Bel-Air’s Pasinaya sets example of communal spirit / Golden Dove for Cecile

Way before the start of Velada, which climaxed Bel-Air’s annual Pasinaya, the venue was already teeming with residents, young and old, most of them in everyday attire. Camaraderie was obvious amidst the deafening music and din of voices.

As I entered the premises, I felt utterly lost until Alice R. Briones, prominent Bel-Air resident, welcomed me in her typically warm manner and, with some maneuvering, sat me right in front of the stage. Ablaze with lights, this had two huge green criss-crossing arcs.

Legions, in holiday mood, kept coming and going while a screen, on either side of the stage, flashed advertisements and names of various Pasinaya sponsors.

After what seemed an eternal while, the show began. Throughout the program, large ensembles successively filled the stage, each in colorful costumes.

Participants of both sexes ranged from toddlers – who displayed amazing discipline – to senior citizens.

All dances, apparently belonging to the same genre, were in varying degrees energetic, robust, flamboyant, fiery and electrifying with rigid, two-hour daily rehearsals behind them, as earlier disclosed by barangay captain Constancia “Nene” Q. Lichauco. Arms were vigorously thrust up, down, sideways, or traced circles; hips swayed, bodies gyrated as pulses of viewers quickened.

For a more extensive description of Velada, here are excerpts from the program notes. “Viral doesn’t mean what is current and hip. Because of Youtube, a lot of retro stuff gets into the net and is considered cool again. It’s these cool classics from Tom Cruise, John Travolta and Kevin Bacon that Bel-Air’s showstopping heart throbs are going to emulate. Swoon as the boys do their take on Rock and Roll, Grease and Footloose.”

“Do expect the glitz of Madonna, the energy of Beyonce, and the verve of Britney, as the young ladies of Bel-Air pay tribute to the viral sensation that is…The super bowl half time show!!!”

“Put 20 bodies together and you have a crowd. Put 30 bodies together and you have a party. The number doesn’t matter, it’s the energy that makes a mob… one movin’, groovin’, shaking mass of bodies where the whole is definitely greater than the sum of its parts. Here comes the flashyness of flash mobs!”

“What could be more viral, more copied and more inspiring than Glee? The series that made Glee clubs glamorous again. With Glee anything goes, and every old song becomes new again. You can choose to sing along or you can choose to dance to it. Whatever you choose, you’re choosing to enjoy the moment. In a manner that guarantees… Glee!”

Floy Quintos, stage director, points out: “Viral is a word that young people are familiar with. It is a word that sums up the energy and expectations of young people everywhere. Here, in Bel-Air, we have seen how the Pasinaya has attracted a younger set of participants each year. They range from tiny toddlers to the teeners, from the young adults starting careers, to young parents starting families. All of them know what it means. All of them will be responsible for making this barangay’s ‘esprit de corps’ go ‘viral’ in a world where the spirit of community is so sorely needed today.”

Floy does not include the older members who I saw dancing, among them “Nene” swaying gently; Susan Medina swaying vigorously; Carminda Regala moving spiritedly, and Bel-Air Village Association president Roberto C. Bernares surprising and delighting everyone as an excellent dancer!

At the end of Velada, the vast assemblage of performers, going into the hundreds, took a bow before the thunderously clamoring multitude of fellow residents. The awesome scene signified one spirit, one mind, one body – one community, perhaps its cooperative, unified, giant endeavor finding no match elsewhere in Makati. In this regard, Velada was a tremendous success.

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Radio Balintataw, which focused on Ninoy Aquino’s assassination 30 years ago, garnered the Golden Dove Award for best documentary. The dzRH production staff was created and hosted by Cecile Guidote-Alvarez, RM Outstanding Asian Artist and UNESCO Artist for Peace awardee. In the past, hers was already named best drama and cultural educational show by the Kapisanan ng mga Broadcasters ng Pilipinas. Helping with its contents was Cecile’s husband, former Sen. Heherson Alvarez, ally of Ninoy Aquino in exile.

TV Balintataw was initiated by Cecile in 1967 as producing director; in the same year, she also founded the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA). Balintataw introduced the broadcast concept of a national creative classroom for building appreciation for wealth of habitat, heritage, history, language, indigenous industries to promote peace and sustainable development.