Mamahay (2020)

Mamahay

 

Mamahay

07-01-2020

Cristina Gimenez - Company Scholar

 

My process with Mamahay was a testament to readiness and forgiveness of oneself. The opportunity to work on a project like this, I must admit, came at a time wherein I was grappling with an untimely attempt to favor tactile experiences over that of virtual ones. The uncertainty of our times couples with a sudden surge of images and information online bled into my relationship with movement, making its nature much more sporadic than I was prepared for. I was not equipped to begin my “virtual choreographic process”. As time tided over, I found resolution in the idea of accountability and preparedness— moving both from and between places of need and desire. The piece, dubbed “Mamahay”, was a manifestation of an odes to settlement and rest— perhaps, at least in my case, even the lack thereof.

 

We are seeing a drastic paradigm shift in the way dance and film will intersect on a broader scale in the next era we so hesitantly call “the new normal”. Dance on camera will no longer be limited to the filmmaking industry nor will it be mere tools used by dancers for reviewing old choreography, documenting movement explorations, and [for lack of better term] capturing snippets from instagram posts and stories. I also feel as though it goes beyond the amount of time we’ve spent back-and-forthing from the camera to the little nook we’ve prepared to dance in, or checking on the angles we’ve set, and dwelling on the constantly lurking question of “does my leg look better if I frame it this way instead”.

 

Mamahay is another foray into our in-the-meantimes; an opportunity to allow our screens to be little more porous for a few moments as we explore this new for-now medium of sharing our crafts. May we always find our ways back to dance, to movement, in our own time. Kaunting panahon lamang para mamahay.

 

Chloe Alcid - Company Member

The process of ‘Mamahay’ happened during a pivotal time with regard to my experience being in lockdown. There were (and still are) a lot of things happening in the two countries I call home, as well as within the physical structure of the home I live in, so the concept of ‘home’ was not as clear-cut as it normally feels and with my personal definitions of ‘home’ and ‘not home’ starting to feel very similar and intertwined.

 

My own connection to the piece didn’t start taking shape until the musical composition was made. Usually, the music comes first in my choreographic process, and even though I did all improv and no choreography for this project, the music was still the catalyst for inspiration. At the time, I was starting to fell uninspired dancing at home, in the same room that I always dance in, and the music breathed new life into my dancing at home journey where specific sections of the music sparked emotional connections and I was able to envision myself moving in places that I probably would have never thought of before, like the tiny space between the bed and the wall, or the wooden bench in my room that I place things on when I’m too lazy to put them back in their proper place.

 

In a normal choreographic process, we so often rely on feeding off the energy, shapes and movement of the other dancers we’re performing with, and on trial and error in the studio, so the virtual process of creating a dance piece at home is challenging and very different to what we’re used to. But to see the piece come together was very rewarding, and it shows me that we can continue to take these challenges head on and create beautiful works despite them and because of them. Niko has been so wonderful to work with and I know that this is only the first of many collaborations with them.

 

 

Deborah Lemuel Afuang - Company Member

 

Being part of the Mamahay creative process called me to be an extension of the directors’ original plan. It was a collaborative experience that went beyond the usual understanding of that concept. In the studio, collaboration can still mean that each individual will contribute to the work based on varying designations (a dancer will dance while the choreographer directs). The beauty of virtual nature of the Mamahay process lies in the intertwining of roles within each and every individual involved with the project. Niko started the project but we all directed our own videos, choreographers some of the segments and Niko finally sewed everything together.