'Holidazed' in Cebu

Long after the holidays were over, the people of Cebu were still “holidazed.” Why not when revelry and reverence took center stage until the third weekend of January for the Sinulog, a festival held in honor of Cebu’s patron saint, The Holy Child, Señor Sto. Nino.

At Luxx, the new club located in Cebu’s night lifestyle institution, Vudu, the Sinulog celebrations were a weeklong series of events that started with the launch of Ballroom Mondays, the VUDUeoke Tuesday and Spotlight Wednesdays. On Thursday, the anticipation for the Sinulog fever jumpstarted at Luxx with renowned local band Johnnie and the Walkers rocking the hits of the ‘80s and ‘90s. The decades of dance and classic anthems from the glory days continued on Friday in one big Reunion as Manila’s restaurant and bar Nuvo teamed up with Cebu’s definitive night lifestyle institution to bring in Boyet Sison back to back with Luxx’s residents DJ Johanna del Rosario and Marlon Orellano. Nuvo’s Louie Ysmael hosted the night alongside Vudu CEO JP Chiongbian. Resident DJ Kutlyfe spun RnB at the second level Lounge.

On Saturday, the merrymaking had a crowd of over a thousand with the party lasting until sunrise. Everybody enjoyed the music of Republiq’s Mars Miranda and NYC’s Jay Jung. Again, DJ Marlon Orellano of Luxx did the fantastic live video mixing. Resident DJ Maxie Perez played out his house music at the second level. The Sinulog revelry was capped off with “Sleepless in Cebu” featuring GP Reyes. Four power-packed nights of exuberant crowds marked one of the best Sinulog parties in Cebu ever!

Hotel Elizabeth Cebu and Bellavista Hotel, the official residences of the artists, also powered Luxx Sinulog 2011. Luxx at Vudu is located at the Crossroads, Banilad, Cebu City.

(Luxx is open Monday to Saturday from 6 p.m. onwards and features the following weekly club nights: Ballroom Night Mondays, VUDUeoke Tuesdays, Spotlight Wednesdays, Band Night and Trivia Thursdays, Reunions ‘80s/ ‘90s Fridays and The House of Luxx Mashup Saturdays. Log on to www.vudu.com.ph, e-mail [email protected] or contact 0917-7100300 or 0917-7100400 for table reservations.)

Vessels of life

For those who will be in Baguio this weekend, drop by the Bencab Museum for a stoneware pottery exhibit by Ofelia Gelvezon-Tequi entitled Vessels. The exhibit will open tomorrow at 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Sepia Gallery and will run until March 27.

France-based artist Gelvezon-Tequi has always been fascinated with ancient Chinese ceramics excavated in the Philippines. When she and her husband Marc moved from Paris to the Dordogne region, she found a potter in the village who was willing to teach her how to work with clay. Always a student in spirit, she thought, “This venture into pottery would help me understand this art form better.”

The vessels on exhibit are the artist’s initial experiments in coil and slab techniques, as well as with various types of clay, sand and glazing. The results are cups, bowls, and other utilitarian objects in organic shapes that literally bear the artist’s fingerprints.

Gelvezon-Tequi has double degrees in painting and English from the University of the Philippines, a diploma in painting from the Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma and a certificate in special studies in graphic arts from the Pratt Institute in New York City.

Go early and check out the BenCab Museum that features works of National Artist Benedicto Cabrera, his collection of bulols or Ifugao rice gods and works of other artists.

(The Bencab Museum is located at Km. 6 Asin Road, Tuba, Metro Baguio. Call (+6374) 442-7165 or 0920-5301954 or visit www.bencabmuseum.org for details.)