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Segunda parte del artículo "The Filipino is more Spanish than he thinks" por Rina Jimenez-David (en inglés)
Part 2: "More Spanish than we think"
THE DAY is long past when TV and movie villains almost always spoke with a strong Castilian accent. But though the days of Spanish villainy in Pinoy popular culture are clearly over, it still comes as a surprise to many that in Spain the Philippines and Filipinos are looked upon with fondness. The first time I met Spanish Ambassador to the Philippines Tomas Rodriguez-Pantoja, he told us that when he paid a courtesy call on King Juan Carlos, the King bade him to make a special effort to get President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to make a state visit to Spain. "The Philippines holds a very special place in our hearts," the ambassador said. "In our eyes, you are the last bastion of Spanish influence in Asia."
A year into his stay here, though, Ambassador Pantoja confessed that he "rather overestimated" the remaining Spanish influence on local culture. For one thing, he came here expecting more people to be speaking--or at least able to understand--Spanish!
That may be the reason Ambassador Pantoja worked to bring "Bravo Zarzuela!" to the CCP stage last week. A revue of Spanish dances, songs and scenes from rural life, it was directed by no less than the ambassador himself. But while a showcase of Spanish culture, "Bravo Zarzuela!" was also, in the ambassador's words, "a fusion of our two cultures." For also showcased in the program was Filipino talent.
INDEED, "Bravo Zarzuela!" was a true collaborative endeavor. The PPO was under the baton of Spanish conductor Jose Antonio Torres while the dancers worked with choreographer Alberto Portillo. Joining the Spanish lead singers soprano Luisa Torres, tenor Jose Antonio Moreno and baritone Jorge Florenza were coloratura soprano Rachelle Gerodias and bass baritone Ronaldo Abarquez, as well as the Philippine Normal University Chorale. Spanish solo dancers Maria Jose Martin Ramirez, Eva Maria Coelho, Alfonso Gonzalez Rodriguez and Avelino Cazallo Gonzalez, led the young troupe of dancers from the Philippine Ballet Theater, the Fundacion Centro Flamenco and other dance companies and studios.
Most of the audience, I would guess, had come expecting flamencos and matador moves. But as we would soon discover, there is more to Spanish dance and music than these clichés of the tourist scene.
Another discovery: Filipino dance owes much more to Spain than we think. A dance making use of seashells was strongly reminiscent of the "maglalatik." And at the fiesta scene, what else would we see but the floral arches that are a mainstay of the fiesta scenes of the lowlands?
"Bravo Zarzuela!" then, while ostensibly a showcase of Spanish dance and song, is really also about Philippine culture and its antecedents. And if only for illustrating how strong are the enduring ties between our two countries, then "Bravo Zarzuela!" was well worth the effort of mounting it and watching it.
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