"NEOFILIPINO: other matters"

THE Cultural Center of the Philippines presents NeoFilipino: Other Matters, a platform where contemporary choreography becomes the process and medium of exchange that engages both artists and audiences, on October 7 and 8, at 2p.m. and 7p.m., at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino.

This year, the NeoFilipino features five contemporary works by established choreographers JK Anicoche, Novy Bereber, Christine Crame, Ma. Elene Laniog and Ernest Mandap who engage into discussions on various contemporary issues such as homosexuality, the role of social media, the contradictory nature of life, the tensions of democratic society and the canonic declarations of the classics through dance and movements.

In "15 Minutes of Your Time," Manila-based performance-maker JK Anicoche curates dance work that brings together actual people from communities that have been on the interface of social media: friends lists, friend posts, news and/ or viral Facebook videos to test, investigate and challenge proximity beyond the flat interface of everyday news and happenings online. The piece explores the idea of performance as interface taking bodies on stage in shared space and time outside the confines of flat online interfaces of social media.

Australian-based choreographer Novy Bereber takes inspiration from an octopus for his work "Fugue Pulpo 2.0." The young choreographer has been intrigued with this sea creature, and is moved by its qualities (four hearts, three brains, no bones, communicates by changing its color and shape, and by creating myriad textures, as well as its frightening attitude towards love) and its cycle of life. With music by Krina Cayabyab and projections by Steven Tansiongco, Novy enjoins his dancers to mimic the movements of octopus, and delves on questions of love, and all the theories and philosophies that accompany it.

Christine Crame, artistic director of the St. Benilde Romançon Dance Company and the Seven Contemporary Dance Company, brings to the stage “Swans,” a re-staged excerpt from her recent production “Swan Lake: By the Lakeside.”  It deconstructs the one of the enduring pieces of the classical ballet repertoire, as it plays with broken lines to contrast with the canonic ballet line and experiments with syncopated movements.

“On The Wings of 44,” Ma. Elene Laniog dwells on her personal conviction about the passing of the SAF 44. Moved by current issues, she takes this tragic issue as an enlightenment - the soldiers who had suffered had left the earth and had journeyed to a place where there is perfect peace. She was challenged to seek for her own peace while at the same transcend that to the dancers.

Ernest Mandap's “Zebra” focuses on homosexuality, it’s stereotypes, and one’s inner identity crisis. Strongly influenced by his colleagues, Ernest questions if homosexuality should still remain an issue today. Working with a new set of bodies, he thrusts to utilize all the dancers’ capabilities, and challenge them to trust themselves in his movements as they would be tackling a different style of dance.

Initiated in 1987, NeoFilipino is the third part of the CCP Choreographers Series, specifically designed for nurturing and furthering the choreographic art in the Philippines, with particular focus on contemporary dance. The brainchild of Denisa Reyes and Myra Beltran, it is a platform for Filipino choreographers to make dance the central force, the impetus, the muscle in collaborating with other art forms: music, visual arts, theatre, literature, and film.  Through innovative movement explorations, dance artists create experimental and provocative works that inquire about issues relating to Philippine traditional and contemporary life.

For ticketing inquiries and other concerns, please contact 0917-5136604. Tickets are at Php500 (with discounts for students, senior citizens, PWDs, government and military personnel). Follow CCP Choreographers Series on Facebook for more updates.