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| (Image Source: Cultural Center of the Philippines) |
To celebrate Earth Month, ENCANTADA goes on stage once again! A collaboration with Joey Ayala for music, Al Santos for the libretto, and National Artist Salvador Bernal for production design, ENCANTADA features the artists of the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Professional Artist Support Program and Alice Reyes Dance Philippines (ARDP). It is a showcase of Locsin’s Neo-Ethnic Dance Style as she masterfully utilizes it to explore Filipino folklore, history, and culture, while at the same time bringing awareness to the consequences of man’s destruction of nature.
“Agnes Locsin’s ‘ENCANTADA’ does not just dance for the sake of dancing, but in truth, it stands on solid research where Philippine history, folk religion, traditions, and practices are painted into the creation of the whole. Adding to that, this showcases the uniqueness of her movements which she herself conceived in creating her own dance genre – the neo-ethnic style. Thematically, she touches on many themes but most especially, the destruction of the environment; an issue that is still relevant to this day, 31 years after she conceived this masterpiece. It’s well worth a re-staging as well as a re-watching. It’s a learning curve for the younger generation”, shares ARDP President Tats Manahan. Recognized as the pioneer of the neo-ethnic style of dance, Agnes Locsin is a brilliant force in the Philippine dance scene which garnered her the title of National Artist for Dance. Together with contemporary Filipino music composer Joey Ayala and award-winning playwright Al Santos, they premiered ENCANTADA in February of 1992.
Agnes explains, “Encantada was the brainchild of Al Santos. Our threesome – Al Santos, Joey Ayala, and myself (Agnes Locsin) – was a given prior to the conception of Encantada. We had first collaborated in a rock opera back in 1977 at the Ateneo De Davao. In 1991, we decided to come up with another major project. It was also a given that the new work will tackle environmental issues. Al came up with Encantada. Joey and I agreed and Al, being the writer, started with making the libretto and the lyrics. Thereafter, Joey composed, then I choreographed.” Drawing inspiration from Philippine tribal dances, practices, beliefs, and stories, Locsin reworked and reinterpreted these into the framework of existing classical ballet and modern dance techniques, resulting in a unique dance form suited for the Filipino’s physical frame, temperament, and culture. This Neo-Ethnic dance style coupled with Joey Ayala’s rhythmic contemporary Filipino music, Al Santos’ riveting Libretto, and National Artist Salvador Bernal’s remarkable Production Design brought the story of ENCANTADA to life.
Presented by the Metropolitan Theater, the Cultural Center of the Philippines, and Carmen D. Locsin Foundation, the production was last staged in 2011 to critical acclaim, garnering 10 Gawad Buhay Awards, including Best Modern Dance Production, Best Choreography, Best Musical Composition, Best Production Design, and Best Lighting Design by John Neil Batalla who returns to light the 2023 Production. Other citations include Georgette Sanchez-Vargas for Female Lead Performance and Carissa Adea for Female Featured Performance. Both of them will reprise their award-winning roles for the current 2023 production. Also joining the cast is Kris-Belle Paclibar-Mamangun, a highly acclaimed Filipino Dancer and former member of Cirque du Soleil, who will be alternating the role of Babaylan with Carissa Adea. ENCANTADA featuring artists of CCP’s Professional Artist Support Program and Alice Reyes Dance Philippines runs from April 14-15, 2023 at the Samsung Theater and April 21-22 at the Metropolitan Theater with evening shows at 7:30 pm and matinees at 2:00 pm. All evening shows will have live music performed by Joey Ayala and Ang Bagong Lumad with the Philippines’ World Music Siren Bayang Barrios. For season subscriptions and ticket reservations on ENCANTADA and other upcoming shows in the 2023 ARDP season, contact via email at ardancephilippinesinc@gmail.com.
