and epics. Sadly though, we would rather spend our time watching movies about foreign superheroes like Spiderman and Batman instead of getting to know our very own, the models of our forefathers. The women should be learning from the ladies of the legends meek but strong-willed, well-mannered and faithful. They should be trying to employ

the princess walk as the women of Maranao do instead of copying the tsunami walk, a coquettish way of walking that beauty pageants and the media advertise to girls as graceful. We, todays younger generation, are the heir to this beautiful and rich culture, whether we like it or not. Soon, it will be our responsibility to nurture it that it may flourish despite the current demands for modernization. And it scares me. Seeing the demeanor of the majority of us towards our cultural heritage, I can foresee failure. What future does it have with us? It is heartbreaking to realize that we do not love what our ancestors has bequeathed to us and that it might vanish completely, vanquished by the feeling of racial inferiority. The problem is this feeling of racial inferiority, hence the aspiration to be like the Caucasians, the superior race. We lack confidence in the ability of our own people and in the potential of our own nation. Instead of cultivating what is locally inherent to the country for its development, we keep on borrowing the philosophies that were successful in other countries. The children are brought up to be Americanized or Westernized; thus, we grow up idolizing foreign artists and adopting their ways. Ironic, is it not? The society is coercing foreign ideas and values to the minds of the younger people who have no other choice but to eventually inherit the countrys indigenous traditions. How could we then expect our native music and dances to thrive in the modern world when we do not see their true sense and worth? I truly hope the solution is cultural awareness. Maybe if we reintroduce the basics of Philippine culture to the Filipinos, especially to the youth, we can invoke the love for our own culture that probably just remains hidden and forgotten in our consciousness, waiting to be aroused. I pray that there is still hope for the Filipino soul. I pray that it had just wandered for a while but it will still find its way back home to tell the wonderful story of the people of these

beautiful islands that many sought to seize but failed. I guess, as long as there are still people who are willing to graciously accept our inheritance and to educate us about the forgotten values and beliefs, there is hope that we can revive our neglected traditions and salvage our national pride. All we have to do is start working now.