Kinding Sindaw
La Mama Etc.
April 24, 2010
by Christopher Atamian
copyright © 2010 Christopher Atamian
Imelda Marcos and her infamous shoe collection. If you happen to be into swimwear, designer Josie Natori. Other than that, most Americans would be hard-pressed to tell you anything about the Philippines, and they will have conveniently forgotten that the United States invaded the island and occupied it at the turn of the 20th century. Which is a pity, because the Philippines is a vast archipelago rich in history, languages and culture.
American imperialism is the starting point for Kinding Sindaw’s “Pandibulan: Bathing by the Moonlight.” The performance begins with a makeshift interview between a Filipina caregiver and a stereotypically arrogant white American who tells her that his employer likes Filipinos “because they are submissive,” followed by images of American GI’s coming off planes in the Philippines projected onto a large screen facing the audience. The United States did indeed build military bases in the Philippines during the two World Wars (partly to fight the Japanese) and wage a war against the country from 1899-1902, but choreographer Potri Ranka Manis didn’t have to bludgeon us over the head with this, or she needed to develop this aspect and weave it into the actual presentation that followed. Otherwise, Manis gets her point across beautifully in an elegant, fun evening of folklore, dance and cultural enlightenment and it is clear that these dances are being presented not by a submissive people, but by one that is proud and defiant.
Kinding Sindaw was founded in 1992 by Manis, whose performers range in age from well into their fifties down to small children. Their goal is to bring the many cultures of the Philippines to the general public—here that of the Yakan people who—like other tribes of the Sulu Archipelago in the nation’s Southwest—have their own distinctive epics, dances and rituals. The Kinding Sindaw dancers sported sublime ethnic garb, vibrant and colorful like Indian textiles: pastel greens, pinks and reds soothing to both eye and spirit. Yakan dancers wear white face makeup and one large black painted unibrow, which combined with the performers’ dark olive skin tones gave the impression of so many Frida Kahlos performing on stage—quite a sight!
Many of the dances presented emphasize delicate contraposto, the extension of hand and foot and the occasional movement of the head side-to-side while shoulders remain still. It’s all set to wonderful live music on traditional Filipino instruments such as the gabang (xylophone), kulintag (a brass gong) and kulintag a kayo (a type of wooden chime) and reminiscent of Indian, Cambodian and Chinese traditions—not surprising given the Philippines’ location and history.
Towards the beginning of the performance the female dancers bring out stacks of porcelain dishes that they set down in small piles and then proceed to walk over one after another, before piling them high and performing atop this perilous assemblage. The male dancers mirror them by stacking small wooden stools, hopping on them in single, graceful jumps and then performing there as well—a seductive Yakan version perhaps of the Battle of the Sexes.
What follows are tales of Yakan ancestors, stories of the sea, and dazzling dreams of dragons who swallow the moon and other magical struggles. In short order the audience is made privy to a harvest scene; a fishing expedition in search of the elusive Haluan mudfish; children playing under a full moon; and a beautiful wedding ceremony in which the bride is carried in a sedan chair made of exquisite powder pink and dark red fabric. There are also tales of the ocean including clam, horsheshoe, turtle and crab dances called in short order Imbew, Kiekie, and Pilandok and somewhat humorously for English speakers, Kahkah. The evening ended with a ceremony intended to protect a pregnant Yakan’s unborn child from the full moon, followed by a short but vibrant martial arts presentation.The Kinding Sindaw dancers perform in a remarkably natural way: they are neither posed nor self-conscious, nor overly proud or jubilant and they possess a rare genuine quality that clearly seduced an enthusiastic audience. They are perhaps not as sophisticated or polished as some of the troupes that have visited New York in the past few years from Cambodia or China, but that is part of their allure. By being slightly rough around the edges, Kinding Sindaw presents dances as we imagine they might actually be performed by the Yakan people. And this freshness and joy is a priceless gift.
copyright © 2010 Christopher Atamian