Tags: Performing Arts, Theater
By Anna Valmero
DAVAO CITY, DAVAO DEL SUR – Renowned neo-ethnic choreographer Agnes Locsin transformed into an hour-long dance what she saw in Ben Cabrera’s “Sabel” – the resilience and strength of the Filipino soul to endure poverty and isolation.
Cabrera, or more popularly referred to as BenCab, is known to depict in his paintings the life of scavengers and street dwellers. He encountered Sabel during his youth and took a photo of the street dweller, who later became his most iconic masterpiece.
“In Sabel, he [Ben Cab] was able to come up with a symbol that embodies the struggle of our country and how we manage to survive the endless barrage of trials and tribulations of this world we live in,” says Locsin.
“Sayaw, Sabel”, according to Locsin, does not pay homage to BenCab. “Personally, I feel that I am paying tribute not only to BenCab’s Sabel but also and most especially to the dancers portraying Sabel in this production. It was they who inspired me to come up with this production just as Sabel helped immensely to provide the vehicle for expression,” the Davao native says.
For Locsin, Sabel merged seven stories of trials and survival about Filipinos.
“Sabel is what we call a taong grasa, who is isolated and very marginalized but actually, the dancers and the directors, despite varied interpretations, agreed that in Sabel’s or the character’s mind, he or she sees reality way differently than how conventional society sees it,” says dancer Melvin Lee.
Lee portrayed Sabel during the gala performance at the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) Center in Quezon City. Sabel has no gender because the character is a melting pot of experiences and roles whom every Filipino can identify with, he says.
During the hour-long dance, Sabel interacts with seven different characters, each portrayed by Locsin’s protégés who performed solo interpreting various topics.
The first part, Kayod, was portrayed by Judell de Guzman-Sicam, who showed the busy life of a working mother with a chair and an imaginary baby. Sicam’s performance portrayed how Filipinos try to make ends meet for their families, hoping for a better future for their children. Noel Cabangon’s composition “Kayod Kabayo, Kayod Barya” was aptly chosen for the solo.
The second part, “Batak”, showed Ilonggo Dwight Rodrigazo sniffing his towel to depict drug addiction, which seem to offer temporary relief to some Filipinos who want to escape the reality they are in.
Abandonada is about the life of a woman left behind by her husband. Enveloped in what seemed to be white paper, Christine Crame danced to Visayan song Usahay and the Tagalog ballad Halik by Aegis. Representing her wedding dress or maybe a blanket that comforted her during her isolation, Crame finally emerged out of her cocoon blanket to gain liberty from lost love - nothing is lost if you learned lesson from that experience that would help you carry on life.
Sugatan, meanwhile, is about rape victim, featuring Annette Cruz-Mariano, who was covered by a huge black net, a metaphor for abuse committed against women.
Monique Uy led the cast in their performance of Bagong Bayani, a dance about the sacrifices of overseas Filipino workers. Uy lifted and danced inside a colorful box, which reminded the audience of balikbayan boxes that carry pasalubongs to families and friends.
As a part of an OFW family myself, I personally believe that OFWs are indeed heroes who deserve more credit not just for keeping the country’s economy afloat with their remittances. They deserve protection from the government but sadly stories of abuse remain common.
Perry Sevidal in Sino Ka? portrayed the plight of people who forget, maybe due to Alzheimer’s disease caused by old age or maybe, the mind’s way of forgetting a painful part of life.
Finally, Ako Una by Camille Ordinante Joson showed conflict between her and other characters. Some accounts interpreted Joson’s character to depict crab mentality. For me, it was a strong depiction of someone from the “Me Generation” who tend to only think for themselves instead of seeing how the big picture works if there is unity.
For each part, the dancers are given full independence to render their interpretation under the supervision of Locsin. Compared with previous performances, Lee, a long-time collaborator of Locsin, said the Davao choreographer was “more of a peer than a teacher during the Sabel production because there was open collaboration of ideas.”
“One thing that’s good to note about this dance production is how you go beyond what you see in the physical, you try not to put the characters in boxes or stereotype them because we may only see the surface of things,” he added.
For blogger Fred described the gala performance as a “modern dance piece that was thought-provoking and dramatic… I think the whole show could be polarizing, people will either like it or they won’t.”
Asked about the message of Sabel to the audience, Lee said: “Each part shows the different brinks of madness, with a little humor despite the dark theme. It shows how there is Sabel in everyone of us. We cannot judge another person because we do not fully know how his or her history and unique experiences are affecting his or her way of thinking.”
SAYAW, SABEL will have a performance in Davao City on July 30 and 31at the Locsin Dance Workshop Theater at Quirino Ave. For queries, call (82)2274753 or 09169095099.
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I have always been a big fan of BenCab. Thanks for sharing.