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| THEATRE IPAG on U.S. road show binge The Philippines ' Integrated Performing Arts Guild (IPAG) is now in the United States on its 2006 road tours that will take them to six States including an islands tour of Hawaii . IPAG performs in over 20 ocassions to celebrate the Philippine Centennial on the invitation of the Hawaii Filipino Centennial Celebration Commission and related events in the U.S. Mainland.
The Iligan City-based IPAG, resident cultural company of the MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology, completed its 5th full-feature performance of Tales From Mindanao at the Pearl City Cultural Center and received its 5th straight standing ovation with the same long encores in Kauai , Honolulu , Hilo , and state-of-the-art Maui Arts and Cultural Center . It performed for the Lapu Lapu Awards Night in August 6 (an event highlighted by the keynote address of former Chief Justice Hilarion Davide, Jr. and the attendance of Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle and Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann). The Guild is now in Washington State where it will perform in the Olympia High School Theatre (Aug. 12) and the University of Washington in Seattle (Aug. 13). The company will motor to Los Angeles for more performances including one at the Hollywood Celebrity Centre in Sept. 9. It performs in the East Coast in Washington D.C. , Virginia , and North Carolina until October to complete a two-and-a-half-month tour.
"Tales" presents Mindanao 's tri-people lore narrated in dance and music in a 2-hour long integrated arts tapestry. "Tales" is today's most performed production by IPAG, acknowledged as the most-traveled Philippine repertory company. The touring company of 12 performers, 3 musicians, and 4 staff members is led by its Artistic Director and Founder Steven P.C. Fernandez, its Resident Choreographer Nolly Ceballos, Founding Member Juliet Celeste Malit, and Technical Director Joey Nombres.
Reviews have confirmed IPAG's reputation as a company of international note. Writes Kauai 's leading dance critic Jose Bulatao, Jr.: IPAG presented " .precision, dexterity.. expressive and passionate singing.. mesmerizing an entranced audience! .. IPAG .was Imaginative, Profound, Astounding, and Grandiose.. [the performers'] exquisite grace. sheer artistry . [were] all there . from moment to moment, from beginning to end! .." H.Wayne Mendoza, Filipino dance professor at the University of Hawaii in Manoa who watched the show twice was ebullient in his praise: ".excellent." while Maui 's Dance Director Lawrence Pascua declares that the IPAG has set "a high standard for dancing" in Hawaii.
Colmenares, Jr. hosted the Hawaiian leg while the Filipino-American Community of South Puget Sound (FACSPS) under its President Dr. Rufino Ignacio sponsors the IPAG premiere in the mainland. The Iliganon Association hosts IPAG in L.A. Supporting the IPAG are local benefactors: the Iligan City Government, Super Ferry, The Travel Outlet, Pioneer Insurance and Surety Corporation, the Cultural Center of the Philippines , PAGCOR, and the MSU-IIT.
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photos: gauss obenza, maan chua, IPAG, kumbingan ensemble, geejay arriola, sining kambayoka, bobby timonera
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