Sayaw sa Alon

on Wednesday April 16, 2008
2:30 PM
NCCA Audio-Visual Auditorium
NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR CULTURE AND THE ARTS
633 NCCA Building, General Luna Street,
Intramuros, Manila

Sayaw sa Alon (Dancing on Waves)  is a  dance-documentary about the vanishing culture of the Bajau or Sama Dilaut,
the indigenous group also known as sea gypsies of  Southern Philippines. Threatened by war, western acculturation, globalization and environmental degradation,  they have become refugees or migrants in other parts of the country and in Sabah, Malaysia.

The documentary creatively combines the traditional dances of the Sulu Archipelago to dramatize the rapid transformation of the Bajau from a seafaring people to a land-based nomadic group.
Through ritual, dance and music, they struggle to hold on to their ethnic identity. 

But even with the Bajau's remarkable resilience, 
can they save their invaluable wisdom about the sea, their arts, and their beliefs in the face of new hostile environments?  .

Shot in Tawitawi, Sitangkai, Zamboanga, Metro Manila and Laguna,
the documentary follows the Bajau exodus from their native homeland to the mean streets of Manila,
and finally to the squatters' community along railroad tracks of Laguna.

Written and Directed by Nannette Matilac
Narration by Cecilia B. Garrucho

Dancers: AlunAlun Dance Circle (ADC) with ADC Artistic Director Ligaya Fernando-Amilbangsa
              Tambuli Cultural Troupe, MSU-Tawitawi
Musical scoring by Isha Abubakar
Cinematography by Neil Daza, Egay Navarro, Manie Magbanua Jr., Cynthia Paz
Edited by Milo Alto-Paz

This documentary was produced with the support of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.