'I Land' at the CCP

Fresh from its off-Broadway successful run, I Land starring acclaimed actor and hula dancer Keo Woolford will be staged on the gala opening night on Jan. 22, 8 p.m., with regular performances on Jan. 23 and 24, 8 p.m., and Jan. 25, 3 p.m., at the CCP Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (Little Theater).

I Land is presented by Cultural Center of the Philippines, in cooperation with the Asian Cultural Council Philippines (ACCP).  

This fund-raising activity spearheaded by the ACCP is for the benefit of the ACC Philippine Fellowship Program that gives grants to individuals and cultural institutions in the Philippines for international exchange activities in Asia and the United States in various fields of the arts. It shall also benefit the Makiling Academic and Research Institute for the Arts (MARIA) Scholarship which represents the CCP’s continuous development of young Filipino artists by providing financial assistance for their college education. The top students of the graduating class of the Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA) representing the six art fields will receive the MARIA Scholarship for Visual Arts, Music, Ballet, Folk Dance, Literature/Creative Writing, and Theatre Arts.

I Land is Keo Woolford’s moving search for the meaning of heritage in a postmodern world weaving together traditional Hawaiian hula, hip-hop, Hawaiian talk story and spoken word. In this semi-autobiographical journey, Woolford chronicles his first exposure to the hula and how he came under the instruction of his idol, whom he dubs the “Hula god.” He also describes his fleeting brush with fame as a member of a boy band that almost hits the big time; his subsequent descent into a world of drugs and partying; and his rediscovery of the dance that connects him to both his culture and to himself.

I Land was created by Keo Woolford in collaboration with director Roberta Uno, and co-commissioned by Asia Society and Ma-Yi Theater Company in association with Diverse Works. Its artistic team is composed of Robert Cazimero (Hula choreography), Rokafella (Hip-Hop choreography), Clint Ramos (stage design and costumes), Zachary Borovay (projection design), Josh Bradford (lighting design) and Elton Lin (sound design).

Tickets are P3,000, P2,000, P500 and P300, with a 50-percent discount for students and 20 percent off for senior citizens. For tickets, call the CCP Box Office at 832-3704 or 832-1125 local 1409 or call Ticketworld at 891-9999.