Karatong: A Dance Choreography on Feast, Fruit and Faith

CREATIVE WORK When animate objects, merrymaking and ardent devotion are transformed into a dance and performance piece, there is a celebration.

Such is my take on the choreography for Karatong – a lively piece of bamboo musical instrument set in a festive and bountiful harvest of mango fruit with so much reverence of the people to the patron saint in Cuyo, Palawan, Philippines. The arrangements of figures as written in the dance literature of our National Artist for Dance, Ramon Obusan was maintained throughout the choreography with infusion of my choreographic style stemmed from the principles of composition.

CHOREOGRAPHY Karatong dance and its choreography took nuances of feast, fruit and faith as it unravels the story of the people of Cuyo island in Palawan.

Applying certain principles of composition, the choreographer ensured that formations and positions of the performers are reflective of the celebration and reverence to St. Augustin, the island’s patron saint. There were series of versions and iterations of the dance choreography and understandably so because the appropriate mix of energy and agency in the dancers combined with the appropriate storytelling angle are properly considered.

4TH RUNNER-UP 2014 PASUC NATIONAL CULTURE & ARTS FESTIVAL

KARATONG

A Dance Choreography on Feast, Fruit and Faith

Richard G. Castor

CREATIVITY ORIGINALITY This dance choreography presents an original take on how the people of Cuyo in Palawan celebrated an agricultural banquet and elevated on stage to celebrate feast, fruit and faith. The artistic lens used is the creative storytelling of how parades continuously flow into the major thoroughfares in Cuyo and in this case in the performance stage.

ACCEPTABILITY & RECOGNITION This dance choreography was first used in the 2014 National PASUC Culture and Arts Festival.

The competition featured 13 different rural dances of the Philippines. Of the 13 regions competing, this dance ranked 5th place or 4th runner-up besting 10 other competitive regions and university dance troupes in the country. This recognition accentuates the entirety of the dance package including the storytelling in the dance choreography.

RELEVANCE & VALUE Staging accounts for at least 20% of the criteria to merit excellent performances in the 2014 National PASUC for the Philippine Folkdance category. Staging mostly covers use of space and elements of choreography.

The other half of the criteria is influenced by how one choregraph a piece with accuracy and authenticity of the dance captured. This dance became valuable component of SAMBIT’s repertoire for local, national and international audiences which undeniably bring honor, prominence and pride for CBSUA in the national arts and culture stage.

DISSEMINATION The PASUC Culture and Arts Festival 2014 was Karatong’s first staging and dissemination on a national stage. After winning, this dance was showcased more than a dozen times on far too many different occasions and events in the University, community and even with international audience.