Pearl of the Orient 2024

by Jon G. Malek

Cultural festivities in Winnipeg continue well into August. Upcoming events include the Kultivation Festival (August 19-25) and the Manitoba Filipino Street Festival (August 24 & 25), and Primrose Madayag Knazan is presenting a mango inspired culinary experiment Filipinx Fusion 3: Mango Unchained on August 25^th. Reservation queries can be sent to pmknazan@gmail. The first half of August hosted Winnipeg’s time-honoured tradition of Folklorama. This year’s Filipino pavilion, The Pearl of the Orient, was sponsored by Magdaragat, another esteemed world-class cultural institution homegrown in Winnipeg.

Since about 2007, I’ve attended almost every performance of The Pearl of the Orient, as well as the former second Filipino pavilion, Nayong Pilipino by the Kayumunggi Philippine Performing Arts group. I also got in the habit of visiting the Filipino pavilion more than once, and what I learned is that Magdaragat often switches Folklorama performances. You could stay all night and view three shows, and each would be different. So, for this review, I attended four different show times to get a sample of what they had in store for this year.

Folklorama started in 1970 as a one-time event in celebration of Manitoba’s centennial. It proved so popular, however, that it became a permanent fixture in the province’s cultural landscape. The Pearl of the Orient Pavilion first began in 1982 under the sponsorship of Magdaragat. The performing arts group was founded in 1976 by Dante C. Buenaventura, whose vision still inspires younger generations of performers. One feels the reverence and respect held for Buenaventura while attending the pavilion, as he features prominently in both the program and venue set up. Magdaragat, meaning “voyagers of the sea,” began as a theatre and, after its founding, introduced dance.

The theme of this year’s Pearl of the Orient was Pilipinas, Kong Mahal (Philippines, my beloved). One of the performances opened with an emotional performance of the song, Pilipinas, Kong Mahal, including a magnificent flag waving performance. The theme reflects the strength of the Filipino people, whose identity has been forged and proven by centuries of strife including colonialism, war, and hard economic conditions. These struggles are presented as the forge that helped form the Filipino people. In the pavilion’s program, Magdaragat writes that they “begin to shed layers of pain and struggle as we move towards the future” by “creating hope from the turmoil. turning strife into freedom.” In many ways, the repertoire of the Pearl of the Orient’s dance suites reflects this hope and freedom. Indeed, the existence of these dances in the diaspora is, in itself, an act of post-colonial resistance, an expression and claiming of Filipino history, values, and identity.

There were five suites this year, comprised of dances influenced by the Spanish colonial period (the Maria Clara suite), from the Lumad peoples of the Southern Philippines, from the Northern Luzon peoples of the Cordillera, the Muslim peoples of the south, and rural areas of the Philippines. Each show started with a fifteen-minute selection followed by a longer presentation of about 25 minutes. The opening performances drew from these various suites, and one of the more creative dances was a presentation of Filipino wedding traditions. One was a Christian wedding, which included such things as the giving of coins, and the donning of both cord and veil on the man and woman. Also included was a Muslim pre-nuptial dance that demonstrated artistic and physical excellence.

For three of the four shows, the longer performance was of a rural Luzon scene. Although my wife and I saw this set three times, we both agreed (on multiple occasions) that it never got old. This is because the performance was seamless, breathtaking, and extremely enjoyable. First to note is how incredibly choreographed the dances were. There were always groups moving on and off the stage, starting with the youngest children and moving up in age. The crowd didn’t have a chance to look away from the stage. In particular, I loved the Bulaklakan, Pandanggo sa ilaw, Sayaw sa banko, and the Tinikling dances. The dances were acts of grace, artistry, and great physical skill. The tinikling, with its thunderous beating of bamboos never fails to please, but the movement of the banko amazed me. The young men and women, always in control of their movements, moved with ease and joy with the girls bouncing from bench to bench with spring-like ease. In one performance, a gentleman sitting next to me said he’d seen the pavilion for several years and that it keeps getting better. I can attest to this as Magdaragat always seems to outdo itself each year.

One thing that came across from the performances is how well in-sync this group is. Comprised of 170 members, the group is described by one of its directors, Goldie Garcia, as like a family, with very strong intergenerational influences. This does not just refer to the strong presence of Dante Buenaventura, the group’s founder, but the strong relationships that are built within the group. Many of the group’s adult members and volunteers grew up in Magdaragat, and many have enrolled their own children. The members of Magdaragat clearly train long and hard, given the excellence of their performances, and the inevitable consequence of this is tight-knit relationships and camaraderie. This also creates real and strong intergenerational relationships, as the groups states, “Many of the current production members and teachers have grown up with the group, and are passing on the knowledge (that was) taught to them when they were younger.”

The current leadership of Magdaragat is not only interested in passing on what has been learned from previous generations but is also seeking out new forms of inspiration. Goldie, who graciously spoke to me after one 9:45 PM show, told me that they are constantly looking for what’s new and what other groups are doing through research. They also bring in other performers to teach new routines to their members. It’s also important to note that, in planning and choreographing the dances for this year, a lot of attention was spent on the authenticity of each dance. As we all know, the Philippines is made up of a wide range of cultural groups so that, within each of the five dances suites, there is a lot of specific groups. Each of these groups have specific dances and costumes, even down the symbolic colours that are used. Magdaragat deserves commendation for their desire to honour the various sources of the dances they use.

As always, the dedication and sheer skill of the Winnipeg Filipino community continues to shine. We are privileged to live in a city with so much talent and I hope you all get the chance to experience it at least once. Mabuhay to the performers of Magdaragat, the Pearl of the Orient pavilion, and Folklorama for another year of excellence.

Correction

In my last piece, I erroneously spelled FilipinxPages, one of the sponsors of the Vancouver Filipino-Canadian Book Festival July 12-14th, 2024. My apologies for the error!

Jon Malek is an Assistant Professor of History at Providence University College. His research is on the history of the Philippines and the Filipino diaspora. His current writing projects include a book on the history of Filipinos in Canada and a project on Filipino food and culture.