Philippine Arts Festival 2014: Art that heals, empowers, celebrates
Philippine art appears to be on the edge. It is on the brink of being forgotten with artworks and artists relegated to the peripheries. The artists, meanwhile, are slowly getting trapped by the daily routines of everyday life, their creativity somewhat stifled by mundane concerns. Yet, art strives to bring the artists back to the mainstream. And in doing so, it challenges and pushes people to step out of their comfort zone to create, innovate, celebrate.
These are the focus and objectives of this year’s celebration of the Philippine Arts Festival (PAF) spearheaded by the National Commission on Culture and Arts (NCCA). This year, NCCA takes on the theme, “Art on the Edge: Arts for Healing, Arts for All.” It celebrated its opening last Jan. 30 in Roxas City, Capiz.
But besides being a catalyst for evolution, innovation, creation, and advancement, art is an avenue for healing. Last year was a testament to difficulty and triumph. We were almost knocked out by killer earthquakes and super typhoons; and yet, while we were shaken, art has helped (and is still helping) people to stand up, rebuild, and heal.
Art as healing
Capiz is the most apt setting for the PAF event as the province is art-friendly and artistic. It is also one of the areas in the Visayas badly beaten by the super typhoon Yolanda. It needs healing through art.
“Art on the Edge means arts for the people in crisis especially in Visayas. We bring them the arts because art heals people,” NCCA Chairman Felipe De Leon Jr. said.
How does art heal people? De Leon explained that art as a form of expression aids in forgetting, expressing, and rebuilding one’s senses. It helps that Filipinos are innately creative, passionate, and expressive.
“Art on the Edge utilizes the Filipinos as resources because we are expressive. We like to express our feelings and our thoughts through the arts. Therefore, we can recover easily from any tragedy, from any calamity, because expression means [getting] out of your system all those pain and traumas caused by the calamities, manmade and natural,” De Leon said.
He added that being expressive also means being sensitive to the misery of the people, the victims on the edge.
Provincial arts
“Another meaning of the Art on the Edge is that we are trying to bring to the mainstream people who are on the periphery, ‘yung mga halos di natin napapansin, the marginalized, the provincial arts. Ang napapansin kasi natin urban arts. Our goal is to bring them to the mainstream so we can empower,” De Leon said.
Sayaw Pinoy, etc.
Last January 20, LRT passengers were treated to samplings of dances—Filipiniana, hip hop, ballet, contemporary dance—as a prelude to PAF. This year, Sayaw Pinoy lends the stage to local performers from various dance companies. But more than the showcase of talents, the annual dance presentation aims to encourage budding dancers as well as express their emotions through graceful dance moves. Sayaw Pinoy is the longest-running National Arts Month project.
Aside from dance, PAF consists of the other flagship projects of the national committees of the sub-commissions on architecture, cinema, literature, music, theater, and visual arts. The activities will be held nationwide to highlight our innate artistic talents.
For more details on the activities and schedules, contact PAF Media Director and NCCA-Public Affairs and Information Office (PAIO) head, Rene Sanchez Napeñas at (632) 527-2192 or at 0928.5081057 or log on to www.ncca.gov.ph.
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