Asian Journal- The Filipino-American Community Newspaper

" The design of the violin – those sensuous, feminine curves of the shoulders, waist, and hips( Man Ray famously superimposed the instrument onto the back of a shapely woman) – is the result of a long simmering stew of intellect, practicality and some mysticism. It has been thought that the violin’ shape and workings were influenced by such varied forces as the geometries of Pythagoras, the transcendent theorise of Plato and the workbench savvy of Stradivari and his forebears. But the real reason a fiddle looks the way it does is simply because that’s what works best-though no one really knows why. " - John Marchese, 2008

As design of the violin is described as a confluence of a ‘simmering stew of intellect, practicality and some mysticism, including a workbench savvy of Stradivari’ by John Marchese that suggests a timeless display of world-class talent and performance, so was the Kultura’s Dance, Rhythm, Harmony: Mabuhay! at the Ford Amphitheater.Almost perfect! A crowd in the parking lot, who I got to know for a brief period, described it as "perfect and awesome! "

Ted Benito said it best: "Flawless rendition. I think the most fascinating thing was the triumphant union of 3 powerhouse cultural groups here in Los Angeles: Kultura, Philippine Chamber Singers and FASO. Kultura, whose dancers I am appreciating as some of the best that I have seen, put on some of the most captivating interpretations of Filipino folk dances. Banga’s Alexandria Diaz Defato captured my soul and the abbreviated Muslim suite took your breath away. I define Philippine Chamber Singers as simply a flawless harmonization of vocal prowess. Period. The original songs they sang were irresistibly charming and clever. "

For me, it was less than flawless, only because I believe Perfection belongs to the Highest Maker, God, and we, as imperfect beings, can only claim close to perfection. But when one sees the grandeur of Kultura, its 25 dancers who were diverse in ages,bound by a common denominator of precision, skill, prowessand soulful meaning in their dance steps -- I began to understand the audience’s fascination in seeing dancers move not just to the beat nor the music, but possessed by the period characters they embody.

One cannot help, but join in the crowd, in their enduring standing ovation for five minutes, yelling "Bravo, Bravo, Encore!" For indeed, our search for embodied greatness and excellence got fused in Kultura’s dancers, Indio and Philippine Chamber Singers!

After all, my husband and I started our cultural quest of deepening our heritage as Filipinos back in the seventies, when Enrique and I took our two young children to every Pilipino Cultural Night (PCN) events, whether it’s at UCLA, CSUN, or UC Irvine and even FILAMArts. It became our children’s immersion into our culture. We found ourselves locating the bamboo poles, as they evolved -- now performing their dances in their own PCNs, teaching their friends in high schools and later, UC Irvine and Berkeley.My daughter, Corina, learned the Highlander’s Fury dance, from the tribes of Northern Luzon’s mountains. When she balanced a single palayok on her head, she considered it a big success given sweat from dedicated practice.

But, Kultura’s dancer, Alexandria Diaz Defato,adeptly balanced six nesting clay pots secured by a turban which barely cradled the bottom of the six.The audience was mesmerized -- would her risky dance steps drop all six nesting clay pots as she moved her body? Though conscious of the load on her head, she gracefully moved and kept dancing.

When the Mindanao Tapestry dance showed the pre-nuptial encounter of a man and woman as seafarers on their journey, two bamboo poles simulated the movement of an outrigger boat, sailing to distant shores. These two poles were carried by two men on their shoulders, while the royal princess, Alyssa Capili skillfully balanced herself, climbing up the bamboo pole as she danced gracefully using ‘languid arm and wrist movements to ward off evil spirits,’ craning her neck as her feet slid, struggling to stay on, and her precise training paid off, as she kept her balance.

She was lifted, while standing, dancing, barefoot on the smooth, curved bamboo poles.You could hear folks gasping, quite nervous and hoping that she does not fall off.It was as intense as watching someone do triple lifts on figure skating and holding one’s breath until they touch the ground, landing on one foot.

My husband had one word -- "Competent!" Indeed, it was culturally competent, but it was also heritage-rich and musically and artfully literate!

What an evening of understated elegance, grace, and well-scripted fusion of dance numbers fromCelia Defato, Alexandria Diaz Defato, Greg and Candy Sanchez, and the entire cast of Kultura. The musical genius of the Indio tenors: Pete Avendano and Gelo Francisco and shyly ramping up guitar renditions of Ric Ickard, whose guitar plucking is of the highest order,and the vibrant, alive voices of the Philippine Chamber Singers with synchronous sounds from the Filipino-American Symphony Orchestra (FASO) made the dance quite riveting to watch!