CCP's "Sining ay Buhay, Buhay ang Sining" to visit Iloilo

To mark the 35th year of the CCP’s Outreach Program, a series of regional cultural exchanges and community tours billed as “Sining ay Buhay, Buhay ang Sining” will be organized by the CCP Cultural Exchange Department from September to November 2014 featuring the most prominent regional cultural groups.

The exchanges will focus on the flourishing of arts and culture in the regions, and how art has made an impact in the lives of the people and the creative industry in the local communities.  Through this program, the CCP CED endeavors to support and motivate local cultural performing groups to achieve artistic excellence and promote local art and cultural expressions in various venues and communities.  The program will certainly be a fitting celebration of the center’s regional cultural work in the last three and a half decades. 

To launch the exchanges,  three exceptional performing groups from Luzon will visit the Visayas region this September: Barasoain Kalinangan Foundation Inc. (BKFI) of Malolos, Bulacan; Lahing Batangan Dance Troupe (LBDT) of the University of Lyceum Batangas City; and the Baao Children and Youth Choir (BCYC) of Baao, Camarines Sur.

The Barasoain Kalinangan Foundation Inc. relives the life of Eusebio “Maestrong Sebio” Roque
and his contributions to the founding of Kakarong De Sili Republic through a musical play
dubbed as Kakarong Show as part of the week-long celebration of Singkaban Fiesta.
Photo Credit www.Bulacan.gov.ph

The Barasoain Kalinangan Foundation, Inc. (BKFI) is a resident theater company of the Province of Bulacan.  Since its creation in 1980, the group has created an impressive body of original works and developed a program of sustainability thru LGU support and audience development.  Since 1987, BKFI consistently mounted two Theater Laboratory Workshops a year that runs for 4 months and produces two one-act-plays. It serves as the Theater School in Bulacan.  In September 2007, BKFI created the Bulacan Arts, Culture and History Institute or BACH Institute to develop the vast and rich heritage of the province through training, research and other educational programs. In 2004, BKFI was conferred the “GAWAD CCP PARA SA SINING” for its outstanding contributions in theater development in the region.  Through the years, the company has earned the respect of theater artists and critics all over the country.  Acknowledged too is the discipline of BKFI’s actors and their work in putting together a Filipino repertoire, in instituting and promoting community theater and in promoting the culture and tradition of the region thru its productions.

LAHING Batangan Dance Troupe from Lyceum of the Philippines University-Batangas performs the ‘Maria Clara dance.’ Photo credit RICHARD A. REYES/ Inquirer

Lahing Batangan Dance Troupe, the official folk dance company of the Lyceum of the Philippines University (Batangas), marks more than 15 years of promoting the rich and colorful culture of the Philippines thru music, dance and songs.  Founded in 1995, the group is already a veteran of international performance tours as it showcased its cultural brilliance in folklore festivals in Italy, Malaysia and South Korea. The group had exceptionally made its mark in the national cultural map through the various CCP and NCCA projects.  Lahing Batangan Dance Troupe had already staged four major dance concerts showcasing full-length all-Filipino repertoire in their home ground and has represented the Philippines in five major international festivals: August 2008- International Folkdance Festival (Italy); April 2010- XIII Melaka Drum Festival (Malaysia); October 2011- Asian & Oceania Folklore Festival (South Korea); July 2012- 7th Sabah International Folklore Festival (Malaysia); October 2013- Anseong Baudeogi Folkdance Festival (South Korea)

NAMCYA winner Baao Children & Youth Choir performance at PASINAYA festival in CCP. The 10th edition expanded to the National Museum and Metropolitan Museum and other establishments last March 16, 2014.
Caption and Photo Credit Jude Bautista

The Baao Children and Youth Choir is a community and church based choir composed of students from Rosary School Inc. and Baao National High School Special Program in the Arts. It was organized in 2003 and became a national finalist in the NAMCYA Children’s Choir Competition in 2004 and 2007. In 2008, the choir bagged the 1st Place and the “Best Interpretation of the Contest Piece” in the National Finals of the NAMCYA.  In early 2011, the choir was invited to sing at “Festejos” and held concerts at the UST Museum of Arts and Sciences and Faith Academy Theater together with Yaeneoul Children’s Choir from Korea.  The choir was the Philippine representative to the 1st International Children and Arts Festival in Kuala Lumpur last December 2011. The following year, the choir competed in the 18thCertamen Juvenil de Habaneras in Torrevieja, Spain and won the Grand Prize. The National Commission for Culture and The Arts conferred to the Choir the Ani ng Dangal Award for Music in March 2013.  Last October 2013, the choir competed in the 9th Busan Choral Festival and Competition and won 3rd Place in the Ethnic and Youth Choir Category. They also qualified in the Grand Prix and bagged the Audience Prize Award. From August 6-September 3, 2014, the Baao Children and Youth Choir will have its 4th International Tour to the United States and will represent the Philippines in the 15th Mundial de Coros in Puebla, Mexico.

The outreach performance tour in Iloilo City is being presented in partnership with the Municipality of Santa Barbara and SM CITY Iloilo. Performance will be on Sept. 28, 2014 at 4pm at Cinema 6 of SM City Iloilo. For more details please contact the Santa Barbara Centennial Museum at 523-8551.