The awarding was broken up into several sets, with various groups performing excerpts from their 2009 season. The most electrifying performance for me was that of Ballet Philippines. Candice Adea, who won a Gawad Buhay! for Best Female Lead Performance in Dance, and Angel Gabriel danced an excerpt from Evacuation, choreographed by Bam Damian. (Please pardon the noise and fuzziness of this photo; the conditions were almost too much for my little camera and I was forced to maximize the ISO.)
To showcase the works of Filipino visual artists, and also as an added incentive for theater groups to strive to garner awards every year, the trophies of Gawad Buhay! will always be different. The 2009 trophy is created by Don Salubayba from Davao City. It portrays a dancing bulul, the rice god of the Northern Philippines' indigenous peoples. The three faces of the figure represent music, dance and theater.
A notable difference between this year's awarding ceremony and last year's is the number of artists who attended. Last year, it was easy to organize the small group onto the stage for their photo. This year…
Chaotic is a mild word to describe what happened during the photo opportunity, but I love it. Half a dozen performing arts groups on one stage, happy faces showing pride in their awards, and a gaggle of friends, relatives and colleagues trying to get photos. As a scriptwriter friend told my husband after the ceremony, the artists now own the awards. And that can only bode well for Gawad Buhay!, Philstage and Philippine performing arts.
For those interested, Gibbs Cadiz posted the complete list of 2009 Gawad Buhay! winners in his blog.
This is so great! And I like the way everyone was involved. Your photos are just wonderful, really capturing the excitement and color of the event!
ReplyDeleteIt looks like it was a great event. The arts need all the publicity they can get
ReplyDeletelove the lighting in shots one and two
ReplyDeleteThe stage set is artful in, and of, itself.
ReplyDeleteLove the dancers
ReplyDeleteYou really do go to so many wonderful events and you do such a great job of sharing them with us. Boy, they really packed them in on that stage. Congratulations to all recipients.
ReplyDeleteI really like the set in your first photo. This sounds as if the awards ceremony was a wonderful event for an award that is getting more competitive.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a fun and glamourous evening! Bravo! Encore!
ReplyDeleteLove the first photo, so mysterious the effect ... congrats to everyone... Encore!
ReplyDeleteHave a nice day!
Very nicely illustrated, Hilda! I'm in awe of the second photo of the ballerina suspended with arched back! Looks impossible, but you've obviously captured the peak moment in that choreography! Well Done!
ReplyDeleteNo apologies needed for the images, Hilda - we've all been there! As Chuck wrote, you really got a nice capture of the ballerina. Altogether a great post!
ReplyDeleteune belle prestation artistique et j'aime le jeux des couleurs sur la première photo
ReplyDeleteAll of the Arts are so important. Its nice to see that they are being rewarded for their effort and talents.
ReplyDeleteNice post, Hilda.
It's hard to capture a performance with a photo. But you've done a nice job. I'm sure it was a fun evening!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fabulous event Hilda! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a great event and the photo capture it very nicely.
ReplyDeleteThe empty stage shot is just great! And I think it's also great to have more artists being rewarded.
ReplyDeleteWonderful things going on.
ReplyDeleteI stared long in disbelief at the ballerina.
Love the second photo of the two doing an amazing move! Sounds like you had fun ;D
ReplyDeleteA great choice of pictures, all of them are beautiful, but my favorites are the first two.
ReplyDelete