A Darangen in Dance at SM Lanang Premier

In celebration of the National Heritage Month, SM Lanang Premier and the Filipino Heritage Festival Inc. mounted Philippine Ballet Theatre’s showcase of Darangen ni Bantugen.

Darangen is the Maranao term for epic song. Declared in 2005 as one of the world’s 43 “Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible heritages of Humanity” by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the epic consists of 17 cycles and 72,000 lines in its ancient form.

Originally told in verse or chanted by the elders of the Maranao people – one of the main Muslim groups of Mindanao – it highlights episodes from Maranao history, explores the themes of love, life and death, good and evil, and celebrates the exploits of its legendary heroes. The story of Bantugen is the most widely told—and Davao was witness to this last May 30 in SM Lanang Premier’s Cinema 6.

“The most important thing here is that we Filipinos should appreciate our epics not necessarily the ones from Mindanao, Luzon or Visayas. We have a very good and rich epic that we can be proud of, that can match with India’s Ramayana or Greek mythology which is very popular and being taught in schools. Our Darangen ni Bantugen is a very classic story, with adventures and odyssey that we Filipinos should really appreciate, learn and absorb,” said Gener Caringal, director and choreographer of Darangen Ni Bantugen.

The ballet Darangen ni Bantugen was created for the Philippine Ballet Theatre with choreography by Gener Caringal and Ronilo Jaynario, music by Jesse Lucas, and set and costume design by National Artist Salvador Bernal. It premièred on May 14, 2008, at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. An adaptation based on the stories by Ma. Lourdes Sanchez and E. Arsenio Manuel, this story-ballet is a synthesis of modern, contemporary and classical dance, focusing on the hero Bantugen, his odyssey, death and resurrection. The music of Lucas fuses indigenous wind and percussion instruments with pre-recorded original chants. Bernal’s stylized renditions of the original Maranao costumes reflect the rich tapestry of Mindanao culture and tradition. The emotional aura invoked by each scene is intensified by the various shifts in light, shadow and color.

Darangen ni Bantugen was commissioned by the Filipino Heritage Festival Inc. as the centerpiece of the month-long National Heritage Month festivities, which in 2008, had the Filipino epic for its theme. The month of May has been set aside by the government to celebrate our national culture annually.