The heart of Christmas goes on tour
As the Christmas season approached in 2022, the newly formed Alice Reyes Dance Philippines’ young up-and-coming choreographers put their imaginative minds and choreographic talents in a hubbub to create an original Christmas season offering which emerged as a Filipino version of the season’s favorite ballet, The Nutcracker, which they entitled Puso ng Pasko. Led by Alice Reyes herself, who assembled the group composed of artistic director Ronelson Yadao, ballet master Lester Reguindin, Erl Sorilla, John Ababon, Bonnie Guerrero, Danilo Dayo and AL Abraham, the full-length Christmas ballet was hatched, with the music selection stitched together by National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab.
Through the years, National Artist for Dance Reyes has sought to develop a Filipino-inspired repertoire, since her early years at the CCP, as founder of the CCP Dance Company which was later renamed Ballet Philippines, Ms. Reyes focused mainly on creating pieces inspired by Filipino themes, as in her early works, Itim Asu based on the play The Onyx Wolf by Virginia Moreno, Amada derived from Nick Joaquin’s “The Summer Solstice,” or Bungkos Suite and others. This thrust was filtered down to her contemporaries and students as well, with Gener Caringal’s Ang Sultan, Tony Fabella’s Semana Santa, Edna Vida’s Pagsamba, Agnes Locsin’s Encantada, just to name a few. All in all, the dance company’s output has birthed a distinct Filipino contemporary dance idiom that has been prominently displayed over the years, and currently seems to have gained new footing as a new breed of dance audiences seem to be emerging alongside young choreographers with fresh innovative ideas.
In Puso ng Pasko, theater actor Audie Gemora plays Lolo Val, the lead character, an OFW residing in New Jersey. He sets the narrative, as he familiarizes his US born granddaughter, Angelita (played by dancer/actress Trisha Lim), with the joys and wonders of a Filipino Christmas, which he considers the best in the world. He explains that it is celebrated extra special in his make-believe province, Tres Reyes, where most, if not all, of the citizens are migrants from various provinces. The plot is further built on with a “Zoom meeting” among Val’s old barkada who all reside in the Philippines, as they recall their happy times together. Angelita gets curious, and for her to experience that true Christmas spirit in Tres Reyes, Lolo Val asks her to turn around three times so she gets transported into the neighborhood of Tres Reyes, witnessing firsthand the camaraderie of her grandfather’s friends, Teroy, Caloy, Osang and Sab, who the audience later finds out is the love interest of Lolo Val in his youth.
The hybrid citizenry of Tres Reyes go into their native provincial dances as the story unfolds. As music and memories inadvertently combine to bring on some emotion, the audience is subjected to a slew of nostalgic moments through the music score and gleeful viewing of the energetic dance movements. Several provincial celebrations are reenacted, such as the Pahiyas Festival from Lucban, Quezon; the gymnastic thrill of Sayaw sa Bangko from Pangasinan.
Including the traditional rigodon, a dance brought in by the Spaniards in the 16th century, usually performed in the town plaza by the resident seniors, ninongs and ninangs. For the performance, the rigodon cast is composed of former dancers and adult ballet students.
Christmas, of all seasons, goes beyond physical celebratory happenings. It is a time for reminiscing as well.
Puso ng Pasko is the second full-length piece of ARDP to tour this year. In October, Rama Hari was performed in Dumaguete and Bacolod to an incredibly enthusiastic audience who showed their appreciation with delighted squeals at curtain call as lit cell phones were waved in the air, reminiscent of K-pop concerts. An almost identical reaction was displayed by the audience who watched Puso ng Pasko, but with an added touch of teary eyes as many audience members felt the nostalgia of an authentic Filipino Christmas, which has presently been mostly drowned out by hi-tech commercialism. From its first presentation in 2022 just before the CCP closed down, the audience feedback was almost identical.
Just recently, a new work of rising choreographer Erl Sorilla entitled Mga Kwento ni Juan Tamad, a commissioned work for the CCP Children’s Biennale, strung together several Juan Tamad stories to create a singular tale, displaying Sorilla’s knack for storytelling in the dance medium. With an original music score by Toto Sorioso, the piece is due to be reshown for a broader audience in 2025.
Sayaw Tungo sa Kalayaan is another collaborative new work comprised of 12 works by seven choreographers, each piece depicting a facet of the Filipino love for country, ending in Sabihin Mo Ikaw ay Pilipino. Audience reaction was once more emotion-filled, the production hitting a sentimental chord and a realization through song and dance of the value of our citizenship despite the odds.
It is precisely this juxtaposition of creativity and sentiment which seems to augment and inspire the movement and expression delivered by the dancers, eliciting a positive emotional response from the audience. Add to that, in provincial tours, a common comment was that provincial audiences are “starved” for performances such as those ARDP puts forth. It is a compliment, yes, but a challenge as well to do better than best.
ARDP’s mission is that presentation does not stop with razzle-dazzle, but tries to raise the bar higher to support the theme and sentiment of the audience. A case in point was clear in the 2022 presentation of Puso ng Pasko. To complete the Filipino Christmas theme, the CCP lobby was converted into a church plaza dominated by a 27-meter blow-up of a heritage church façade sketched by CCP Gawad Awardee Paulo Alcazaren. Fronting the church “ façade” were stalls selling puto bumbong and bibingka, hamon, keso at pan de sal and hot chocolate, to be enjoyed by the audience on old-fashioned tables and “bangko.” On the side was an artisan selling Christmas lanterns (parol) and farther down was a life-sized nativity scene carved and painted by students from Escuela Taller. At the Metropolitan Theater presentation the week after, the same set-up was moved to the Met garden where the audience lingered and shopped at the booths forming a Christmas “tiangge.”
Christmas, of all seasons, goes beyond physical celebratory happenings. It is a time for reminiscing as well. As versed by writer Joey Reyes to music by Ryan Cayabyab, Audie Gemora sings the final number: “May ilan sa ating ang hindi makakarating. May ilan pa sa kanilang ‘di na makapipiling. Nguni’y kahit wala sila ay parang nandiyan pa rin. Dahil sila at nandidiyan sa puso natin.”
It is a tug at the heartstrings with a wisp of bittersweet flashbacks that make for a meaningful celebration for those onstage, as well as those who witness the heartfelt performance, which fortunately, Alice Reyes Dance Philippines happily achieves.
