Beyond CCP: Pasinaya 2024 extends celebration to Tagum, Iloilo
MANILA, Philippines — The Sentrong Pangkultura ng Pilipinas (CCP) successfully celebrated the 19th edition of its annual Pasinaya Open House Festival, so much so that it brought the celebrations to Iloilo City in Western Visayas and Tagum in Davao del Sur.
The three-day open house festival featured live workshops and conferences in various art disciplines like dance, music, poetry, cinema and theater, aptly welcoming the National Arts Month in the country.
"We are breaking away from the notion that the CCP is just the building. We are emphasizing that CCP can be anywhere. We are closing another chapter as we open the pages for the next edition.
"The 2024 edition was participated in by 57 embassies/consulates, 16 museum partners in Metro Manila, Pasay and Iloilo, 87 artists and performers in Western Visayas, as well as over 3,000 artists and performers in Metro Manila," shared festival director and CCP vice-president Dennis Marasigan.
"Sumulong po sa baha ang mga taga Davao del Sur. They conducted some of the performances in the cathedral and the evacuation centers. Despite the flood, Tagum had a sizable attendance as the record showed 45,347 attendees," Marasigan added.
The extension of the celebration in two regional venues bode well with the CCP in being the lone venue for the past 18 editions, as the edifice is currently undergoing renovation and restoration work.
"We are honored to be one of the first-ever regional venues. We are part of the annual arts festival to pick up the National Arts Month celebration as we continue the culture and arts program in Iloilo City. Sulong, Pasinaya!" said Maricel Patricia "Mamo" Montero, museum director of the Iloilo Museum of Contemporary Art.(ILOMOCA).
Opened in 2018, the ILOMOCA is currently showcasing the "Potential, Potency, and Women Printmakers," a selection of prints from the CCP 21st Century Art Museum (21AM) collection on its second level, while the third level houses the private collection of Edwin Valencia.
The gallery is named after his mother, Adoracion Valencia, who was a patroness of the local arts. His impressive collection of 200 paintings and sculptures take the rounds of being displayed for the entire year. Some of the works on display include that of Daniel dela Cruz, Michael Cacnio, Sid Natividad, Raffy Napay, Anton del Castillio, Ferdinand Cacnio and Julie Llutch among many others.
One of the more interesting workshop sessions was the Sayaw for Parkinson's Disease. Choreographer Novy Bereber, upon discovering that his familial lineage have genetic strains of the disease, retired early from his work in Australia and put up a dance studio offering hour-long dance classes to heal the onset of the disease.
Other well attended sessions included "Balay Binalaybay," Panitikang Hiligaynon on Folk Poetry and Folk Literature (Lowa), as presented by Noel Galon of Hubon Manunulat.
"These verses were written during times of death where males and females answer back each other in verses they brought to the wake. Panay literature is bold but not vulgar. It chronicles our daily lives and experiences," De Leon said.
Young bloods also had their say when senior high students from Colegio de San Agustin presented a play titled "#Shookt," which essayed the mental health state of graduating seniors way back in 2019.
The Siplat Liwat screenings at the Cinematheque Center saw a restored version of Teddy Co's short film "Magkakahoy" as well as TM Maloles' social commentary on women, "Salvi."
The idea behind the Pasinaya Festival is that for a P50 peso donation, attendees get an "unlimited" access to the arts for an entire day.
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