The 2014 Philippine Arts Festival (PAF) will have as theme “Art on the Edge.” It will be held during the National Arts Month (NAM) in February.
Focus of PAF will be art for healing activities, as a result of natural calamities that have hit the regions in the past months.
Last week, in fact, the national Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) conducted art therapy workshops for several communities severely affected by Supertyphoon “Yolanda.”
The sessions were conducted in lieu of Dayaw, the festival of indigenous communities, which was supposed to open in Tacloban City last month. The festival was cancelled as a result of the disaster.
The NCCA’s Subcommission on Cultural Communities and Traditional Arts (SCCTA), headed by Joycie Dorado-Alegre, herself a resident of Tacloban, led the Dayaw Art Therapy Workshops.
The power of art to heal has been well established, especially in dealing with trauma and other psychological distresses, said the NCCA. With the help of art, the NCCA hopes to bring comfort and to help survivors cope with loss and stress.
The Dayaw workshops were conducted in Dumarao, Tapaz and Roxas City in Capiz; Calinog in Iloilo, Antique, Aklan, Samar, Leyte. More communities will be identified later on.
Flagship projects
NCCA chair Felipe de Leon, Jr. will lead the celebration.
Organized by SCCTA, PAF consists of the flagship projects of the seven national committees of the subcommission—on architecture, cinema, dance, literature, music, theater and the visual arts.
PAF activities will be held all over the country to show that Philippine culture is truly national in scope.
The National Committee on Architecture and Allied Arts will hold several exhibitions, conferences, lectures and competitions on Philippine architecture and allied arts, under its flagship project, Archi[types/texts].
The National Committee on Cinema will hold Cinema Rehiyon 6 in Cagayan de Oro City on Feb. 19-22, 2014,with screenings and forums that focus on the film productions in the regions.
Independent filmmakers from Baguio, Pampanga, Calabarzon, Naga, Bacolod, Cebu, Davao, General Santos and Zamboanga will screen their latest films. Film curators, festival programmers and film enthusiasts will be in attendance.
The National Committee on Dance will present Sayaw Pinoy, now on its 11th year as the longest-running NAM project. It will tour dance concerts showcasing the different dance forms (folk, ballet, hip-hop, and contemporary) by various dance companies.
Awards ceremony
The National Committee on Literary Arts will mount Taboan: The Philippine Literary Arts Festival, at the Subic Freeport Zone on Feb. 24-26, 2014.
Taboan will gather writers, teachers and students for forums, lectures, a book fair, literary readings, performances, arts-and-crafts exhibits, cultural tours, satellite projects, and an awards ceremony recognizing outstanding writers from the regions.
The National Committee on Music will stage Taal-Tunugan, wherein a new musical ensemble will be trained and then toured. Members will use musical instruments they made themselves from metal scraps and recycled materials.
The National Committee on Dramatic Arts will hold Tanghal, a theater festival underscoring the works and achievements of community and university-based theater groups.
The National Committee on Visual Arts will hold the Philippine Visual Arts Festival in Tacloban on Feb. 20-24, 2014.
The opening ceremonies of the PAF-NAM will be held in Roxas City, Capiz, on Jan. 31, 2014.
Also of importance is the second Likha Asya festival and conference on community theater, creative industries and community-based tourism. Foreign delegates will grace the conference.
To be held during PAF-NAM is the Ani ng Dangal awarding ceremony which will honor Filipino artists who have won international recognition. It will be held Feb. 2, 2014, at the Samsung Hall of SM Aura Premier.
Call Rene Sanchez Napeñas of NCCA at 5272192, 0928-5081057; e-mail ncca.paio@gmail.com; visit www.ncca.gov.ph.