NCCA brings Alice Reyes' dance revue to Western Visayas
MANILA, Philippines — The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) brought National Artist Alice Reyes' dance revue to Western Visayas, particularly to the town of Culasi in Antique.
In his welcome address, Culasi mayor Jose Jeffrey Lomugdang thanked the NCCA and the Alice Reyes Dance Company for bringing an early Yuletide cheer to their far-flung locale that has seen its first performance from a renowned dance troupe.
"Christmas is a time for festivity when we all come together as a community, and preserve our traditions. It also reminds us of the importance of stewardship in showing the true meaning of the season," the mayor said.
Secondary students from the St. Michael's High School were part of the ensemble that includes seasoned theater actor Audie Gemora.
The dance revue, simply dubbed "Puso ng Pasko," tells of Gemora's youth (now a grandfather) in the fictional town of Tres Reyes in Bulacan. Through flashbacks, he tells his granddaughter Angelita how Christmas is uniquely celebrated in their hometown. The spectators were all but gleeful until Gemora says the line — "Hindi lahat ng Xmas wish ay natutupad" — hinting of lost love from the past.
The high point of the evening was the "CulasiGa" event where most of the town's residents witnessed the tree lighting and fireworks display after watching the dance revue at the lights-festooned Madjaas Confederation Freedom Park in Antique.
Parol display
The NCCA also supported the province of Capiz's arts and heritage showcase for the final month of 2024. Foremost is the celebration of its Sinadya Festival, a week-long traditional event that culminates with the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.
Corollary to the festival is the province-wide celebration of the "Paskwa Sang Maragtas," a provincial ordinance highlighting Capiz's creative industries celebrating local artists and artisans, as well as its community effort.
The "Paskwa Sang Maragtas" is a provincial legislation, pushed by Gov. Fredenil H. Castro, that converts the entire province of Capiz into a Christmas Village.
It is a one-of-a-kind celebration in the whole country. The highways bounding Capiz to other provinces of Western Visayas are lined with brightly lit parols, echoing the lights display in its heritage zones that include the provincial capitol with its century-old bridge.
The 17 municipalities and the capital city of Capiz are one in this endeavor. To color code their parols, some municipalities opted for the immaculate color of white, another went for red, one went for green, others chose to be multi-colored. The capital city of Roxas, meanwhile, went for pink and rose-colored lanterns.
Drumbeating the ordinance was the December 3 event wherein 45,000 parols along the provincial thoroughfares were all lit simultaneously.
Coinciding with the aforementioned events was the Values Month culminating activity through the Balay Pinoy school caravan at the Aglalana Integrated School (AIS) in the municipality of Dumarao.
"There were several considerations why AIS was chosen as a venue. First, because of the learning of the 20 core values through its storytelling project that began at the height of the global pandemic. Second, a large number of its learners come from the IP (indigenous peoples) community. And, lastly, value formation is part of its tour itinerary — which is also used in our tourism and cultural programs," shared provincial tourism officer Alphonsus Dalisay Tesoro in his keynote speech.
"Arts and culture is the backbone of progressive communities," said Arvin Manuel Villalon, chairman of the NCCA's sub-committee on the Arts.
Capiz is the first to have completed its cultural mapping in 2017, as mandated by the expanded Heritage Law.
Western Visayas (Region 6) is composed of the provinces of Iloilo, Capiz, Aklan, Antique and the island of Guimaras.
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