Category: Teacher

Anything about teaching

Kumu: Tawid sa Harbour

I am testing my stamina in live streaming via the KUMU app starting this National Arts Month (February).

The title is a phrase often used by performance makers at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. “Tawid sa Harbour” (Head over to the harbour) subtly means “Let us head over somewhere to talk about what we just experienced.”

I hope that we continue reclaiming our collaborative spaces and creating new public spheres in the time of the global health crisis.

Elizabeth De Roza’s “Creating an Embodied Multi-dimensional Performance Platform”

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.

P.S. Next #ripplesworld is on 7 November. Join us!

Registration for the ADSA Conference 2020: Acts of Gathering

Layeta P. Bucoy and I will be presenting the performance-lecture MonoVlog, an Emergen(t)cy Digital Performance.

My long-time friends and colleagues, and a former student will be presenting their papers too:

Sir Anril P. Tiatco’s Performance, Devotion, Gender: Figuring the Peñafrancia in the Bicol Region, Philippines.

Bryan L. Viray’s The Bati as movement of sacred gathering in Salubong.

Ian Ramirez’s Remembering the Utopian Performativity in Today x Future in Manila.

UP Diliman’s CAL-DSCTA’s international partners will be presenting their work too:

Jonathan Bollen’s ‘Glittering in the dark’: audience appeal and the design of attraction at the Stardust, Las Vegas, 1959.

Felipe Cervera, Theron Schmidt, Hannah Schwadron’s Planetary performance pedagogies in (and hopefully after) the pandemic.

Registration is FREE. Click here.

Dr. Diego S. Maranan’s “I Sing the Body Electric: Technologies of and for the Body”

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!

Remote Learning: Week 7

Remote Learning: Week 7

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.

Remote Learning: Week 6

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.