Marikina City Goes ASEAN

Last Friday, Nov.16, 2007. The Division of City Schools Marikina Chapter presented an ASEAN Dance show entitled "Marikina City Goes ASEAN" at the teatro Marikina, Marikina City, Philippines.

the show was a collaboration of selected Public Highschool students of marikina city. Each school was assigned an ASEAN Member country which the selected students will perform its national dance. Young as they was the students did an exceptionally good performance.

The show was subdivided into ten parts. Each part features an ASEAN country e.g. Indonesia, Laos, Philippines, Cambodia, Brunei, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand.

At the back of every performance are power point presentations containing details about the country.

The show was attended by high school students which just goes to show that stuff like this also captures the interests of the young ones.

LIst of Brunei Performing Arts

One of the ASEAN member coutries is Brunei Darussalam.
Like the other countries Brunei also has a diverse and rich asian culture..
Below is a List of Brunei Performing arts:

Dance
Folk
o Adai-Adai
o Aduk-Aduk
o Alai Sekap
o Anding Rimba
o Tamarok
o Basuk Pakoi
Traditional
o Alus Jua Dindang
o Samalindang
o Jipin Lela Sembah
o Joget Baju Putih
o Tudung Dulang
o Jong Sarat
Contemporary
o Joget Seri Kenangan
o Jipin Tar
Music and Song
Folk

o Adai-adai *
o Aduk-Aduk
o Alai Sekap
o Anding (Rimba)
o Tamarok
o Basuk Pakoi
o Air Pasang
o Tak Bamban
o Tiup-Tiup

Traditional

o Alus Jua
o Samalindang

o Jipin Lela Sembah

o Joget Baju Putih

o Tudung Dulang

o Kain Jong Sarat

o Adun

Contemporary

o Popular

Patriotic (click on song title for lyrics)

+ Brunei Bumi Bertuah

+ Brunei Darussalam Tanahairku

+ Tekad Kemerdekaan

+ Purih Bangsa

+ Taat Setia

+ Sumpah dan Janji

+ Kedaulatan Tanah Airku

+ Wajah Kedaulatan

+ Menjunjung Hasrat Negara

+ Bangsa Satria

+ Chitra Negara

+ Laksana Puteri

+ Irama Kemerdekaan

+ Warisan Berdaulat

+ Tekad Dan Janji

10 Beautiful Things About Laos

Laos is one of the ASEAN member countries that has in store a rich cultural package, I personally would like to share you..

1. Two great performing arts traditions survive in Laos - the rich and diverse folk heritage of the lam or khap call-and-response folk song and its popular theatrical derivative lam luang and the graceful classical music and dance (natasinh) of the former royal courts. Underpinning both of these traditions is the unique and haunting sound of the Lao national instrument, the khene.

2. Communication with the spirits has always figured prominently in Lao daily life, and to this day ritual dances of propitiation continue to be performed in many parts of the country, both by the ethnic Lao and by many minority groups.

   One of the best-known animistic dance rituals still performed today is that associated with the Phou Nheu and Nha Nheu guardian deities of Luang Prabang, which takes place every Lao New Year at Wat Wisun in the northern capital.

3. In Laos there emerged during this period a theatrical derivative of lam pheun known as lam luang, a colloquial combination of singing and storytelling combined with improvisation, action and dance which was performed to a musical accompaniment. Lam luang is thought to have originated when the moh lam began to act out all the parts in his story, changing his costume and movement with each character.
4. Sadly a fire in 2000 destroyed the Central Lao Opera Troupe's headquarters along with its entire wardrobe of traditional costumes and archive of valuable old documents and photographs on lam luang. The company has since been obliged to reconstruct much from memory

5. The khene is almost a national symbol to the Lao people - indeed, there is a popular saying to the effect that 'he who lives in a house on stilts, eats sticky rice and plays the khene is a true Lao'.

6. The moh khene or khene player blows into the soundbox and pitch is determined by means of holes bored into the tubes which, when blocked, bring into action vibrating reeds of silver fitted into each tube.

7. In recent decades there has been a growing tendency, particularly in the south of the country, to use modern western instruments in accompaniment of lam.

   This in turn has led to the emergence of a highly-popular melange of lam and western pop music known as lam luang samay, performed to the accompaniment of a khene backed up by a modern band of electric guitar, bass, keyboard and drums.

8. Fon phun muang - Lao folk dance

   The Lao folkloric tradition incorporates a wide repertoire of folk dances (fon phun muang), some based on ancient animist rituals, some developed in celebration of the passing of the seasons and others adapted from courtly performance genres.

9. Lakhon tukkata - Lao puppetry

   The oldest extant form of Lao puppetry or lakhon tukkata may be found in Luang Prabang, where a troupe based at Wat Xieng Thong preserves the ipok rod-puppet tradition associated with the former royal court.

10. Circus

    As in several other countries of the region, acrobatic routines were featured in both courtly and itinerant theatre during the Lane Xang era, spawning an abiding interest in the popular art of the circus.

Hope you learned and appreciated Laos Performing arts..

Essence of a good performing arts

The Philippines is one of the ASEAN countries known to have a rich culture that is much appreciated in almost any part of the world. From it's beautiful and intricate indegenous dances to it's versatile and harmonious music and theater arts the Filipino people have much to be proud of.


Much more if we try to look into the different cultures of the other ASEAN countries like Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam; we will see a lot more of very beautiful cultures that are worthy of preservation. For example


"Classical Cambodian ballet-a stunningly graceful, 2,000-year-old blend of sinuous hand gestures and sensuous body movements, all deep with meaning. The graceful movements of the Apsara dancers, adorned with gold headdresses and silken tunics and skirts, are carved on the walls of many of the temples at Angkor. Estimates are that there were 3,000 Apsara dancers in the 12th century court of King Jayavarman VII.Dancing holds great significance for the Khmer people, and the government considers the Royal Ballet in particular to be a national treasure. In the past, the classical dance was the Royal dance, performed only before kings to commemorate their dynastic ancestors and to honor the gods." (from Flickr.com)

Then comes modernization, where the different technologies become a tool for westernization. Mainstream style for music, dance and theater becomes the favorite of majority almost forgetting the beauty of the rich asian cultures.

Learning more about ASEAN performing arts opens the world's eyes to the hidden wonder of the intelligent and valuable culture Asian countries are to share. And this will help the word believe that asian culture is something that mankind should be proud of.