1Contemporary

PhilippineArts from
Regions
EXPRESSIONS OF
PHILIPPINE
 Festivals and Rituals: Representation of
Philippine Arts

Perhaps one collaborative art that is common

to every region is the festival. The Philippines
has festivals or every kind: festivals honoring
patron saints (a carry-over from the Catholic
Spanish-colonial tradition), thanksgiving for a
bountiful harvest, commemoration of an event,
and tribute to special occasion or a local
specialty. The celebration for festivals has
become a collaborative art that involves many
art forms and styles. A festival may be
composed of street-dancing, singing
competitions, architectural decors like floats
Festivals commemorating events and honoring
specialties of an area are also popular. An
example of these is the Panagbenga in Baguio
City, the festival of flowers; it was started to
revive the city’s industry after the devastation of
the 1990 Luzon earthquake. The festival has
been a Baguio trademark since then. The
Pattaraday Festival in Santiago City, Cagayan,
during the first week of May commemorates the
founding anniversary of the city and the coming
together of several ethnic groups. The Ybanag
word pattaraday means “unity”
 The Maskara Festival of Bacolod City
pays tribute to the sugar industry that
once flourished in the region. It is
celebrated every third week of October.
The performers wear smiling masks to
give a brighter light to the fall of their
industry which occurred in the 1970s.
 Fluvial parades are also popular. Procession of
decorated boats are held to honor patron saints. The
most famous in the fluvial parade is Our Lady of
Peňafrancia in Naga City every September, where
millions of pilgrims, tourists, and devotees gather to
join the festivities. Also, in Aparri, Cagayan, a
procession of hundred decorated boats honor St.
Peter Thelmo on May 10.
The festivals mentioned here are just some of the
many festivals in the various regions. Some of them
are sponsored by the Department of Tourism to attract
tourists that add to the economic coffers. Some are
politically motivated to push or campaign for a local
interest. Whatever their purpose is, these festivals
 Rituals, or rites, are also examples of the Philippine
folk tradition and art, practiced in almost every
region. These are a part of the culture. They are a
series of ceremonies or prescribed actions performed
for a specific purpose. There are ceremonial rites,
religious rites, betrothal and marriage rituals, the rite
of passage and others. Rituals can be simple or
complex, private, or public, and can last for a few
minutes or stretch for days. The rituals are often
accompanied by dancing.

Rituals exist in the regions because of a certain need,

such as the need to obtain order and harmony in the
balance must be maintained to achieve the state of
order and harmony. The baylan (priest) or the
babaylan (priestess) performs the rite. In other rituals,
the shaman, a seer, or healer, acts as an intermediary
between man and the spirit world, suing the art of
magic.

Stretching further, rituals are found in ordinary,

everyday life even the personal daily routines undergo
a process of ritual, like the ritual of preparing for
school, washing the hands, combing the hair, etc. the
family has social rituals for greetings; the beso for
friends and pagmamano, a respectful greeting of
 Material
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s
Artists need physical materials to work on. They are
how the artists make their feelings or thoughts
visible. Through them, they transform their idea or
experience into something tangible to be received by
the audience, viewer, or listener.
In the past, materials for Filipino art forms have
been clearly defined: paper and pen or a typewriter
for the literary artist; paint, paper, or canvas for the
visual artist; an instrument and/or a musical sheet
for the musician. Some art forms call for Western-
made materials and tools that are expensive like oil
paints and brushes for the painter. Although some of
 Filipino artists have also rediscovered existing
indigenous tools and instruments for their use.
Materials for visual design come in two forms:
support and the medium. The support may refer to
the primary material of which the work of art is made
(e.g., paper, canvas, stone, textile) or the secondary
material (e.g., paper glued or mounted on cardboard,
textile over wood). For example, in music composition
and the literary arts, the support is the paper and the
tangible medium is ink.
When it comes to choosing their materials, Filipino
contemporary artist does not conform to any fixed
standard. They know that they have many choices.
They can just look around their surroundings and
 some have found objects that can be used as materials
for assemblage and installation art and as musical
instruments. The late Levi Celerio, National Artist for
Music, was fond of using a leaf which his lips in humming
musical tunes. During the Christmas season, children sing
Christmas carols with the help of their tin cans and sticks
or stones.
 Today there is a crossover, or hybridization of
materials. Local and traditional ones have committed
with contemporary art forms. Before, materials were
restricted to standard mediums and tools that were
mostly borrowed from the West. Now whatever is
available locally, suitable, and applicable to the art form
is the norm. Local, traditional, and alternative
materials have combined, creating a new unique
Filipino style. Mixed media have become popular.
Filipinos are ingenious. They are adept at holding
tools and using materials in different ways. They are
also intuitive; they know that materials can be formed
and fashioned in diverse ways and applied to their work
with varying results. Experimentation and innovation
are parts of the Filipino’s daily life.
 Technique
s
Technique in the creation of arts can be defined in two
ways: First, as the process or method that makes use of
the materials on hand; and second, as the skill of the artist
to execute his or her work and produce the effect he or
she wants to achieve. It is a system in everything that
artists do. There are diverse techniques for different art
forms.
A writing technique is the way a writer arranges words
and thoughts to create moods or atmospheres, or to evoke
the feeling he or she wants to express. A musical
technique is the way the musician handles his or her
instrument to interpret a musical composition and to
express the feeling he or she wants to evoke. In visual
 In theatre, an acting technique is the manner of
using facial expressions, gestures, and body
movements to portray a character. A dance technique
is the way of moving one’s body to express an
emotion or a desired state or condition.
Choreography
Techniques
In choreography, the technique involves human
movement and form within the elements of time,
space, and shape. It also involves energy in a
nonverbal and emotional context. There are two
fundamental dance methods in choreography.
 The first method is planned: the choreography
prescribes the movements and forms in detail,
giving little or no opportunity for the dancers to be
creative. The other method is called improvisation:
the choreographer allows the dancers freedom to
interpret the general instructions. This is oftentimes
referred to as “interpretative dancing”.

Traditional techniques are still being used. These

are mirroring, retrograde, canon, level, shadowing
1. Mirroring – techniques where dancers face each
other while doing the same steps.
2. Retrograde- reverse performance of a sequence of
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3.Canon – dancers performing similar steps in a successive
manner
4.Levels – varying positions of dancers
5.Shadowing – technique where a dancer is standing
behind another while doing the same steps.
6.Unison – unanimous performance of steps.
Some noted Filipino choreographers are National Artist
Lucrecia R. Urtula of the Bayanihan Dance Company,
Leonor Orosa Goquingco of Filipinescas Dance Company,
Ramon Obusan of the Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group,
Alice Reyes of Ballet Philippines; Agnes C. Locsin; Shirley
Halili-Cruz; Basilio Esteban Villaruz; the late Tony Fabella;
and Edna Vida of Ballet Philippines. Try to watch the
choreography directed by the mentioned artists to
 Acting
Techniques
Acting techniques deal with the characterization
of the human experience. It is used to create a
mood to heighten tension. It involves the
coordinators of facial expression, gesture, and
speech to produce the emotion or feeling called for
in the part.

Actors must learn basic acting techniques to be

convincing in portraying the characters to the
audience. Some acting techniques are the
following: learning the rhythm of one’s lines,
employing word stress, and giving and receiving
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meaning across. Acting techniques deal with
movement, pace, pause, silence, voice, eye
contact, physical contact, contrast, positioning, and
timing.

Both theatre and film actors practice these

techniques. However, there still may be slight
differences in some terms. For example, a theatre
actor must be more exaggerated in hi movements
to make them visible to every spectator, whereas a
film actors’ smallest movements and gestures can
be seen through tight shots and camera zooming.
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Noted personalities in the Philippine theatre are
directors Onofre Pagsanghan, Jose Estrella, Anton
Juan, Maribel Legarda, Nick Lizaso, Soxie Topacio,
and the late Behn Cervantes. Some prized Filipino
playwright are Nicanor Tiongson who is also an art
critic; Tony Perez; Paul Dumol; Bienvenido Noriega
Jr.; Alberto S. Florentino; Rody Vera; and Jesus T.
Peralta.

Innovation in acting techniques in theatre has

been widespread, mainly because of the birth of
many theatre groups in the country. Aside from
professional theatres, school-based theater groups
have also emerged, awakening the performing
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