Philippine Asian News Today Vol 20 No 20 | Page 21

October 16 - 31, 2018
PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY
21
Kathara Society proudly presents
KAPWA FEST 2018: The Art of Our Relations
Presented at The Dance Centre Scotiabank Dance Centre, 677 Davie Street
Friday November 2, 2018 @ 7PM Tickets through Eventbrite https://bit.ly/2RKSlpr
By Sliding Scale Donation
Artists: Kim Villagante (emcee /
poet), Madelaine McCallum (dance),
Kat Norris (song), Babette Santos
(movement), Bert Monterona (painter),
Kin Balam (singer / poet), Mayo
Landicho (folk music), Cease Wyss
(storytelling), Alvin Erasga Tolentino
(contemporary artist) and Kathara
Dance Theatre (dance/movement),
Christie Lee Charles (welcoming),
Rup Sidhu (music), Jeremiah Carag
(music), Shishir Inocalla (Filipino
Martial Arts). Clifford Belgica (chant),
Monsoon Society (Filipino Martial
Arts).
The Filipino term KAPWA, loosely
translated meaning ‘Self In Others,’
is a Philippine Indigenous People’s
psychology that centers on shared
experience and shared identity. Kapwa
Fest 2018 The Art of Our Relations
happening on November 2 at The
Dance Centre offers collaborations
shared between Filipinos in diaspora
and urban indigenous cultural
artists of Coast Salish peoples of
the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam),
Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and
Səl̓ílwətaʔ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
A month-long series of activities
culminating at the Scotiabank Dance
Centre on November 2 starting
7pm entitled Kapwa: The Art of
Our Relations is a community share
back about weaving histories of a
collective memory explored through
collaborative songwriting, storytelling,
martial arts practice, dance workshop,
ritual making, healing work (hilot)
and honouring ancestors. The event
day on November 2 also falls on a
Philippine holiday, “Araw Ng Mga
Patay” or All Souls Day similar to Latin
American tradition, Day of the Dead
offering prayers and communing with
spirits and ancestors.
“We all come from somewhere
and from someone… unravelling
ancestral pasts, weaving histories,
each of us one patch of a quilted
blanket, piling stacks of fabric detailing
human history quintessential to
healing our communities with warmth,
knowledge and understanding toward
future collective harmony.” – Kathara
Society.
For Kapwa Fest 2018 Calendar,
click here.
Some of the lead up events
and workshops toward November 2,
Kapwa Art of Our Relations have been
considered “firsts” in the community.
Emcee and poet KimMortal (Kim
Villagante)
offers
songwriting
workshop for youth at Creekside
Community Centre that focuses on
mixing Filipino traditional / indigenous
rhythms with contemporary hip hop
woven into themes of indigeneity
and de-colonisation. Tin Gamboa’s
Human Connection in Ancestry
depicts and uses the body as a
container to express memories passed
on from ancestors through movement
and dance. Shishir Inocalla’s Hilot
or healing practice happening at
the Collingwood Neighbourhood
House introduces the ancient Filipino
traditional art of healing.
How do workshops and
performances look like for Filipinx in
diaspora, urban indigenous, LGBTQ
and BIPOC expressing their work
on de-colonization? How can anti-
colonial space grow and thrive within
settler communities on indigenous
lands? What does ceremony-making
mean about accountability to the land
and future generations where youth
WWW.PHILIPPINEASIANNEWSTODAY.COM
and elders gather as co-creators
rather than consumers?
Known for their innovative events
in community engagement, Kathara
Society invites the public to participate
in the groundbreaking event Kapwa
The Art of Our Relations.