“Kastoy ti ag-tadek, Banting! (This is how you do the tadek, Banting!),” shouts Kankana-ey Apong Uban (Andrei Domogo). Then, he stomps one foot and raises both hands.

By this time, says Andrei Inso, who plays the grandson Apong Uban is addressing, the show just falls into place.

The show is “Sayaw ng Panahon,” and it “seems to have taken a life of its own,” says director Dennis Gutierrez.

Stage adaptation

First shown at the University of the Philippines Baguio in September 2013, “Sayaw ng Panahon” is Dulaang UPB’s stage adaptation of a 2012 Palanca Award-winning short story by Danilo Antalan. It recently toured the Cordilleras for free, reaching places such as Kapangan, Benguet, and Sagada, Bontoc and Besao in Mt. Province, because “We believe that the story and its message need to be seen and heard also by the people of the Cordilleras,” says Gutierrez.

“What better audience to share this message with than those who practice the culture themselves?” adds Inso.

Derived from “Dagiti Sala ti Panawen,” Antalan’s winning short story in Iluko, the show follows Banting, who, with his dance group Tribal GenX, joins a TV talent show. The group is torn between auditioning with a modern dance number or something that represents their shared indigenous heritage.

Eventually, they decide to mix up their routine. Calling it “Metamorphosis,” they infuse their modern dance with steps from the “tadek”—a general term for upland social dances.

Says Gutierrez: “[The play] leaves the audience with the burning question: Should culture be preserved the way it is, or should it be dynamic and change with the times?”

The play often divided its audiences, he says. Some shook their heads, others nodded, though they also “intently watched as the story unfolded.” But whether or not they agreed with the characters’ decision, the play met its goal, because people also “agreed that the dilemma is true and it is a current situation that needs to be brought to attention.”

“The common denominator is that all these people are proud of their culture, and they also want to share it with the world,” says Inso, adding that many in the audience would thank them “for telling their story.”

“I faced the same dilemma,” Inso admits. “An Igorot (his parents are from Sagada) who grew up in the city, I performed a lot of cultural dances and plays … and didn’t notice that I was already bastardizing my people by changing certain parts and adding modern flair to my movements.”

Research

Now enlightened, the Kankana-ey says he always does his research before any cultural performance. DUPB was careful to do the same thing.

The group, which started admitting students only in 2010 after years of exclusive faculty membership, underwent a workshop with a campus indigenous peoples’ organization to properly execute the “tadek.” Some members had to endure hours of travel time to get the local governments and residents to sponsor them.

DUPB also had to adjust to the limits of municipal halls and schools, especially when it came to acoustics, and compromise on the lighting due to performing at daytime.

But “I believe the actors and crew felt fulfilled that they were able to be of service to the people and have fun at the same time,” Gutierrez says.

“These are my people,” Inso agrees, on behalf of a couple more members who have Igorot blood. “It meant so much to me to share this message to them.”

“Kastoy ti ag-tadek” takes on a different meaning as the play ends. The instruction to a character to learn something fundamental in his culture becomes a challenge. Gutierrez says: “‘Sayaw ng Panahon’ is an organic play that makes you feel that you are part of the story. Come to think of it, in reality, you are.”