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| Ea Torrado and Victor Maguad |
Bicol
was once again put on the spotlight as yet another legend, this time that of
the famed Mayon Volcano, was retold through dance and music via E-Dance Theater’s Daragang Magayon: An Istorya
ni Mayon that was held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’
Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater).
Directed
and choreographed by E-Dance Theater’s artistic director Gerald Mercado, Daragang Magayon told the tragic love
story of Magayon and Ulap which legend says gave rise to the Mayon Volcano upon
their death. Dancers Ea Torrado and Victor Maguad portrayed Magayon and Ulap
respectively. The ill-fated lovers met their demise when rejected suitor, Pagtuga
(Francis Cascaño) and his tribe, abducted Magayon’s father Makusog (Marcus
Tolentino) to make sure that the union between her and Ulap would never take
place. The ensuing battle during the climax ended up with an arrow killing the
lovers and giving rise to the Mayon Volcano.
While
the main story focused on the two lovers, other aspects of Bicolano folklore
were also touched upon. The Moon Goddess Haliya (Mayumi Toribio) acted as one
of the narrators reciting the poetry composed by Virgilio Almario, National
Artist for Literature. The Gods Gugurang (Ronnie Lazaro) and Asuang (Pontri
Bernardo) figured also in this show via film clips that were projected on
screen. These other elements of Bicolano folklore were integrated with the tale
of Ulap and Magayon by dramaturg Abdon Balde, Jr. enabling the production to
have a multi-layered story.
As
someone who has limited knowledge in contemporary dance, it was a challenging
task trying to figure the choreography out. The movement is very much unlike
the classical ballet where everything has to be upright and turned out.
Thankfully, I had the wonderful music, composed by Dr. Ramon Santos that made
things a bit easier to grasp. The music he composed for this production which
was a departure from his avant-garde style featured a rondalla ensemble, a
piano and percussion along with a chorus. What made the music radical instead was
the modern approach he employed with the rondalla which is normally associated
with folk tunes. The music was richly textured, contrapuntal and dissonant at
times and it somehow made the dancing more palatable for someone like me who hasn’t
grasped this contemporary style fully.
Some
of the highlights in this production were the use of video clips and animation
alongside the dancing. Gugurang and Asuang appeared only in the video and their
make up and costume made these two gods look menacing and truly otherworldly. I
just wish that the transition between the dancing and the clips flowed more
smoothly seamless which could’ve made the narrative a lot clearer. This
technique was used to great effect with Ballet David Campos’ production of
Sleeping Beauty and Giselle last year. The matinee performance of Daragang Magayon also had its share of
technical gaffes. At one point in the performance, only the music was heard and
nothing was happening on stage which made me wonder if we were supposed to be watching
a video clip at that time.
Overall,
Daragang Magayon was a worthy effort
in retelling the legend of the Mayon Volcano through dance. And I have to admit
that it was the excellent music that was the main highlight for me.
Contemporary dance performances normally leave me scratching my head in
bafflement but because of the music, I appreciated the movements a lot more
than I expected. It was on the technical side that the production fumbled a bit
and I just hope that they were able to sort that one out during the Gala
performance that they had later.
Daragang Magayon: An Istorya ni Mayon
was also presented by the Provincial Government of Albay headed by Governor
Joey Salceda, Bicol University
