My Dreams for My Children

Despite a having a busy day hopping from one place to another within the metro, made worse by the uncooperative weather, I still managed to arrive on time despite being wet at the FEU Auditorium in Manila to catch a concert entitled My Dreams for My Children.

This concert featured two very promising violinists: Diomedes Saraza Jr. and Regina Buenaventura. Accompanying them was the Manila Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Arturo Molina. Either of these violinists could've carried the whole show by themselves so when a concert featured these two, it should be no surprise that people would flock to the concert hall. And people did arrive at the FEU Auditorium despite the lousy weather and it was a full house with some people standing at the back of the hall.

For this concert, Saraza Jr. played the 1st movement of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35 and Camille Saint-Saëns' Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso. But before that the Manila Symphony Orchestra started the concert with their rendition of Antonino Buenaventura's By the Hillside.

For the second half of the concert, it was Buenaventura's turn with another Tchaikovsky piece: Souvenir d'un lieu cher (Memory of a Beloved Place). And then she played the 1st movement of another concerto, Johannes Brahms Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77. And just like the preceding part, the orchestra performed first a handful of Happy Birthday Variations by Mildred Hill/arr. Peter Heidrich. And the two soloists performed Navarra by Pablo de Sarasate which capped the concert.

The Manila Symphony Orchestra is a competent orchestra and I've heard them play well numerous times. But their sound somewhat felt a bit dry during this night. I guess it had something to do with the less than stellar acoustics of the FEU Auditorium. This place is aesthetically beautiful and full of history but I do hope that they improve the acoustics soon. I wasn't able to fully appreciate the Buenaventura piece because of this. And their Happy Birthday variations was very entertaining especially when I considered the amusing reaction of the audience for the more popular variations presented.

The soloists were impressive and Saraza Jr. earned points for playing two of my favorite pieces in the violin repertoire. Unfortunately, the concerto being limited only to the first movement was not enough. But he did show flair and mastery of technique with his pieces. Buenaventura, on the other hand was more expressive with her Tchaikovsky piece. Again, the Brahms concerto being just the first movement wasn't enough. I guess that this was the compromise for having two great soloists in just one concert. Playing the full concerto would've made the for a much longer show and for some people, it might be too tiresome.

After the concert, I had a blast catching up with a few friends whom I haven't seen for a while. And it helps a lot when cocktails were served. Also, I always take advantage of having the opportunity to have a brief chat with the artists. Thanks once again to Martin Lopez for the invite.

Yamato: Drums of Japan

Yamato Drums of Japan

July is a much awaited month for the numerous fans of Japanese culture in here because of the Philippines-Japan Friendship Month. This is the time when the Japan Foundation organizes a handful of events like film screenings, exhibits and concerts all aimed to promote Japanese culture to Filipinos. And as expected, the one event I was able to witness was the one that is music related: a live performance of the Yamato Drums of Japan.

The press release for the group's series of performances stated that they are actually composed of 17 members. But the group that I was able to catch during their performance at the Music Hall at the SM Mall of Asia only featured seven performers: three males and four females. But despite not fielding the entire crew, the Yamato gave a very engaging performance that night. The seven played the traditional wadaiko drums of Japan. And these drums come in different sizes thus having varied pitches. And characteristic of Asian percussion music, it is very dynamic and textured and has more variety compared to the use of percussion in Western music. Despite these drums being traditional, there were moments in the group's hour long performance that was quite edgy and humorous.

One of the guys in particular provided most of the humor especially when he urged the crowd to participate. His comic reactions delighted the crowd and he was no doubt the most popular member of the group judging from the adoring crowd wanting to take photos with him after the show.

My favorite number in the program was when the four women played the shamisen like they were rockstars playing the electric guitar. And this number provided some very much welcomed melodic element amidst all the banging of the drums.

*photo courtesy of Kenzo Machinokokoro

Wifi Body 5 IndepenDance and Gala

Last year, I got my first taste of the Wifi Body Independent Contemporary Dance Festival during its 4th edition. I got dragged into it when my friends decided to watch the IndepenDance performance and they decided to surprise me with it thinking that I would like it.

I did like it since it is always interesting to watch contemporary dance performances since I usually see more variety in it. And I've learned not to set any expectations since getting surprised by the performances is one of the main draws for me.

I managed to catch two main performances held at the CCP Little Theater in this year's 5th edition. I was also able to catch the opening of the photo exhibit by Paolo Bicones and a viewing of the video by Ruelo Lozendo. These were preceded by a short performance by the UP Dance Company of the Bach piano pieces they performed at Greenbelt 5 a week before.

The first show that I was able to watch was the IndepenDance which featured previous winners of the New Choreographers Competition. There were seven dance pieces performed and they were:

Walk with Me
Choreography: Ava Maureen Villanueva
Dancers: Elena Laniog, Vinia Pamplona-Peralta and Ava Maureen Villanueva

Fickle Minded
Choreography: Rhosam Prudenciado Jr.
Dancers: Joanne Cabrega and Rhosam Prudenciado Jr.

Untitled
Choreography: Zyda Marie Baaya
Dancers: Jairo Ibarrientos, Christian Love Valdez, Philip Sustrina, Gary Gomez, Maynard Baylon, Zyda Marie Abaya

Pasaiyo
Choreography: Johnny Amar
Dancers: Ava Maureen Villanueva, Alfred Jan Mercado, Rhosam Prudenciado Jr.

Hiyas
Choreography: Gerardo Francisco
Dancer: Kim Mendoza

Elpidio
Choreography: Gerardo Francisco
Dancer: Elpidio Magat

Amidst Wanderings
Choreography: Herbert Alvarez
Dancers: Rhosam Prudenciado Jr., Elena Laniog, Ava Maureen Villanueva

Sloth (seven deadly sins... a sequel)
Choreography: Christine Crame
Dancers: Seven Contemporary Dance Company, Kristoffer Legarde, Christian Love Valdez, Zyda Marie Baaya, Jairo Ibarrientos, Joel Garcia, Mark Lauron, Christine Crame.

The IndepenDance featured dances with sentimental themes which surprised me a bit. Even though I don't set many expectations, I somehow hoped that the pieces were a lot more varied. After this performance, the UP Dance Company performed some sort of dance improv based on children's games of years past at the CCP ramp.

I was then able to catch the Wifi Body Gala that was held on the last night of the festival. I liked this show a lot better since there was a greater deal of variety in music and in themes. Heck, there was even humor in a couple of dances, even in one that featured Chopin's waltzes!

The pieces performed were:

Gothic
Choreography: Christine Crame
Dancers: Seven Contemporary Dance Company, Christian Love Valdez, Zyda Marie Baaya and Christine Crame

T-zone
Choreography: PJ Rebullida
Dancers: Karla Javier and PJ Rebullida

Silhouettes
Choreography: Ma. Elena Laniog
Dancers: UP Dance Company, Nicole Primero, Chantal Primero, Angela Sebastian, Dina Magat, Sarah Maria Samaniego, Criezamor Pardito, Eunice Velasco, Janessa de Guzman, Chaya Barris and Angela Betina Carlos

Rey-sing
Choreography: Carissa Adea
Dancers: Richardson Yadao, Angel Gabriel, Emmanuel Guillermo, Marvin Arizo, Ej Arisola

Loro
Choreography: Raul Alcoseba
Dancers: UP Dance Company, Al Bernard Garcia, Erl Emmanuel Sorilla, Jm Cabling, Dina Magat, Sarah Samaniego and Angela Sebastian

Bliss
Choreography and Performance: Julie Alagde

Transient
Choreography: Mia Cabalfin
Dancers: Airdance, Ava Maureen Villanueva, Rhosam Prudenciado Jr., Vinia Pamplona-Peralta, Joanne Cabrega, Carlo Valderama, Melvin Apostol, Alfred Jan Mercado and Anna Agawa

Excerpt from Sayaw Sabel
Choreography: Agnes Locsin
Dancer: Christine Crame

Waltzes
Choreography and Performance: Ma. Elena O. Laniog and Ava Maureen Villanueva

Mr. Morales wants to say
Choreography: Paul Alexander Morales

Impossible
Choreography: Myra Beltran
Dancers: Reagan Cornelio and Myra Beltran

Also performed were the winners of this year's edition of the New Choreographers Competition which I missed. The winning pieces performed were Kulambo by Frederick Fernandez which won 2nd place and Due Date by Alfred Jan Mercado which won 1st place and also the Audience Choice Award.

The most memorable number in here was Bliss and it was absolutely jaw dropping. Such extension and control was shown in this performance which drew the loudest applause from the audience.

And after the Wifi Gala, the people flocked to the CCP Main Theater Lobby for a performance of the Polecats which was wildly cheered by the people who decided to stay on. Overall, this year's edition is a bit trimmed down compared to last year which is a shame. I hope that I'd be able to catch this festival again during it's 6th staging.

A Tribute to Lucio San Pedro, National Artist for Music

The President's Committee on Culture of the Far Eastern University is celebrating its 20th Anniversary. And in line with this milestone, they present their 2010-2011 Film and Performing Arts Series which has the theme: Focusing on the Youth. And they did focus on the youth with a performance entitled a Tribute to Lucio San Pedro, National Artist for Music which featured the Angono Chamber Orchestra conducted by Agripino Diestro. The orchestra which was actually a string orchestra is made up of kids with ages ranging from 11-21 years old and they prepared an all Filipino programme for their performance at the FEU Auditorium.

Before the performance started, there was a memorandum of agreement signed by FEU President Lydia Echauz with the Friends for Cultural Concerns of the Philippines (FCCP) through President Beth Cristobal for the financial support of the top full scholar from each of FEU's 5 cultural groups for SY 2010-2011.

The performance was billed as a tribute to San Pedro but there were other Filipino composers whose works were played by the young orchestra like Francisco Buencamino, Ernani Cuenco, Constancio de Guzman, George Canseco. The pieces played were mostly short, folk tunes that aren't that challenging to play. But I really appreciated them since Diestro took to the microphone and gave not just a brief background on the pieces but also gave bits of information about the orchestra, the instruments, orchestration, concert decorum, and music in general. The audience were mostly composed of students and a few guests from outside the university and from the looks of it, they weren't regular concert goers so the brief spiels were of great help for them to understand how classical music concerts work.

Things got interesting when principal cellist Giuseppe Andre V. Diestro became the featured soloist for the orchestra's performance of San Pedro's Romance for Cello and Piano. Since the orchestra was only composed of strings, this piece was transcribed which was also the case for almost all of the pieces that were played. The numbers featuring soprano Ma. Cristina Pia M. Orca proved to be one of the highlights of the show. She sung two popular San Pedro works: Ave Maria and Sa Ugoy ng Duyan from Suite Pastorale.

And for their last piece, they played the Jubilate March and they struggled a bit in the middle but come on, they're just kids! After, Diestro then told the audience about the nature of encores in a concert. The audience picked it up quickly and applauded loudly demanding that the orchestra play some more. And they did play a portion of the Brandenburg Concerto by Bach and the famous paso doble España Cañí by Narro.

Overall, the performance was simple and sweet, just appropriate for the kids that played them. It was nice hearing those folk tunes that I've learned back then when I was still a kid.

The Angono Chamber Orchestra

Wifi Body @ Greenbelt

The UP Dance Company

I rarely go to Greenbelt 5 where a lot of beautiful people shop and dine since the price of stuff there are insanely not beautiful. But I still ended up there since wanted to catch the first offering of the Wifi Body 5 Independent Contemporary Dance Frestival. I've seen one of their shows during last year's edition and I was curious to see what they had to offer this year.

A bare stage was set up just outside the posh mall and it was so bare that most people probably had no idea what it was for. In fact right before the show started, not a lot of people were there waiting for the action to start. But when the costumed dancers finally appeared, curious shoppers and passersby stopped and decided to see what was happening there.

The show which lasted just about an hour featured the Lyceum Dance Troupe, UP Dance Company, Airdance and St. Benilde Romancon Dance Co. There was someone who did some yoyo exhibition at the beginning and also a guy who did a solo but I failed to get their names. And there were also performance artists who did their thing at the second floor overlooking the stage. Again, I failed to note who they are.

The music used ranging from Bach to Owl City was appealing to a wide variety of audiences and the performances were indeed visually arresting since a lot of people did stay for a while and watch the performances. Most of the performances were indeed comfortable and pleasing to watch and even someone who didn't have any clue about contemporary dance would appreciate at least one of the pieces performed there.

The groups that performed did well but I was most impressed by the UP Dance Company since they did the most numbers that showed nice variety and also showcased their versatility. I can't wait to see more performances from them.

What they presented was just a teaser of what is to be expected in this dance festival which continues the week after at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Compared to the French - Pinoy Contemporary Dance performance that I saw the week before, the performances by the groups were more accessible and somewhat less esoteric.

The main performances happen during the festival's 2nd week and I do hope that I will be able to catch the action there.

9th Philippine Toys, Hobbies and Collectibles Convention 2010

Oh dear, I should've been used to it by now but I was still quite unnerved by all the frenzy that happened at the Megatrade Halls 2 & 3 during the 9th Philippine Toys, Hobbies and Collectibles Convention. I came there with no clear agenda in mind. I just geared myself to experience the craziness and the chaos, but still fun, that is expected from this event which is more popularly known as the Toy Con.

I've mentioned this before, but this year's edition of Toy Con also featured the 75th Anniversary Celebration of DC Comics. And for this, they had set up the DC Comics 75th Power Up! DC Super Heroes Challenge at the Event Center where the ice skating rink used to be. I checked this out first before heading towards the upper floors where the Megatrade Halls were. And I was quite disappointed that my plan to take this challenge was dashed by the fact that only kids took part in it. I'm not sure if adults like me were allowed (I should've asked that question during the press briefing) but I got discouraged since if I screwed up in this adventure course, it would be extremely embarrassing for me.

I also lost the guts to ask if my pass could somehow enable me to just have a photo taken at the photobooth. But I chickened out. So much for stepping up to the challenge and finding the hero in me.

So I finally went upstairs to see the main action of the Toy Con. And it was indeed a frenzy. Getting inside proved to be a test of patience since I had to wait in line although it was just for a few minutes. Inside the convention hall were the usual stuff one sees at this event: numerous merchants selling toys, comics, bootlegged anime DVD's, etc. And I learned to avoid the booth where the insanely popular sisters Alodia and Ashley Gosengfiao were located since people mobbed them.

I've also learned that in these events, well laid plans often do not happen: I completely missed seeing the person whom I was expecting to meet. And a welcome surprise usually occurs like when I saw a Shredder toy that my brother has been wanting for years. I didn't buy anything for myself but I bought my brother that toy.

I had fun having my photos taken at the photobooth of a couple of sponsor booths there and those proved to be a huge hit since a lot of people did the same. I won't be surprised if photobooths would be a staple at events like these in the future.

Speaking of photos, I had a camera with me but it was hard to take photos with all the activities happening around. So please bear with the few photos I took and my equally bad photography skills.

The DC 75th Power Up! DC Super Heroes Challenge Course

Pinoy - French Contemporary Dance Week

Contemporary dance is something that I have very limited knowledge of but I'm very much interested in it. I've seen several ballet productions before and it's usually the music that drew me in. But an opportunity came for me to gain more experience in the field of contemporary dance when Ms. Flora Geley of the French Embassy invited me to watch a performance during the Pinoy - French Contemporary Dance Week.

The Pinoy - French Contemporary Dance week had two performance dates and I chose to catch the second performance that featured the short performance Kung Fu Commandos or Clamor in the East, Attack in the West. And also featured in this date were the long performances of the pieces Which Way? and Kung Fu Dancing. Yet, this event is still a part of a series of dance performances at the PETA Theater Center called the East West Danse.

The night began with the short performance of the piece called Kung Fu Commandos or Clamor in the East, Attack in the West. This was performed by the Eolipile Dance Company from France and it featured dancers Caroline Desmaison and Sibile Planques. And accompanying them was musician Thierry Madiot.

Ms. Geley tried to warn me that this was an unconventional piece and she was right. The piece started with one of the dancers whom I can't recall if she was either Caroline or Sibile, entering the stage cautiously, very wary of an impending threat. Then long balloons were thrown on stage and the dancer seemed trapped by those. Then the other dancer, this one looked menacing, came on stage armed with more balloons and she somehow act as the aggressor, shooting more balloons at the first dancer. The dance continued on with both dancers engaged in conflict, with one gaining the upper hand over the other and then their roles getting reversed once again. The piece wasn't pleasant to watch. The movements weren't meant to highlight the beauty of a dancer's lines. The piece was oppressive, threatening, disturbing and sometimes jarring. In the end, the second dancer was alone on stage and her movements became crooked, uncomfortable and very restricted as if she has lost the ability to move freely.

As the piece ended, I could sense that the audience was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. It wasn't easy watching two dancer engaged in combat even though it was a dance performance. There wasn't any attempt to show that this act of fighting had any beauty in it. Even the embrace of the two dancers at several points during their entanglements looked extremely suspicious and it was indeed a deceptive embrace. I'm just glad that prior to watching this, I've prepared myself to expect something different and something unusual which was the case with this first performance.

The second performance was one of the main performances of the night. Taking to the stage was Rhosam Prudenciado Jr. performing his award winning piece Which Way?. I've seen Prudenciado perform before and I've read about his triumph at the 2008 Wi Fi Body Contemporary Dance Festival and at the Yokohama Dance Collection R 2009. But I haven't seen him perform this piece before so when I found out that he was supposed to perform this at the second night of the Pinoy - French Contemporary Dance Week, I decided that this was the one that I had to watch.

I could sense during his performance that this piece was very personal to him and I did feel his struggle, confusion and indecision while he performed. Compared to the first piece of the night, this performance was a lot more accessible and the audience did respond very positively to this piece.

The last performance of the night was the highlight of the night. The piece Kung Fu Dancing was performed by Lin Yuan Shang. And at the beginning of the piece, there was a message shown on the video projected at the background that somehow acted as a warning. The message was wondering why it was easier to watch a Kung Fu movie than a contemporary dance. And this piece proved to be one of the hardest to understand since this included some Eastern Philosophies that tied Kung Fu and contemporary dance together. Shang's movements were more circular than what is normally seen in Kung Fu movies and yet there were moments when he would go for a rotating kick in the air or one of my favorite movies, a butterfly kick. It was quite a challenge to digest everything that was offered by this piece, the actual movement of the dancer, the philosophies that were shown at the screen and the words that were spoken by Lin Yuan Shang. But there was indeed a very different energy in the theater while he was performing. It may be a bit strange but this was when I sensed that there was beauty in the performance.

The artists during the brief discussion after the performance.

After the performance, all of the artists were invited back on stage and a brief panel discussion happened and it was a nice moment to learn more about the artists and the pieces that they performed. And after the show was over, I had the opportunity to talk to some of them and it was quite a surprise to see a couple of musicians in attendance as well.

I was very glad to see this night's performance and the pieces had variety and it took me to many different moods. I might have felt disturbed during the first piece but I left the PETA Theater Center feeling that I took something more with me, possibly a new insight in life.