*Spoilers – and I mean spoilers – ahead*. I talked about pretty much the entire movie. Read at your own risk.
Synopsis
*SPOILERS ALERT*
The film is about a high school kid – Adam Petrazelli – who dreams of going to culinary school after graduation and becoming a chef of his own restaurant. He’s a pretty talented cook also. Yet he has an illness.
Adam was diagnosed with schizophrenia after an episode at school that put his friend in danger. This led to him being bullied and eventually transferring school middle of Senior Year.
He was accepted to Catholic school on the condition that he continues with his treatments, maintains good grades and doesn’t pose a threat to the student body. In exchange, the school kept silent about his condition.
Adam eventually adapted to his school and met a lovely smart girl – Maya Arnez – who tutored him to get his grades up. Eventually they fell for each other but without Maya knowing the real deal with Adam.
Adam was getting better from his medications, however, it had side effects. He was losing his ability to cook due to muscle spasms and loss of taste. This made him skip his medications causing his hallucinations to return. Eventually, he had an episode at school causing the school to suspend – and eventually – expel him.
There’s a new controversial documentary in Netflix – Seaspiracy. I am familiar with our planet’s dwindling resources thanks to human’s own faults but it was a one-sided familiarity with only land’s woes. I was at a lost at sea.
Watching Seaspiracy opened my eyes to new knowledge such as bycatch, trawl fishing and wild fish farming.
Bycatch happens when untargeted species such as turtles, dolphins, sharks and whales are caught up in fishing nets and then discarded back to the sea – often dead. This is largely due to trawl fishing which is simply putting down a big net to the ocean that it can swallow even a whole cathedral. The net is dragged for many miles across the ocean floor gulping up everything in its path and leaving a flattened ocean. You can imagine the marine habitat destroyed – corals washed out – and the number of fishes big and small engulfed.
Fish farming may have been a solution – where instead of catching wild fish, they are harvested instead. But these farmed fish are fed wild fish feed (hence the need to catch more wild fish) and live in very bad farm conditions leading to lice infestations and many other fish problems.
The film went even further to tackle the problems of forced labor in Thailand and the conspiracy of sustainable labels where enforcers and reviewers can be bribed at sea – or shot dead.
Commercial fishing was a multi-billion dollar industry and it’s so interconnected – no one can stop it.
I was appalled at how destructive commercial fishing is and how some cultures are blatantly ignoring the real ecological impacts of their ignorant traditions.
After watching the film, I resonated strongly with the filmmakers conclusion – stop eating fish.
But as I slept it over and had more time to think it through – would this conclusion be the solution?
Review of Ang Huling El Bimbo: The Musical. It’s a theatrical production featuring the music of the popular Pinoy OPM band – Eraserheads.
One of the privileges I am thankful for during this quarantine period is that I get to watch theatrical musicals that won’t ever have been aired if not for these unusual circumstances.
I have watched several weeks ago a full run of the 25th Anniversary show of The Phantom of the Opera and today I watched the full run of the 115th show of Ang Huling El Bimbo: The Musical. It’s a theatrical production featuring the music of the popular Pinoy OPM band – Eraserheads.
If I haven’t told you yet, I am an avid music fan. I don’t get to watch theatricals because I am not that privileged to afford them but whenever I have the chance to watch a musical production – be it on the big screen or now on YouTube – I grab the chance.
And today was that day. The musical airs only for 2 days and it’s a fund drive for ABS’s Pantawid Pamilya Program. I am so glad I caught it.
The production was a success because it was a testament to the ability of Original Pinoy Music to be converted and used for a theatrical production rivaling Western Shows such as in Broadway and West End. Most of the time, Philippine theaters would showcase West End or Broadway shows, and rarely do we see any original productions featuring OPMs. But And Huling El Bimbo was the first and being successful, paved the way for others.
I loved how I could relate to the songs as I am an Eraserheads fan. Their music was popular when I was growing up and the very first CD that I actually bought and own was their Anthology of Best Hits.
Further, I related to the setting which is my Alma Matter – UPD – or maybe I just assumed it was because the band was from there.
But beyond the setting and the music to which I could relate, I was struck hard by the storyline and how, far from the Western musicals, is how true and realistic the musical is to the Philippine setting.
I am touched by the struggles of the main character – Joy – and how she met a sad fate in the end. We may want a happy ending but sadly, for many like Joy, life is just that – cruel. I am angered by the people who have the gall to deceive others pretending they are protectors when in reality they are predators. And how sadly, in the musical, this kind of people are not brought to justice – another allusion to the reality of justice in this country.
I am saddened by the reactions of Joy’s so-called friends – how they evaded her for years when all she wanted was to bond with them and tell them they can let go of their guilty consciences. This shows to me that in friendship, no matter how deep the friendship may go, when guilty consciences thrive – not only does the friendship die but the lives of those involved decay slowly from the inside out. This goes to show how, if we truly value our friendships and we value our relationships with those around us, we must never let guilt fester. Honesty, no matter how brutal and hard it can be, is always – ALWAYS – preferred over hiding under a comfortable lie.
In friendship, no matter how deep the friendship may go, when guilty consciences thrive – not only does the friendship die but the lives of those involved decay slowly from the inside out.
I hope they will stage another run. I know it is hard for the theater to keep staging musicals and even non-musical plays. Ang Huling El Bimbo was in production for 2 years but was conceptualized as early as 5 years ahead of the very first show. Which goes to show how much work goes into creating a musical production.
But I applaud the people behind it for their creativity and dedication to the show. I applaud after watching the YouTube premier even when I know they can’t hear me. I would have clapped loudly and hooted along with the live crowd if I can. It was indeed a great production.
I wish I could let you, reader, watch it. Sadly, they end the broadcast once the time is up and I don’t think they will indefinitely keep it up. I hope they could but that makes it prone to piracy and that is something we never want to happen to them. For all the hard work that goes into production – from the actors who have to sing, dance and act live to the band who have to play musical scores for hours on end and to the backstage production staff who have to do the same things again and again for nights – we owe it to them not to pirate their hard work and let them earn a decent wage.
But I wish theater could be more accessible. After all, it is a wonderful form of entertainment – both entertaining and enlightening at the same time.
And if given the chance, I would really, really, really want to watch more of it – live.
I wish theater could be more accessible. After all, it is a wonderful form of entertainment – both entertaining and enlightening at the same time.
Today, I learned, for the first time in my life, that Carolyn Keene, the author behind Nancy Drew was actually a false person. The author doesn’t exist! Nancy Drew was written by a bunch of ghost writers. And not just Nancy Drew – probably the entire series of books of my growing up years aka Sweet Valley, Hardy Boys (though I don’t really read them).
Apparently, in the early 1900s, it was a popular scheme where publishers will hire freelance writers to write children book series for them – paying them off per work and removing their authorship rights. The Stratemeyer Syndicate was well noted for this kind of publishing scheme and it was their founder, Edward Stratemeyer who created the concept of Nancy Drew and assigned her to one of his ghost writers – Mildred Augustine Wert Benson who went on and wrote 23 of the first 30 Nancy Drew books. Benson eventually went on with her career to write other books under her name and pursue a gratifying career in journalism. It was only in her later years that it was revealed she was the original Carolyn Keene. Stratemeyer carefully guarded the identities of their writers to preserve the air of mystery around the authors.
But despite this shock – and how I feel like my entire childhood was a lie! – I still will say I love the Nancy Drew and the Sweet Valley series. These books became instrumental to my growing interest for books and my love for reading. I loved reading about the adventures of Nancy Drew that later on, I even embarked on a mission of collecting original prints – those that really look old. I would hunt for the copies in old bookstands along the market and won’t hesitate to buy one even if I’d read it just because I wanted to collect them.
Eventually I outgrew Nancy Drew and Sweet Valley but I never outgrew my love for reading. And I owe it to the brilliant authors – or ghost writers – behind these famous series.
From musicals, I now turn my musings to books. (This lockdown is really doing wonders to me indulging in all my introverted hobbies).
I never imagined I would be a voracious reader. I learned to read rather late – I was about 7 1/2 years old and I was still struggling with comprehending words written on paper. I cannot forget that embarrassing moment in First Grade when our teacher asked us to form two lines – one line for those who knew how to read and another line for those who don’t. I sheepishly joined the latter.
My mother was instrumental in teaching me how to read. I didn’t learn reading from school. I learned it from her. I can remember how she will hold a children’s book and force me to read over and over again the story of Too Thin Johnny. I cried a lot during those long afternoons. I longed to be outside playing with my siblings but I was stuck – by our doorframe – sitting there reading with her.
And thus it came as a surprise to me that, once I learned how to read and when I discovered the wonderful world of the library I was transfixed. I was a regular in the library, borrowing books weekly – sometimes twice a week. I couldn’t get enough of what the library has to offer.
I was 10 years old then. I read Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley and even Hardy Boys – all fascinating popular books of my time.
As I grew older, I began reading other genres of books and since I cannot afford my own books, I borrowed from a book rental store. I discovered the world of Sydney Sheldon, Anne Rice, Danielle Steele and their contemporaries. I was in high school at that time and I recall bringing a book (or two) with me to read every time I travel back to my dorm. I also began to discover classics like Emily Bronte, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, etc. and derive as much pleasure from them as contemporary authors.
Fast forward, I discovered bookstores where I can buy books for half (or even a quarter) of their usual price and so I splurged. Where others splurge on clothes or bags or shoes, I splurged on books. I bought more books than I could possibly read but I do not regret every single one of them.
Along the years, I lost books I lent but I also didn’t regret them. I stored books in storage places as my physical storehouses shrink. I can simply wonder if the pages are still alive to this day.
But with technology, I discovered e-books. And my love for reading remain constant.
Now that there is community wide quarantine and we are forced to spend eons of time inside our homes with nothing much to do, I find myself enjoying the company of e-books. I rediscover – to my amusement – that I actually enjoyed them more than watching series (which I also delve into with gusto).
There’s just something about how the words leap before my imagination. How a novel that takes me 5 hours to read is more engaging than a 2 hour movie. And I love how well researched novels actually allow me a glimpse into history, politics, ethics, culture, and so much more that even after reading it, I am led to researching the actual events that transpired.
I used to believe I will be a writer. I loved reading so much so I thought it was a natural course. But alas! I cannot stay introverted – trapped in my imaginations – for long. As life went by, I found myself interacting with society more than I ever want (to be honest) and time seems to fly without me ever finding the opportunity to sit down long enough to even come up with a decent chapter. Believe me, I’ve tried.
But, there’s always a first time for everything. And who knows. They say this lockdown will last and extend. I honestly wish it would end so we can go back to the normal daily routine of life (even if that will totally change) but if this extends, I know what I will be doing next.
Last night I was very fortunate to watch the 25th celebration of “Phantom of the Opera” at the Royal Albert Hall. It’s available for free in YouTube until April 19 Sunday 11PM PT. Here’s the link below but that will expire very soon.
I have been privy to theater musicals since I entered college and the whole UP Theater opened my eyes to this wonderful form of entertainment. In college, my very first dorm roommate was a Theater major and she influenced me to watch college plays. I had my share of plays in elementary and high school but they were very sparse and not as grand as college plays.
It was in 2004 when I first became acquainted with “The Phantom of the Opera”. It was a motion picture at that time and the musical score enthralled me. I longed to watch the theater version but it rarely got produced in the Philippines. Some years ago, there was a production and I eagerly looked for the tickets. To my dismay, it costs a fortune. Even if I were to sit at the very back (which wouldn’t be very ideal for my tastes), I would have to cough up a significant amount. It was simply a luxury for me.
And so I contented myself with just knowing the songs to the play and hoping that someday I will have enough excess cash for luxuries such as theater.
To my surprise and delight, because of the COVID lockdown, the producers decided that for a limited time they will stream in You Tube for free the 25th Anniversary production done in 2011. I couldn’t wait to watch it! Of course they were raising funds for COVID so any donation would be much appreciated.
As I watched, my eyes and ears were tingling. I can finally watch – even if in a screen – how the play would unfold on-stage. It’s very different from a motion picture.
As I expected, I knew all the songs and as soon as the first notes were hit, my spine was tingling. I was literally kinikilig just listening to the songs. I sang along in silence – no sound coming from my mouth – for I fear my voice will mix in with the beauty of the actors. I absorbed every movement, every stage effects, ever musical score. I beamed with pride when certain acts finished and I clapped along with the live audience.
How I wish I could really watch it for real in a theater.
I could imagine myself – dressed in a formal gown apt for a theater production as this – sitting in a respectable sit and being fully immersed in the beauty of theater.
Because I was such an avid fan of theater back in college, I even took an elective in Theater intended for non-Theater majors. Alas! Acting simply wasn’t for me. A renowned director/ professor handled our class and I was surprised at the brutality of theater life. I cried many nights and trembled many days because when I failed dismally at acting – he would curse me and shout at me in front of the class. I could never forget it how he sent me out of the room so I can practice “laughing”.
But it was a nice experience – one that I was glad for. We actually staged a play at the end of the semester and I proudly invited my friends over. It was a small play but we proudly carried it on as a class and our professor couldn’t be prouder for us. But that was the last time I tried acting. I realized I can be a good voice actor (I read lines pretty well) but I can never really act in front of an audience or a camera. I feel unnatural. Just put me behind the scene in production and I am sure I would flourish.
The Phantom of the Opera You Tube stream lasted for close to 3 hours. There was a short intermission in the middle – true to theater fashion. And at the end, Andrew Lloyd Webber went out and gave a speech. He honored everyone including the original casts of whom were invited on-stage. I was glad to meet the original Phantom (Michael Crawford) and the original Christine (Sarah Brightman). Sarah Brightman even indulged the audience with a rendition of the song Phantom of the Opera sang with some of the actors who played Phantom over the years. And then the Phantoms also sang for the audience the famous song Angel of Music.
It was a great show and I was near tears as it ended. And to relive it I downloaded the playlist from Spotify.
And I didn’t end there. I found my mind wandering to other great musicals I learned over the years.
Musicals like Miss Saigon and Evita. I hastily downloaded their Spotify Playlists and found, to my delight, I can actually sing along with the songs. It’s as if there were no years since I last sang them.
I guess, when you really like musicals, they never leave your memory. With each song I sang, I can remember how the scenes played out in my mind.
This lockdown has afforded me the time to catch up (and re-watch) one of my favorite TV shows from way way back – Downton Abbey.
If you are a Downton Abbey fan, why not read along while listening to the official soundtrack. I wrote this post while listening to the OST. After all they got such a really great musical score.
Warning: Spoilers Ahead.
The British TV Drama series first caught my attention when it premiered in 2010. Up until Season 3, I watched the show religiously. But the death of Matthew Crawley in Season 3 ended caught me off-guard and having developed a “crush” on the actor, I couldn’t bear to watch the series with him gone.
So I stopped it and said good bye and went on to watch other series rising in popularity that time (hello, Game of Thrones).
Yet I was surprised to find out, years later, that the series went on for 6 seasons (so I hadn’t watched the last 3 seasons) and even had a feature film released in 2019. And so, with the loads of time I had in my hands, I went on and dived with much gusto right though the series – beginning from Season 1 all the way to the feature-length film.
And lo and behold, I discovered and learned more – now that I knew my favorite character – Mr. Matthew Crawley (with his deep blue gorgeous eyes) was going to die in the end. I began to see the historical references, find new characters I grew to like (hello Tom Branson). I began to appreciate the themes of the show and even went on to learn about the production and research that went behind it, not to mention the social impact it has.
While there are many articles in the internet about the historical accuracy (and inaccuracies) of the show, the research behind it and the script’s brilliance (or lack of) and many other criticisms (both good and bad) – my post will dwell on the lessons I have learned watching (and reflecting) on the show.
Before, the only comic superheroes I was a fan of were the X-Men. I watched the cartoon series, read some of the comics and was ecstatic when the movie franchise came out. After a series of failed super hero movie franchises which I won’t mention anymore, the genre has once again boomed with Marvel’s success with their Marvel Cinematic Universe. A success that the DC Cinematic Universe hopes to follow.
But the two are different as what the Batman vs Superman movie would show you.
After becoming a fan of the DC Universe through watching the current series of Gotham, The Flash and Arrow, I know that I would expect a serious and dark movie. After all, Man of Steel was bordering on boring and the Batman series of the recent past were all dark.
So the lack of humor was not a surprise for me. Critics said it made the movie boring and some writers I read said they were able to sleep at the first part of the show. They criticized the film for having an action-packed sequence only towards the end.
The movie was also criticized for not having overarching story lines and for the character expositions to be really poor. I overheard someone say she was disappointed because Wonder Woman appeared out of thin air without her usual transformations (I guess she was accustomed to the old depictions of Wonder Woman).
I also read a criticism that said the movie should be called something else because the title was a misnomer. It wasn’t Batman vs Superman. It was Batman and Superman vs Doomsday. Another critic said the mere mention of Batman’s mother’s name as being the catalyst to stop the fight and have the two superheroes acting as BFFs was absurd.
For me, it’s all these criticisms that are absurd!
I guess for someone not familiar with the DC Universe and expecting long explanations of why things are happening then they would really be disappointed. The movie forces you to think outside the screen, read between the sequences and understand why something is happening.
I perfectly understood why the African crisis had to happen. For me, that didn’t need any additional exposition. It was the catalyst for why the opinion of Superman was divided. It helped in the framework of the movie that here was a guy with super powers wanting to do good but his superpowers actually cause harm as he does good. Where can you see someone destroying buildings as he tries to destroy the enemy? Superman isn’t really that super. He’s just a really strong alien who needs Batman’s tactics in order to be more effective.
I love the discourse about whether someone like Superman should be regulated and the debate within Superman if he is doing the right thing. It shows that the guy is human and despite his super powers is someone who didn’t ask to become a hero. He was simply inherently good and wants to do good inside but like most people, sometimes doing good without proper wisdom will mean causing harm to others.
I perfectly understood why Batman had to be obsessed with killing Superman. And why he acted the way he did. His sole goal is to save his city – keep it safe. He’s a vigilante so he doesn’t want to be perceived as a hero, only as someone the criminals are scared of. Obviously, someone with super powers who seems to do more harm than good in his quest to be a hero must be tamed (or even put out).
I love how Batman’s ingenuity and resourcefulness was shown despite him fighting a super human – someone he clearly cannot battle defeat – not without his schemes. I applauded inside as Batman’s careful planning – his traps and what-nots – lured Superman and led him to have the upper hand. I can hear Oliver’s (Green Arrow) words about a fight being all about control and understanding your surroundings.
I know why the movie was titled Batman vs Superman – because that was what the movie was really about. It was about the world – and those who claim to protect it – understanding what a super human can do. Batman was the epitome of the world who wants to control what it cannot understand. When the legal way become impossible, then the vigilante brand of justice had to be exacted.
I love how Wonder Woman appeared, how her powers were shown in the battle and how it left me hanging and excited for when those powers – and her character – will be explained in due time. There is a reason why her movie will be an origin one unlike those of The Flash and Cyborg which will begin in the present day. As someone who watched the old Wonder Woman movie, seeing her powers in action during the battle made me ohh and ahh as I remember in my mind what each of those can do.
Every time Lex Luthor appeared, I wanted to cringe and punch him in the face. I didn’t like the guy and his insane antics not to mention his schemes. A friend hated him for being whiny. I don’t recall the Lex Luthor of the old Superman movies (just that he was a much older guy) so I don’t know how he should have been portrayed. But if the goal was to create an irritating villain, Jesse Eisenberg definitely delivered.
I am not so sure I can agree to see a Flash that is not Grant Gustin but I’ve come to accept that the Ezra Miller version of the Flash will be a different portrayal from the Flash in the TV Series. Whether I will like him as the Flash is yet to be seen.
Down to the last scene – which I won’t spoil – I was watching at the edge of my seat, excited for something to happen be it in the current movie or in the next one.
Despite having read countless reviews and to an effect spoiling the movie for myself, I still went in to watch it in the big screen and felt every peso I spent worth it. The thrill was real – in fact more real than what I feel watching Marvel’s movies. My heart beat raced in more than one occasion and my mind shot fireworks as I understand each sequence more and more.
It was an amazing movie and I’m proud to say I loved it. It’s one of the best movie I’ve watched in the big screen and I am excited for the next installment which will be Suicide Squad showing in August 2016. I just hope they don’t try to push Suicide Squad to be more like a Marvel movie (I’ve heard they were re-shooting to add more humor after the criticism of Batman vs Superman).
So if you haven’t watched the movie yet, do yourself a favor and go see it in the big screen. Not from some pirated DVD (which sadly I saw was being sold as I crossed an overpass after watching the movie). It’s totally worth it to experience in the big screen.
Go there devoid of expectations despite having read so many reviews like this one. Then form a verdict for yourself.
Yesterday I ran against time to watch Inside Out – the latest Disney Pixar movie about getting to know our emotions. It was a really cool movie and the fought we did against time to be able to watch it was worth it. Even the hefty cinema ticket price (I rarely watch movies in movie houses) was worth it.
It was not a movie for kids though. Kids may love the animation, etc. but the whole impact of the story will be felt by adults. It was a movie for adults – about reflecting on how we handle our emotions.
Psychologists would love the movie. I believe it creates for them the same effect that Osmosis Jones has created for me and for any biologist / medical practitioner familiar with the characters and scenes.
Rational vs Emotions
I have always prided myself at being objective and analytical. Since I was young, I grew up learning never to let my emotions overcome my rational thinking and make decisions for myself. In Inside Out, the movie shows 5 basic emotions that influence our decisions for how to go about the day.
The Emotions in Inside Out
There’s Joy, the happy and positive emotion that influences us to always look at life in a positive way and to react with a smile even when faced with challenges. Joy pushes us to look for solutions and opportunities amidst challenges and trials.
Then there’s Anger, a default reaction when things do not seem to go our way. Anger influences us to pursue certain courses of action just because we are not satisfied with the current situation. There is actually righteous anger which causes us to seek justice when we see injustice and then there’s unrighteous anger which is the one that’s out of control and causes us to break laws just to achieve things. The former is positive and creates positive results while the latter is negative resulting in hurtful situations and thus is best avoided.
There’s Fearwho, as the movie says, keeps us safe. Because of Fear, we learn to avoid things that could otherwise be harmful for us. While it’s wrong to live life in fear of everything, the right amount of fear is actually necessary for us in life. I recall an episode in Gotham where the antagonist sought to eliminate fear in his life. Because he did so, he was unable to perceive danger and end up dying. Unhealthy levels of fear meanwhile prevents us from accomplishing anything in life because we end up too afraid to take any form of risk. A healthy balance is always encouraged.
Nine brave individuals gave birth to a new kind of art – one that not only awes but inspires. They have shown how, with passion and courage, one can elevate his craft and reach new heights.
Flow Arts is commonly seen in street or event performances where as the host said, the goal is to impress rather than express. Hence, flow artists are forced to resort to tricks that amaze the audience and in the process are lost to the true expression of their art.
But a group of veteran flow artists hoped to change all that. Bravely, they staged the first ever Flow Arts Show at the Bulbs Studio in Makati last August 30, 2014. Nine artists wowed the audience, not with tricks, but with the raw emotion displayed in their performance.
In a very short show – approximately one hour for all of them – they managed to hypnotize us, flow arts enthusiasts and newbie audiences alike, not just with their expertise in their chosen props but with the magnificence of their flow. The emotions displayed were raw, the passions conveyed were pure and the way everything was presented was new.
Hanz on Buugeng
First to perform was Hans. I’ve seen him perform only twice and in each time, he flowed to the beat of drums so it was a treat to see him flow to canned music. His theme was soldier and he did justice to it by the way his expression remained fierce throughout the number. Even though there have been some mishaps one wouldn’t even notice for he remained composed and in the flow. I just wished he went a step further and completed the whole soldier package but then again I might have interpreted everything literally. Hands down, he’s still the best buugeng artist I’ve seen.
Oli on Poi
The seriousness of Hans performance was balanced by Oli’s playful one. His theme was first love and you can feel the innocence and sweetness of that first love memory in how he manipulated his props. His performance was so relaxed that if he was nervous I wouldn’t have known. His number had an overall playful atmosphere which showed just how playful and jolly he must be.
Paulino on Poi & Staff
Paulino is a known veteran in the flow arts. So when you think you have seen all that he can do, you’d be surprised that the guy, in expressing himself, actually brings the whole flow arts to an entirely new level. He did not just manipulate his props, he incorporated a story in his entire performance. A story that was refreshing to watch. The comedic relief of his entire performance was wonderful and truly entertaining. Through him, I saw that when you have a flow toy, your performance doesn’t revolve around it alone – to give the audience a truly spectacular show, you need to add story to your entire show.
Mic on Hoop & Staff
Where Paulino has been a sort-of comedic relief, Mic’s performance was one filled with emotion. It was in her performance that I found my connection to the flow arts. Her graceful movements seemingly oblivious to the audience in front of her really draw me in. I did not feel like I was watching her perform on stage, I felt like I was privy to her innermost emotions. She moved as if there was no one with her in the entire room. How she seamlessly moved from the flags, to the staff to the hoop was mesmerizing. Every turn of her body filled me with awe.
I guess in every performance, there is that artist you’d connect to and for me, that was Mic. One day, I hope to be able to perform and express myself as well as she does.
Clair on Hoop
Clair’s performance was also another refreshing number for me. In my limited exposure to the Flow Arts, I’ve seen her perform as much as I’ve seen Hanz. So when she went on stage, make-up and all, and danced to a girly song with her hoop – I was hooked. I was transported to the innocence of my youth wherein the challenges of adulthood were unknown and all my cares are what I would consider now as childish, girlish worries. Her performance was refreshing to watch as it was light-hearted yet full of soul at the same time.
Thea on Hoop & Poi
Thea’s performance to me was theater at its best! Some might find it weird but to me I found it supremely entertaining! At this point, I wished the organizers allowed us to record the show, even on our cellphones, for our personal consumption. Her performance was one I would love to watch again & again and show to people. She definitely elevated flow arts to a whole new level as how she used her poi and her hoop was not the conventional ways they were used. All throughout her number she never lost character. Yes, it was a crazy number but it was a truly magnificent work of art!
Alvin on Isohoops
I don’t know if Alvin’s physical absence was intentional but his video number showing how he effortlessly manipulated the mini hoops was also mesmerizing. I just wondered – if it was that mesmerizing on video, how mesmerizing can it be in person?
Star on Hoop
Perhaps the most spectacular performance of the entire evening was Star’s. For the first half of his number, he didn’t even use any props and yet he captured all our attention. You can see that he was a performer through and through. How he incorporated the hoop as he wove his story was amazing! In fact, the entire performance wasn’t even about the hoop! It was about him and how he bared his soul to the entire audience. The last part, where he danced effortlessly while quotes on insecurities were flashed on screen was captivating and moving. His bravado in admitting his weakness was inspiring.
Star – we would never think you have such insecurities for to us, you are perfect! You are someone to be admired.
Ehrlich on Leviwand
The last number of the night proved to be the most moving of them all. I am personally biased towards the flow wand as it has been my first choice of a prop. I have seen Ehrlich performed with it in festivals and street jams and easily I can see his expertise. But for him to wove a story on dreams and the words used, plus how he delivered it, brought performance with a flow wand to a whole new different level. It was no longer about the “magic” surrounding the prop. It was no longer about the illusion or the tricks one can perform with it. It was now about the expression – of one’s dreams, frustrations and fantasies. It was now about the admission of a painful reality. It was now about the realization that such reality can actually be turned into something life changing.
I liked how he framed his words throughout the entire number especially towards the end when he admitted that perhaps he can’t be superman who can fly, or the best martial artist with killer martial moves, or the person who can move things with his mind. I sincerely hoped I could have recorded that night so I can go back to his words. In the end, he said, he might not be able to move things with his mind but he can move things with his heart.
And so inspite of it being a short show, it was one filled with soul. Indeed, what these nine brave individuals did was to give birth to a new kind of art – one that not only awes but inspires. They have shown how, with passion and courage, one can elevate his craft and reach new heights. For truly, I will never look at the flow arts in the same light again.
When I was first introduced to it, I saw it as an organic community where expression is encouraged and there are no hard defined rules to follow. What I saw that night was a deeper exploration of the art – one that holds much promise. It was a journey to the depths of one’s soul – a means to reveal not just talent, but passion, too often buried deep within.
Note: Since taking pictures and videos were not allowed, I posted pictures from the Flow Arts Show Official Facebook Page. All credit to them. Also, I hope to gain permission from Ehrlich to share his piece here. It’s such a moving piece.
