Just attended Elizabeth De Roza’s “Creating an Embodied Multi-dimensional Performance Platform” via the UPD MA (Theatre Arts) Program’s ArtistTalk.
Thinking about future bodies, pixelated bodies, network-lag bodies, Schrödinger’s cat bodies (when you turn off your camera during Zoom; are you dead/alive?), disconnected bodies, reconnecting bodies, Zoom waiting room bodies, are-you-wearing-shorts-in-your-zoom-meeting bodies, machine-readable bodies, bodies and data, shake-body-body-dancer.
Schools and higher education institutions in the Philippines have implemented remote learning as the response to the community quarantine due to the global health crisis. Understandably, this has brought about challenges to the different sectors – students, educators, and administrators. The drastic and radical changes have also brought in new concepts that everyone had to absorb at a limited time. As in most communities, whenever a new concept is introduced, the tendency is to borrow the term that represents it. New concepts are packaged by coinage (neologisms, e.g., Zoomustahan) or existing terms re-contextualized according to the needs of the new concept (e.g., share screen). Adapting does not necessarily mean that people automatically conform to these changes; at times, they come up with strategies to cope temporarily and after adjusting, come face-to-face with these challenges, expressed by phrases that call to more inclusive and grounded solutions.
Hinga—breathe
Pahinga—rest
TATAG UP—Tatag University of the Philippines (UP) is a play of Tatak-UP or stamped with the UP brand. Tatag means “resilient, firm, determined”, a call for the University constituents to respond to the growing needs of the community amid the crisis due to the pandemic.
Acad Freeze—is a call for an academic freeze to give ample time for students and teachers to attend to immediate needs in the time of a global health crisis.
#NoStudentLeftBehind–is a call for access to equal resources to implement remote learning.
Solusyong Medikal, Hindi Militar—”information, not force; medical and financial support, not guns”
Malasakit—compassion
The Team:
Olive Nieto is a performer. She is currently an assistant professor at the Department of Speech Communication and Theatre Arts, University of the Philippines Diliman. She is one of the seven Initiating Artists for Ripples.
Jem R. Javier is an assistant professor at the Department of Linguistics, College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, University of the Philippines Diliman. His research interests include Philippine structural linguistics, Bahasa Indonesia/Malaysia, and culture studies.
Thea Tolentino has over 14 years of experience as a music educator and preschool teacher in the Philippines and abroad. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education at the U.P College of Music, Diliman. She is a classically trained guitarist and has also composed music for various educational and media projects. Thea is currently a Master’s of Music Therapy student at the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Fine Arts and Music. After graduating, she intends to bring the practice home to the Philippines with the focus of using music therapy to support mental health goals.
Camilo De Guzman is a 4th Year BA Theatre Arts student from UP Diliman. He has been involved in various productions under Dulaang UP during his time in the program. He is also part of different advocacy and leadership organizations in the university as well alongside serving in the student council in his college.
Video Contributors from UP Diliman, Ateneo de Manila University, and MINT College:
PIA CRUZ VJ PARREÑO SINA JOSE ALY LOVERES HAZEL TOQUE MAMEL PALAGANAS ALLELIE BOBIS CJ CORREA DENISE MILARION RICA ALCAZAR BLESSY DELFIN ARCEL QUEZADA DANICAH CHAVES DAPHENE GIGA LISSE DE VERA MARGA ESQUILLO PETE LAPUT ETHAN VALENCIA CZARINA ENDAYA SOPHIA QUIBOL CRIS ZANDRO RAMON GEMIMA AURELLANO KAYLA HUBILLA LYNETTE MANAAY RJ MACUTAY KONNI DELOS REYES GAB PEBENITO SILVER RACCA KRIS MIRANDA DYASTIN ADARLO JESSY SO ELA FIGURA JEMAY BRAVO REGINA BUCO DAVID ESGUERRA ROBIN TRABALLO KYLE LAPUS FRANCES CHAN JAEL GONZALES ANNA CUBACUB RONI FORTUNA JANNA CORTES CJ BARIMBAO FRANCES FERNANDEZ BELLE GINEZ LUCKY SIMPLINA ANJ SALUDES JOHNNY MAGLINAO KYANNA VILLALAUREL
Just attended our MA (Theatre Arts) Program’s ArtisTalk 2020 featuring Dr. Diego S. Maranan’s “I Sing the Body Electric: Technologies of and for the Body”.
Got additional ideas for my module next sem for my performance classes and for my current research and creative work. Arts x Science talaga ang way! Lezzggooo!
Palaban din ang MA program sa resource persons ah!! Congrats to our conveners Asst. Prof. Bryan L. Viray and Prof. Josefina F. Estrella.
P. S. Nakaw na kuha at siyempre obvious naman sino ang photographer. Bwahahaha!
I just became my student’s family member today. Haha. This chat was the prompt for our module on Spaces and Places as this remote learning set-up disrupted how we redefine places, spaces, and even non-places.
Confusing pa rin ang space na ginagamit sa set-up ng remote learning kung saan nasa bahay sila at naririnig mong inuutusan sila sa ng nanay nila habang may tinatanong ang titser. Ang nanay nakakalimot din na nasa klase ang student at biglang nauutusan kasi siya ang mas nakakatandang anak. Ang ending, sumagot ng pabalang sa titser yung student pero nag-sorry nang na-realize ang nangyari. Ako rin na-confuse kasi nagtitiklop naman ako ng laundry at nagluluto ng tanghalian habang nagpapatakbo ng klase tapos may naririnig akong nanay na nagagalit sa Zoom. Napa-flashback ako sa moments ko sa nanay ko pag nagagalit.
I got sick last week with all the repairs and improvements to my flat (wow flat) to make this space conducive to living, teaching, and learning. LEGO prepared me for these activities so okay lang. I had to reintroduce myself to my flat, and to make it understand what I need from it to survive remote learning and this pandemic! Yes, I talk to my flat! Bakit ba?!
I set up zones and named them after objects that I often use just to help me interrogate my current liminal space (wow liminal, magamit lang):
(1) The Desk-shelf Zone for work. In between classes, I juggle clubs/balls. In student-led discussions, I like walking around the room. This is where I do ALL my work. I don’t “work from bed” anymore haha. Confused ang katawang-lupa ko pag nag-o-overlap ang zones. I also eat snacks during or in between classes. I place a trolley cart for snacks near the desk-shelf (Pinoy version of the Hogwarts Express: chocolate-covered raisins, mixed nuts, tea, cookies, cup noodles, juice, water, etc.) to avoid crossing the kitchen zone.
(2) The Low Table for sustenance. I eat here. I use this as my reading nook. I listen to podcasts or webinars here. I receive video calls from my family and friends here.
(3) The Yoga Mat for my playground. Walis-walis din ng bahay at donate-donate din ng mga hindi na ginagamit na gamit para may playground. I brush up on my hula hoop, yoyo, and kendama tricks here. I massage my back using the tennis ball method (Google it!) here. I sometimes wear my merfins/long and remember lessons I learned during mermaid/freediving training. Gamitin na rin kasi nag-invest ka na nang mahal sa mga gamit na hindi mo pa magamit. Kaloka.
(4) The Gudetama Toy for naps and rest. Look at Gudetama. Follow Gudetama. I take power naps in between classes here too.
I’m encouraging all my students to redefine their spaces and rituals in remote learning in their own ways. Sana sumunod din na ma-redefine ang new relationships and family dynamics.
Marami na ako utang sa Lazada at utilities. UP, beke nemen.
Kulang pa kami. Marami ring nag-APAF na kasing landi namin.
From 2012 to 2019, PH artists were flown to Japan to collaborate with ASEAN artists in APAF events through the generous support of the Japan Foundation Manila. Swerte to have created performances and engaged with communities in the heart of Ikebukuro, and with the view of Mt. Fuji when we were in Shizuoka. Great times.
To continue this project of international collaboration, UP Diliman partnered with the Japan Foundation Manila to create the 2019 international conference, “Rhetoric of Creative Partnership: Conversations on Cross-cultural Artistic Exchanges” which featured presentations and performances of artists from APAF 2018 and 2019.
This year, JFM has given us another platform to continue the work that we have started in Japan to share our reflections on the work, and new approaches to theatre and performance in the time of global health crisis. We are excited to welcome Komunidad X who will be our guide in this platform as the official partner of JFM in the Philippines.
Double swerte because my paper for IFTR conference 2021 in Ireland is about international collaboration specifically discussing APAF collaboration. Ang galing ng ecosystem ano? Sanga-sanga lang. Pag nanghingi ka ng data, may magbibigay na generous na mga tao.
Hindi lahat ay may option na maghintay ng vaccine para mabuhay sa disiplina natin. This is the work so werk werk werk together tayo.
Powering through my classes this week with my weapons and rituals during performances. Kasama ang pag-inom ng tsaa, pagbalot ng scarf sa neck, pahid ng katinko, vocal rest, power naps, brand’s essence of chicken, berocca, antihistsamine, etc. Kulang na lang ay festival para kay Dionysus para matapos ko ang sentences ko bago umubo. Diz weder weel keeel meeeee!!!
Sa klase, tinadtad ko na sila sa examples para mas mabilis na lang nila makuha ang lecture pagkatapos. Tapos sila naman magbibigay ng examples. Ang tunay na madugo bukod sa synch classes ay ang consultation kasi excited ang mga bagets sa analysis nila ng module so iba-iba pa ng idea yan. Di ka naman makapag-vocal rest kasi excited ka na rin na tulungan sila mag-frame ng kanilang papel.
Mas malumanay at dahan-dahan ako magsalita pag may sakit. I like the timpla pero daig ko pa ang kumakahol na aso sa background.
Ang mode din ng mga papel ay work in progress lahat. So kung magpasa sila sa sinet na deadline, may grade na sila at may basehan na rin ako kung naiintindihan nila ang mga module. Sa end of semester kung gusto nila magpasa ng papel pwede naman kaso hindi sila maaalalayan sa pag-develop nito. Sayang.
May mga nagtatanong na rin kung saan ko nakukuha ang designs ng presentations ko. Magic lang ng Canva yan and a lot of puyat kaya ayan nagkasakit.
Halos kalahati na ng sem. Magpahinga naman tayo. Hindi tayo aabot ng second sem kung push tayo nang push. Creativity over productivity tayo dapat para hindi maubos.
Olive Nieto 