Folklorama Revisited

The Filipino Journal: August 1-15 2003 issue pp17-18

I was pleasantly surprised by the goosebumps I felt when the first bars of The Tapis started playing and the beautiful Magdaragat dancers in their vibrant costumes took the stage. It has been almost 20 years since I myself was onstage—complete with stage make-up, slicked back bun, an assortment of colourful attire, and, of course, that big friendly Filipina smile. It seems I’d almost forgotten my “brown-ness,” born in Saskatchewan, raised a coconut (ya know, brown outside, white inside) and having basically immersed myself in pseudo-white culture for all these years. I figured my recent move to Winnipeg would help me get back to my roots, and I was absolutely right: thanks to Tita Linda, Tito Rod, and the warm Filipino community who’ve embraced me whole-heartedly, despite my non-existent Tagalog. What a treat to kick off my new Winnipeg/reborn Filipina life with an awesome Folklorama experience starting with my home pavilion. The event struck a sentimental chord in me for another reason: back during my days in the Regina Filipinas Youth Group, Magdaragat came to perform for Mosaic, the Regina equivalent of Folklorama. During that time, we billeted and became fast friends and pen pals with all these lively members, took artistic workshops with the group, and were thoroughly inspired by founder Dante Buenaventura’s artistic talents, work ethic, and above all his fierce love of the Philippines and its fabulous culture.

There were many highlights of my evening at the Pearl of the Orient Pavilion: clapping along to the cute children in their hip hop segment; the nail-biting ankle-snapping frenzy of the dexterous Tinikling dancers; the heart-breakingly enchanting Singkil with the wonderfully haughty queen (the rhythm still brings a tear to my eyes); the coy and playful Tapis (I got a chance to shake my booty too, thanks to the audience participation part!); tsismis-sing with the ladies about you name it—shoes and purses—at the cultural display; the amazing voice of Melanie Centeno, our very own Star Search Superstar; the engaging and hilarious emcee, Patrick; and topping it off with a lengthy bout of photo-op action with Karen Alvarez, the extremely talented and gracious lead actress for Miss Saigon.

Next stop was the Argentina Tango Pavilion where I got VIP treatment from the helpful volunteers and settled in for a wonderful show which interspersed a screen map tour of Argentina with an entertaining emcee, some excellent children’s folk dances, the sizzling tango, moving songs from a live Argentinean band, and the energetic malambo where the dancers use wooden balls on cords swung in eye-popping patterns and their boot heels to tap the floor creating a catchy rhythm. I got to sample the Cervico, a tasty wine and fruit drink and mingle with the gregarious crowd.

I also got a warm Mabuhay at the Philippine Pavilion Nayong Pilipino where I again got to delight in the impressive talents of my fellow Filipinos. This time the Kayumanggi Philippine Performing Arts members strutted their stuff; my Filipina pride was growing to boastful proportions as I watched the primal movements of the Igorot, the Filipino thrift and resourcefulness captured in the rural dances, the Spanish-influenced romantic wedding dance, another spine-tingling Singkil (this time with a sword-flashing prince), and the powerful voices of local songbirds.

I then pigged out on a heaping plate of mouth-watering barbecue, pancit, caldaretta, lumpia, and rice—washing it down with a refreshing mango juice.

With a full tummy and a contented sigh, I headed home with the resolve to visit as many pavilions as I could. My final thoughts on my Folklorama Revisited kick-off: Manitoba really is Friendly with a cultural landscape second to none; and wow, we Flips really are a beautiful, multi-talented, fun, diverse, warm group. We really rock. Ako ay Pilipina.