- Visitors at the Philippines ‘Bangkóta’ Pavilion will witness the collaboration of finest Filipino talents and artists in all artistic facets – visual, performing arts, digital media, animation, and other forms of new media
- Audio-visual presentation titled “Our Gift to the World” presents a sequence of updated science about motifs of the Philippines
- Bangkóta’s “Our Gift to the World” presents the fusion of 65,000 years of human interaction and the 4,000-year story of a water-oriented culture that shaped the Filipinos
Creating momentum for its participation in the much-anticipated Expo Dubai 2020, the Philippines ‘Bangkóta’ Pavilion highlights a cross-generational collaboration of select finest Filipino talents in all artistic facets – visual, performing arts, digital media, animation and other forms of new media – who will give life to an imagination-expanding audio-visual presentation titled “Our Gift to the World”.
This spectacle of sight and sound that taps into human emotion, which is encapsulated in a five-minute multi-media narrative, aims to help resonate and exhibit the fusion of the 4,000-year story of a water-oriented culture and 65,000 years of human interaction that shaped the Filipinos–a sequence of updated science about our people’s origin.
The poetically conceptualised presentation gathers motifs of Philippine life expressed through contemporary dance that is choreographed by various seasoned Filipino talents.
Among them is veteran choreographer Denisa Reyes, former Artistic Director of Ballet Philippines and resident company of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), whose exceptional flair in the performing art form of dance gives the audio-visual presentation a powerful mix of breathtaking, imaginative reflections of scientific and humanistic data about the Philippines.
Reyes is assisted by co-choreographer JM Cabling, a full generation her junior, who contributes a continuity of interest in Philippine motifs in dance.
Composer and sound artist Teresa Barrozo, as well as dancers Angelina Betina Carlos, Minette Caryl Masa and Michael Barry Que are also part of this cross-generational collaboration.
The carefully selected ensemble of performing artists have worked with creative agency BBDO Guerrero, spearheaded by Creative Chief David Guerrero, to mount the stunning presentation. Collaborating with BBDO Guerrero to bring the creative agency’s vision to life are Director Jae Hyung Wang, along with the production team from Just Add Water Productions, Pixel Box and Flare Manila.
As the Philippines marks its ‘national day’ at Expo 2020 Dubai on 11th of February 2022, the “Our Gift to the World” audio-visual presentation will also be projected on the 360-degree immersive projection surface of the Al Wasl Plaza, the Expo’s performance stage for major events.
Nestor Jardin, former CCP President and Member of the CCP Board of Trustees, guided the conceptualisation of the programme by Silang Communications, headed by renowned thespian Bart Guingona. The programme “performs the soul” of Filipinos—a re-imagination of corals, forests, fauna, and movement—through Filipino dance and music interpreted for a global audience.
Production, technical and graphics design for the programme will be crafted by visual artist Leeroy New, graphic artist Steven Tansiongco and technical director Meliton Roxas Jr. Meanwhile, musical composition and direction will be a collaboration among sounds engineer Rards Corpus, composer Ejay Yatco, and vocal director Krina Cayabyab, with the choreographic supervision of JM Cabling.