First Wave of Pilipinx American Immigrants 1910-1940 Reimagined in Multimedia Performance and Dance Film Screening
San Francisco Premiere of ‘Man@ng Is Deity’
photo by Wilfred Galila
San Francisco, CA, October 12, 2021 - KULARTS, the premier presenter of contemporary and tribal Pilipinx arts in the United States, is proud to present the film premiere of SF Legacy Artist Awardee, Alleluia Panis’s Man@ng is Deity, a multimedia event with dance film screening and performance inspired by the lives of the ‘manong’ generation—the first wave of cheap imported Pilipinx laborers who powered the ever expanding needs of the developing United States empire.
Funded by the Gerbode Foundation’s Special Awards in the Arts, Man@ng Is Deity’s original music is by composer Joshua Icban and the cinematography by Wilfred Galila. To be presented December 3-5, 2021 at ODC Theater in San Francisco, it is inspired by real-life accounts of Pilipinx Americans between the 1910-1940s, this performance draws from public and personal narratives of their 8,000-mile immigration journey to America.
“This work is testimony to the creative vision and dedication of cultural curator and legacy choreographer, Alleluia Panis, and all of the phenomenal collaborating artists behind the dance film and performances of Man@ng is Deity,” says Olivia Malabuyo Tablante, Program Director of the Special Awards in the Arts Program. “It is important, perhaps now more than ever, to support and commission the creation of new works that speaks to the Pilipinx American experience.”
A Tribute to the Man@ng Generation
photo by Wilfred Galila
The performances and film explore vivid moments of early 20th century American life for Pilipinxs, bonded together to ease their struggles of living in a society that valued them for their cheap labor but loathed them and denied their humanity. They relive the bitter hardships, the fleeting joys, and their determined spirit of survival and camaraderie that defined this generation.
Many Pilipinx immigrants of this generation worked in farms, factories and in first-class hotels in the big cities. In spite of the racism and anti-miscegenation they faced, their resilience is what marked their generation as they formed labor unions, self-help organizations and institutions that are evident to this day. A respite from the harsh realities of their everyday lives, taxi dance halls were a place for Manongs to socialize and let loose but also dangerous places where many were confronted by violence.
“Man@ng is Deity is a beautifully rendered experience that had me in tears by the very end. It runs the gamut of emotional experiences and history of the time of the manongs - helping us experience a history that many didn’t know existed.” shares Gayle Romasanta, Bridge Delta Publishing and co-author ‘Journey for Justice: The Life of Larry Itliong’ and writer of Larry The Musical.
Legacy and a Lifetime in the Arts
KULARTS, as an elder arts organization within SOMA Pilipinas Filipino Cultural Heritage District, shepherds the arts & cultural work within the community, making visible the continuing presence and complexity of the Pilipinx community in SoMa through community art programs like the annual Parol Festival and Isugid Pinoy. Man@ng is Deity received the prestigious Gerbode Foundation Special Awards in the Arts in 2019; the workshop production last spring had sold out shows.
“With our new insight from the sold-out workshop production in March 2019, our artistic team took the year to further develop the work-- building, enriching, and fine-tuning the characters and their stories with new video and choreography grounded in both personal and universal historical narratives. Sadly, two weeks before the March 2020 opening, covid-19 pandemic shut down our world premiere. It took months for me to resign to the catastrophic impact of the pandemic on live theater. I was forced to find another solution. The decision to make the dance film offered surprising opportunities to expand my vision and deepen my work” shares Alleluia Panis, Artistic Director of KULARTS.
Pilipino American influence in the arts and community organizing has a long-standing relationship to San Francisco and the Bay Area. Alleluia Panis’ ‘Incarcerated 6x9’ presented by KULARTS was nominated in 2019 for two Isadora Duncan Awards in ‘Outstanding Achievement in Performance,’ and ‘Outstanding Achievement in Visual Design’ June Arellano (Costume), and Wilfred Galila (Media Art). Panis is also the recipient of the SF Arts Commission Artistic Legacy Hewlett 50 Artsa Dance USA Artist.
Man@ng Is Deity performances will be followed by panel discussions with artists, dancers, and the production team. More information and details can be found at www.KULARTS-sf.org.
Showtimes:
Friday, December 3 and Saturday, December 4 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, December 5 at 2:30 pm
Dance Artists: jose e abad, Ladislao ‘June’ Arellano, Gregory Manalo, Jonathan Mercado, Johnny ‘Huy’ Nguyen, Sebastian Saephanh, Frances Sedayao
Vocalists: Aimee Amparo, Mario ‘Nomi’ de Miro, Joey Maligalig
Film: Stephanie Herrera, Malia Byrne, Andrea ‘Poko’ Devis, Joshua Icban, Cristino N. Lagahid, Wayde McCloud, Isa Musni, Kawayan Perlarose Bolick Ong, Giovanni Ortega, Frances Sedayao, Marcella Pabros-Clark, Earl Alfred Paus, Helen Serafino-Agar, Kadean Serafino-Agar, Alley Wilde, Bahala Na Martial Arts, Stockton Multi-Style Escrima, Little Manila Rising
###
Workshop performance audience reactions:
"In The Belly of the Eagle Reinforced my love for dance & new appreciation for manong's sacrifice to open doors for future Pilipinx."
"The show was beautiful, profound and deep. I loved the merging of dance styles."
About KULARTS:
Founded in 1985, Kulintang Arts, Inc., now known popularly as KULARTS, is the premier presenter of contemporary and tribal Pilipino arts in the United States. Through three decades of service, KULARTS has grown into a leading elder arts organization, uniting generations of artists and community activists in a common effort to build a collective space and sense of belonging within San Francisco, specifically the SOMA Pilipinas: Filipino Cultural Heritage District. KULARTS creates work that makes visible the contributions of Pilipino Americans and creates room for cultural continuity and knowledge.
About Alleluia Panis:
Alleluia Panis has received awards for her choreography from the Gerbode Foundation, Rainin Foundation, San Francisco Arts Commission Legacy Award, California Arts Council, and Creative Work Fund. She has created over twenty full-length dance theater works since 1985, which have been performed on main stages in the United States, Europe and Asia, including the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Dance Theater Workshop, Singapore Arts Festival, and Verona Arts Fest – Italy. Her work was recently nominated for two Isadora Duncan Awards in ‘Outstanding Achievement in Performance’ for ‘Incarcerated 6x9’ (2018).
About Wilfred Galila:
Wilfred Galila is a San Francisco Bay Area based multimedia artist. His films were screened at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival and the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco and his art installations were exhibited at several venues in San Francisco. He is a 2018 nominee for the Isadora Duncan Dance Award for Outstanding Achievement in Visual Design for the KULARTS production, Incarcerated 6×9.
About Joshua Icban:
Joshua Icban is a working musician from Vallejo, CA. As a professional guitarist, he has played with Bay Area Grammy award winner Fantastic Negrito, the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and hip-hop collective Grand Nationxl. As a composer and sound designer, he has worked with KULARTS, Cellista, Awesome Orchestra and Bindlestiff Studios. His original work utilizes multigenerational sounds and techniques to compose living reactions to the inherited world. Josh's work has been featured in spaces such as the Asian Art Museum and CounterPulse. In 2018, he completed his MA in Ethnomusicology from Cal State East Bay, chronicling the immigration timeline of Filipinos to the United States and the many experiences and impacts on the development of music and culture in California.