Review by Joelle Jacinto
A dance company that is able to celebrate thirty years should accumulate an expansive repertoire, with choreographic works reflecting the history and identity of the choreographers who made these dances and the dancers who performed them. UP Dance Company’s Pasundayag (Performance, translated from Cebuano) indeed reflects a group of students, their youthful exuberance evident in the energetic, uplifting repertoire from that evening. At the same time, it is difficult to believe that they are merely students, so great is the mastery of movement, the disciplined technique, the powerful control of their bodies, the passionate exultation that radiates from their very being.
The ensemble in Herbert Alvarez's Kristo Kyrie. Photo by Erica Jacinto.
Of course, some in the company are alumni and are easily considered among the most beautiful dancers in the country, but how do you explain the mastery of movement in the large ensemble pieces, especially in Herbert Alvarez’s “Kristo Kyrie” from Misa Lingua Sama Sama, and Elena Laniog-Alvarez’s “On Cracked Ground,” where masses of bodies move so fluently together that you do not see the dancers, only the dance. Alvarez and Laniog-Alvarez, who, with Angela Baguilat, lead the university performing group, are also their teachers. The dance majors are required to train in ballet, contemporary dance and Philippine traditional dance, aside from taking their theory and research classes, and it is in the performance of the works in Pasundayag that the level of training is seen.
The programme for this anniversary “performance” is composed of works by the different artistic directors who have led the company through its thirty years. Aside from the previously mentioned ensemble works, Alvarez also contributed a world premiere entitled “Jordan,” which also features the full company, and Laniog-Alvarez also presented two other pieces, “Udlot-Udlot” and “Soup of Grace.” The evening is rounded out by Liza Fernandez’s “Femina,” and two classics by the founder of UP Dance Company, Basilio Esteban Villaruz.
Mark Robles in Basilio's "Cavatina". Photo by Erica Jacinto.
During the welcoming speech delivered by Baguilat, she mentioned that most of the works for Pasundayag were pieces that were regularly performed by the company throughout the years. While many of the alumni present agree with the choices, namely the many alumni who had also performed Basilio’s “Cavatina,” there are some who also feel that more important works in the company had been left out: pieces such as Basilio’s “Mosque Baroque” and “Paean to Pavlova,” for example, or a most prolific work that was choreographed by the company performing at the time of its creation, “Pahinungod” (c.1995) which had definitely seen countless restagings through the years. Of course, it varies according to the alumni, as works that had been performed during their time are different from the works performed by alumni of other generations. Personally, I feel that a proper tribute and retrospective would have included Basilio’s own Misa Filipina, which had also been performed by the company throughout the years, perhaps just an excerpt to complement Alvarez’s Misa, to show how the company’s voice and artistry had developed through the years.
Still, the works presented that evening were delightful and showcased the dancers well. AL Frederick Abraham was charming in “Fred C in a Soup Can,” a solo I had only seen performed in the 1980s by Basilio himself. Being a child in the ‘80s, I remember being baffled by the solo, given that this was my dad’s close friend who was doing sort of an anti-ballet in sneakers and a jacket, but what the choreographer was trying to do then made more sense now, a prelude to the deconstructions of ballet that Basilio would encourage in the dance majors for many years after. Fast forward to the present time, after seeing Abraham perform other, more groundbreaking contemporary pieces, his “Fred C” looks like a pleasant experiment of movement between classical and modern forms, grinning at us as if to let us in on the joke.
Although it was announced that the evening’s repertoire was chosen from the works contributed by the past and present artistic directors of the UPDC, it did seem that there was an overarching theme of strength and exultation. And I don’t mean strength or exultation separately, but both strength and exultation at once.
Elena Laniog's "On Cracked Ground". Photo by Erica Jacinto.
Alexa Torte and Marveen Ely Lozano in Elena Laniog's "Udlot-Udlot". Photo by Erica Jacinto.
Sarah Samaniego and Aisha Polestico, with Honey Lynn Juntilla and Alexa Torte in
Flordeliza Fernandez-Punzalan's "Femina". Photo by Erica Jacinto.
Speaking of the strong woman, Fernandez’s “Femina” amplifies Torte’s majesty most impressively, and manages to weave in exultation as well. Premiered in 1996, the work is one of Fernandez’s first ventures into choreography and, as such, is weak in parts, but the new cast of Aisha Polestico, Alexa Torte, Honey Lynn Juntilla and Sarah Samaniego cover up this weakness with their near-visceral presence and relentless energy. The unabashedly feminist work had always been striking in its presentation of the “strong woman,” but there seemed more in this staging: more aggression, more confrontation, more woman. This is testament to the training of the UPDC dancers. I was skeptical about the inclusion of “Femina” in the programme (I find Fernandez’s “Ang Kasal” the best example of her choreographic gifts) but was proven wrong as these 4 girls managed to make a lasting impact, especially in a show with dancers like Robles, Cabling and Que.
Perhaps the best thing about having a vast repertoire of works that people will want to see, as well as having a solid training ground for producing all these sensitive, talented dancers, is that there is much to choose from for future shows. I am really looking forward to the next one.
Photos by Erica Jacinto at http://artaturningpointe.blogspot.com
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