BRIGINO, Alexandra Anne B

2018 - 01988
TFA 161 Learning Log 13
Self-select Webinar 2

Introduction to Cultural Performance: The Philippine Context | Dr. Sir Anril Tiatco | TVUP

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7ZEsm11gRg

Before learning about this topic, I have always been intrigued by the performance arts in the
Philippines, such as rituals, dances, music, theatre, and many others. As an artist who does not
practice the performing arts, I find people who possess such talent and develop and preserve
such skills and techniques to be curious. Particularly for those who preserve and continue the
ceremonies, rituals, and performances of their cultures, I am touched by their causes and
advocacies to dedicate themselves to their traditions.

Now I know that such cultural performances in the Philippines are almost inseparable from
religion or a community’s spiritual beliefs. I find it fascinating that literature on such cultural
performances and performance studies have only been developed by the academe in the past
century. I found Dr. Tiatco’s lecture on cultural performances to be helpful as it allowed me to go
beyond mere familiarity and appreciation for the Philippine traditional performing arts, his lecture
further educating me on the more academic elements and aspects of analysing and studying
such performances. It also again reminds me to note the western and eastern biases in
approaching such anthropological, cultural, and art studies. The western “canon”, though may
be one perspective in studying such concepts, must be regarded with caution as one must also
study from one’s own context, specifically from the Philippine context.

Performance is emphasised to be a form of communication to a public audience, and Dr. Tiatco

briefly discusses the introduction of performance studies to the academe in proposing artistic
and cultural performances as a means to study a culture through social activities, from the
interdisciplinary perspective of anthropology and theatre studies. He also enumerates the
markers of a cultural performance: artistic communication, performed before a public whether
for personal advocacy or intention or communal, implicated as an important community
narrative, and involves and intervening space between past and present, the self and the
community, ornament and utility, as well as other intervening entanglements. Furthermore, he
mentions the primary components of a cultural performance according to Milton Singer (1972):
time span, organised program of activity/activities, set of performers or doers of the
activity/activities, the public audience, and the cultural stage or the venue and occasion of
performance.

Some of the major forms of cultural performances in the Philippine context, with the aim to
convey artistic communication, are the panata, special affairs (ritual-like cultural performances),
and community celebrations through festivals. Some examples Dr. Tiatco elaborated upon are
the Apung Mamacalulu of the Angeles City, the bendicion ng bangka of Pundaquit, Zambales,
the Santacruzan, the kasipa of Marawi City, and many other rituals ceremonies, and festivals

However, I still have questions about the formal and academic studies and philosophies of the
Filipinos on cultural and artistic performances. How have Filipino theatre and cultural scholars
avoided being too influenced and biased by western canons? Is it even possible to develop
such philosophies separate from western perspectives? What is the right balance between the
western and eastern concepts in order to produce formal studies on the matter? Does the lesser
quantity of academic approaches and studies to our cultural and artistic performances
developed from our local scholars and artists in any way affect the quality of our arts, in tourism,
development of culture and society, and economy?

As an artist, I think this topic is somehow underrated and must be further explored and
appreciated by the Filipinos and their artists. Though we may be desensitised to witnessing
such performances as mundane parts of our culture, requirements in fulfilling specific personal,
communal, or religious purposes, we ought to better appreciate and understand the background
and process of such cultural performances. Even as Filipinos, we ourselves become blinded by
the routine and the tourism aspect of our performances, that perhaps we sometimes forget the
meaning behind the art.