kuya ronnie and his troupe

I was walking to class one day last December, when my friend Claudio Ramos just grabbed me near Villareal Hall, and introduced me to Kuya Ronnie, “Hoy day, this is our choreographer sa dance troupe. He is also from Bicol! Kaila na mo?”

Of course, he meant the Kahayag Dance Troupe (KDT), with around 22 of whose thirty something members who will perform at the Cultural Center of the Philippines in Manila this February 3-5, and its choreographer, Ronnie Mirabuena from Bacacay, Albay, who at that moment, was smiling in amusement.

“As in?” I replied as I looked at Kuya Ronnie, the choreographer, and grinned and added a boisterous “Hello!”

Now, being so far away from home means that I do not get the luxury of meeting a lot of kabsies. The closest regional organization I have is Kaibigang Maynila, and I don’t even go to the meetings anymore.

A fellow Bicolano, at last. And he choreographs! For the same dance troupe my friends are part of; the same dance troupe my friends gave up their social lives, organizational positions, and sometimes even classes for! How utterly intriguing.

Having gotten to know KDT better, I now have this to say.

If I were back home and I were to describe KDT’s Kuya Ronnie, I would say that he is “uragon,” a kind of local slang for the best, in the very sense of the word.

A participant of the 31st Southeast Asian Youth Program (SSEAYP), he also taught in the Philippine High School for the Arts in Mount Makiling, Los Banos, Laguna.

It was last 2004 when he came here as a guest instructor, upon the invitation of Silliman alumna, Ms. Swyline Aspera, when they revived the Silliman Dance Troupe, now called the KDT.

She said of her former high school classmate, “Ronnie matured as a folk dancer. He mastered his profession well, and he always puts passion in everything he does.”

I think this is evident from the obvious respect the dancers have for him. In my interviews, they said, “Kuya Ronnie is very dedicated. He sacrificed other teaching opportunities to teach here where there is so little compensation.

“He is talented, without question. Choreography is not an easy feat because there is a big difference when it comes to modern and folk dance: in the latter, you imitate Filipino daily life. Everything has to be authentic, and he can interpret the moves straight out of the books. Only someone with a lot of exposure and experience can do that. He is so but.an pa jud, and open to ideas. He molds us to become artists in our own right.”

I first got acquainted with KDT when, as I passed by the Luce Auditorium on my way to the dormitory, I would find them with a can on a table, asking for financial support from the students in the form of coins. I was also part of the audience when they revived the Tara na, Biyahe tayo! show to raise funds for the CCP trip.

One dance troupe member related to me how they had to personally solicit P5,000, and how someone asked him, “Kadato sa Silliman, di mo ma-send?”

Claudio even said candidly, “It’s not easy baya to ask money from people, even if it’s just for coins in a can. We swallow our pride because we need to. We want to go to CCP, even with all the pressure. This is our make-it-or-break it performance. Who knows? If we’re a success, we might get international exposure in the future.”

I can just imagine now how the KDT will bring the CCP crowd to its feet. The dance event, which is part of the Arts Month celebration, is called Sari-Saring Galaw, Sama-Samang Sayaw, and will be participated in by eight other selected performing groups like the Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group, the University of the East Dance Troupe, and the Lahing Batangan Dance Troupe of
Lyceum of Batangas.

Through the sheer perseverance of these people, I am sure that they will get to do just that. However, we should also ask: Why make it so hard for them?

Why can’t the University simply resolve to generously support KDT, or any performing group (or varsity teams, for that matter) to further motivate others in the cultural arena?

The Kahayag Dance Troupe is making history as the first Silliman performers to grace CCP. We should have one of those tarpaulins hung up for all of Dumaguete to see!

We keep on harping about the fact that Silliman life now focuses more on the cultural. Paying hundreds of thousands to the Ballet Manila for their talent fees might bring culture to Silliman, but we should also nurture it within. Nothing can compare to the potential prestige and marketability we can get from giving even just fifty thousand to KDT.

Another friend of mine, Aiken Quipot, commented, “The Silliman University Dance Troupe is the only group around campus actively preserving our Filipino-ness. Some might think that Silliman is too western, but here is KDT, reintroducing again and again to its audiences the beauty of Philippine culture. If Silliman University really wants to support Philippine culture, they should support KDT.”

I see the lights on every night from 7:00-9:00 at the Kahayag Studio in the Luce Auditorium; they are in there, practicing. Every night.

I learned that even if they do receive scholarships as members of the KDT, that scholarship money only started after a year and a half of practicing and performing without compensation.
I was told that they pray at the start of every practice, and at the end. Even if they are tired, they form a circle and pray.

If this is not dedication and passion, I do not know what is.

We should always be grateful to Professor Joseph Basa, Acting Dean of the College of Performing Arts, Ms. Aspera, and Kuya Ronnie for bringing these talented students together with a common love for dancing.

It has given so much to these dancers, these Sillimanians: a second family, an authentic experience with Filipino culture, an avenue for growth. How much more if they are given generous support by the University they proudly represent?

The members keep on telling me when my face goes slack at the thought of all their sacrifices, “There are no regrets at all.” These students deserve the chance to outshine everyone else at the CCP. So many talented people have passed through the Portals already, let us not let KDT be another regret.