National Artist for Dance Agnes Locsin, artistic director of the Locsin Dance Workshop, is an advocate of modern dance.
Agnes is best known for her choreographic transformations exploring Philippine tribal practices. She has successfully choreographed Western classical techniques into Philippine neo-ethnic movements and vice-versa. Her most important and acclaimed works include Encantada, Babylon, Taong Talangka, Bagobo, Igorot, Hinilawod and La Revolucion Filipina.
Her beautifully choreographed performance art in musical productions such as Tanghalang Pilipino’s “Noli Me Tangere” (the musical), “Hudhud,” “Ang Pag Patay Kay Antonio Luna,” “Walang Sugat,” “Florante at Laura,” and “Ilustrado” among so many others.
During the pandemic, while in Davao City, Agnes collaborated with her former trainees Alden Lugnasin and Biag Gaongen to come up with dance films for the Locsin Dance Workshop and the Carmen D. Locsin Foundation, a video-documentary on neo-ethnic dance and co-sponsored by the National Commision for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).
We had a very interesting chat with Agnes and here it is.
Congratulations on being bestowed the National Artist Award for Dance last June. After all the greetings, how do you feel about this recognition?
Totally tired of all the attention. Being such an anti-social and somewhat a recluse, I am so completely overwhelmed by all the praise and greetings and selfies that have come my way. I asked Alice [Reyes] when all the hoopla will die down, she replied that it’s forever.
All my life, I’ve worked with all my heart and passion. It is gratifying that I am being recognized and awarded for my works. Just wishing the attention would die down.
For me, your choreography Encantada really puts you high on a pedestal of Filipino of Filipino choreographers in any given time. How does a choreographer create such a passionate and moving work of art?
Encantada, was my first full-length dance narrative in Manila. It was a great help that I had a great librettist in Al Santos, and a great musical composer in Joey Ayala. We worked together in college at the Ateneo de Davao back in 1977, so we knew how each other ticked.
Joey and Al gave me the directorial cape, so I just worked on the images that the libretto and music asked of me. Encantada consumed me. The world around me no longer existed. It was just Encantada that dominated my mind and being. How each dance section would be treated and expressed, and not be repeated, but maintaining a theme to keep all sections glued together. Unfortunately, the notebook in which I wrote all my thoughts on what to do is lost. I can’t find it. It would have been nice to read through it again. The innumerable images, the why’s, the what’s, the paths, the patterns, the dynamics, etc..were all written in the spiral notebook.
How did I do it? I have no idea. It is said that in the air around us, we can find ideas, knowledge, and artistry. All we need to do is open our minds so that knowledge can come in. This I believe is what happened, since I always enter the rehearsal hall with an empty and open mind.
What makes a student a standout?
First, the body must be flexible. Second, the love for movement. Third, the capacity to absorb and accept corrections/ criticism. Fourth, the appreciation and acceptance of dance technique.
What specific aspect of your art do you want people to remember you by?
Back in the 80’s, when dance “Dabaw” was featured in a booklet, I was so ecstatic. I said, ‘Now I can die.’ Today, I am in so many dance books, and I feel so complete and content in the knowledge that I’m now part of the history of dance in the Philippines.
Specific aspect? I guess that would be developing Philippine neo-ethnic movement. But there’s still lots of work to be done as I still need to prove that neo-ethnic is not just re-creating tribal dances. It can also be applied to urban movement. Lots of work need to be done to achieve this. I hope I can still do it. If not, maybe one of my “babies” can develop it.
