Despite having a heavy set of rattan hammock mounted on scaffoldings that had to be moved out the stage for the next group, the Panay Bukidnon, the indigenous people of Panay Islands of Western Visayas, had been one of my favorites of the 18 groups I had to stage direct for the Tunogtugan: 1st International Gongs and Bamboo Music Festival, both in the Dipolog and Maasin, Iloilo legs. Even if on many occasions I was lost in translation most specially whenever the group finalized its repertoire for the day (which may be a concept too foreign to their traditional way of ritual music) I love this group so much. On our first encounter in time for rehearsing the opening ceremony, I was told that the father of lady whose portrait comes first in this set died. But she opted to stay for the festival in Dipolog and vowed to catch the wake on her return. Despite her loss, she was resilient and remained focused on the festival and their group's performance. Lola (Filipino for grandma) is a term I would call the eldest woman in the group who is a master in playing the one string bamboo zither. She had a solo part complete with spot light and necessary lapel microphone for her soft-sounding instrument. She's adorable. While I sensed that she and other elderly in the group may had some bickerings with the young Rolinda (the one with the black veil over her head) who was the focal point of the group when it came to communications, they were all able to participate and follow instructions well. During the curtain call after their first concert, Lola lost her balance and stumbled on stage that shocked us all. She got up immediately as if nothing happened and walked to down-center stage to take her bow to the audience, leaving the stagehand who came to her rescue dumbfounded. One thing I admired so much about this group was the authenticity of their traditional music. They played their instruments not because they were told to but because it was part of their life and how they communicate with the world. Sometimes their playing was longer, other times shorter that an audience like me would only know it's finished when they literally stopped (which on many cases were quite abrupt). They played their music not to entertain the audience but to relive the rituals of their ancestors and their people. Rolinda's chanting made shivers run down my spine and brought me to a different world - a spiritual one. And when they danced, they all seemed to be in trance. I am so proud and honored to have met them and to have witnessed their rituals.
Took these shots backstage while they prepared for their turn on stage. As flash photography was prohibited during the show (and as a director, I would not be the one to break that rule) and bulb mode shooting was not a good option for me, I found solace in sneaking to the backstage in between performances. Textured my shots with light blurs while riding the bus at SLEX on my way home from Calamba.

More photos by lakandula