The other French Spring / Banquet with balagtasan

My previous column on "French Spring" focused on events geared toward popular taste. This one will focus on offerings of more sophisticated appeal.

Trained in sculpture, Maxime Acker represents a new generation of artists inspired by land art and relations between man and earth. He will thus exhibit photographs of his installations and sculpture which juxtapose symbols of industrial society and the beauty of nature. "He plays with contrasts and the opposition of forms; his photographs attenuate the light in the darkness of what can be a violent confrontation."

A French artist-in-residence, Acker will display his works at the Alliance Francaise from June 6 to 30.

In April of 2004, Elodie Brunet, armed with a degree from the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts Decoratifs, came to Palawan where she discovered a special fabric which combined piña with silk.

Elodie, who previously designed scarves for Christian Dior, had built a career in fashion design and home decor. With this rich background, she began designing on the Palawan fabric while also teaching Filipino women how to create their own designs on it.

An exhibit will show their joint work on the indigenous material – elegant and decorative – from June 8 to 18 at the Ayala Museum.

Another art exhibit, from June 13 to June 30 at Glorietta 4 Art Center, will consist of Romeo Forbes’ painting interpretations of the ideas on nature and environment of French writer Jean Giono as expressed in his book The Man Who Planted Trees, and as adapted by children’s book author and Palanca awardee Augie Rivera.

The adaptation encapsulates Giono’s tale about the power of one individual to make a difference, and Forbes’ renditions will make up his first one-man show.

Dance aficionados will see on June 6 at Onstage, Greenbelt 1, "Indios Bravos" as performed by Airdance Company, a group of choreographers, professional dancers and dance teachers. Libretto is by playwright-poet Nicholas Pichay; direction, by Paul Morales; music score, by Bob Aves and Grace Nono.

The dance company, trained in jazz, hip-hop, breakdance, martial arts, modern and classic ballet, will fuse styles and explore the possibilities and collective talent of its members. They will further depict the experiences of Filipinos abroad.

For classic music lovers, ‘French Spring" will offer chamber pieces. Twelve young, brilliant French instrumentalists, grand prize-winners in prestigious international competitions, will interpret European classic music.

The first concert on June 7 will feature a wind ensemble at the F. Santiago Hall; the second on June 8, a string ensemble at Ayala Museum. On June 9, all the instrumentalists will form a chamber orchestra for a grand finale, at F. Santiago Hall.

The recitals will be in the best tradition of past "French Spring" presentations. Remember that incredible violinist Nemanja Radulovic who played with the Manila Philharmonic under Rodel Colmenar?

Ask Alliance Francaise director Philippe Normand why "French Spring" is so well organized, and he will answer: "Because we prepare for it six months in advance!"

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Dez Bautista, authority on Philippine culture, conceptualized "Piging: A Heritage of Cuisine" for the ongoing Heritage Festival which offered last Monday the menu served at the Philippine Republic inauguration in Malolos, Bulacan, on Jan. 23, 1899.

Recreated at the Captain’s Bar of the Mandarin Oriental headed by GM Helmut Gaisberger, the "banquette de la Republika" consisted mainly of Bulacan cuisine enhanced by Spanish technique and infused with "French panache" by Pedro Paterno and friends who wrote the menu in French. The dishes included buttered radish, Holland salmon, chicken giblet a la Tagalle (adobo), fillet of fish a la chateaubriand with green French beans, mutton chops a la papillote with potatoes, and strawberry jelly, among others.

Historic ambiance was added by the presence of relatives of our heroes: Aguinaldo’s granddaughters Consuelo A. Abaya and Emilie A. Pullido (incidentally, my father was a nephew of Maria Agoncillo, Aguinaldo’s second wife); Gemma Cruz Araneta, a relative of Rizal, and Bulakeñas Ofelia Trinidad, Clarita Reyes-Lapus and Lydia Reyes, both granddaughters of Mama Sita Reyes whose native food products – vinegar from coconut (tuba), packaged tocino, menudo/afritada, caldereta, kare-kare and palabok – prevent foreign brands from inundating our own.

Ambiance, too, was deepened by the colorful, elegant ternos of Gemma, Mita Rufino, Milagros Enriquez and Mandarin’s own communications director Charisse Chuidian. The presence of Danny Dolor reminded us of his still-active Tribung Pinoy, and of his significant contribution to our own history through his renovation of the house in Cavite where Andres Bonifacio’s trial was held.

The luncheon was a thoroughly Philippine affair, a Bulacan choir sang native airs from Dahil sa Iyo to Kalesa, and a spirited balagtasan was held – a debate in rhymed Tagalog on the subject: "Which is the superior gender?" With a referee as arbiter, the debate went right back to Adam and Eve. Bambi Harper, a member of the Heritage Festival working committee, whispered to me, "It has been sometime since I’ve heard a balagtasan" and I countered, to her utter disbelief, "This is the first time I’m listening to one!" The balagtasan is uniquely our own; thankfully, Heritage Festival is helping to revive it along with many other time-honored traditions.

Dez Bautista explained the many goings-on, including Mayor Jejomar Binay’s throwing of rice in three directions for the opening rites.

Piging’s remaining menus for May 24 to 27, are Mesa de Hacienda which dates back to the close of the Galleon Trade with Mexico; The First Banquet is the Spaniards’ first taste of native cuisine as chronicled by Pigafetta; A Filipino Table in Paris depicts Filipino dishes or Hispanic adaptations which homesick Indios Bravos in Paris – Luna, Hidalgo, Paterno – missed; Mesa de Lipa conjures the heavily-laden tables of Lipa’s wealthy coffee-growers in the 19th century.