Performing Arts

Performing arts are art forms in which artists use their body or voice to convey artistic expressionas opposed to plastic arts, in which artists use clay, metal, paint, and other materials to create physical art objects. The first recorded use of the term performing arts was in 1711. Types of performing arts Dance- is a type of art that generally involves movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music,
performed in many different cultures and used as a form of expression, social interaction and exercise or presented in a spiritual or performance setting. Music- is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch (which governs melody and harmony), rhythm (and its associated concepts tempo, meter, and articulation), dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture. Opera- is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text (called a libretto) and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting.

Theatre- is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or
imagined event before a live audience in a specific place.

History

The term "Performance Art" got its start in the 1960s in the United States. It was originally used to

describe any live artistic event that included poets, musicians, film makers, etc. - in addition to visual
artists. If you weren't around during the 1960s, you missed a vast array of "Happenings," "Events" and Fluxus "concerts," to name just a few of the descriptive words that were used. It's worth noting that, even though we're referencing the 1960s here, there were earlier precedents for Performance Art. The live performances of the Dadaists, in particular, meshed poetry and the visual arts. The German Bauhaus, founded in 1919, included a theater workshop to explore relationships between space, sound and light. The Black Mountain College (founded [in the United States] by Bauhaus instructors exiled by the Nazi Party), continued incorporating theatrical studies with the visual arts - a good 20 years before the 1960s Happenings happened. You may also have heard of "Beatniks" - stereotypically: cigarette-smoking, sunglasses and black-beret-wearing, poetry-spouting coffeehouse frequenters of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Though the term hadn't yet been coined, all of these were forerunners of Performance Art. By 1970, Performance Art was a global term, and its definition a bit more specific. "Performance Art" meant that it was live, and it was art, not theater. Performance Art also meant that it was art that could not be

bought, sold or traded as a commodity. Actually, the latter sentence is of major importance. Performance artists saw (and see) the movement as a means of taking their art directly to a public forum, thus completely eliminating the need for galleries, agents, brokers, tax accountants and any other aspect of capitalism. It's a sort of social commentary on the purity of art, you see. In addition to visual artists, poets, musicians and film makers, Performance Art in the 1970s now encompassed dance (song and dance, yes, but don't forget it's not "theater"). Sometimes all of the above will be included in a performance "piece" (you just never know). Since Performance Art is live, no two performances are ever exactly the same. The 1970s also saw the heyday of "Body Art" (an offshoot of Performance Art), which began in the 1960s. In Body Art, the artist's own flesh (or the flesh of others) is the canvas. Body Art can range from covering volunteers with blue paint and then having them writhe on a canvas, to self-mutilation in front of an audience. (Body Art is often disturbing, as you may well imagine.) Additionally, the 1970s saw the rise of the autobiography being incorporated into a performance piece. This kind of story-telling is much more entertaining to most people than, say, seeing someone shot with a gun. (This actually happened, in a Body Art piece, in Venice, California, in 1971.) The autobiographical pieces are also a great platform for presenting one's views on social causes or issues. Since the beginning of the 1980s, Performance Art has increasingly incorporated technological media into pieces - mainly because we have acquired exponential amounts of new technology. Recently, in fact, an 80's pop musician made the news for Performance Art pieces which use a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation as the crux of the performance. Where Performance Art goes from here is only a matter of combining technology and imagination. In other words, there are no foreseeable boundaries for Performance Art.

Performing Arts in Mindanao State University (MSU)

MSU-Kabpapagariya Ensemble
MSU-Kabpapagariya Ensemble is the official performing arm of Mindanao State University in General Santos City. The troupe serves the university as its Ambassador of Goodwill to showcase the dominant culture of its immediate environ and to fulfil the institutions mandate by its cultural extension activities. Kabpapagariya holds office at the Office of Physical Education, Sports and Cultural Affairs (OPESCA). Its officers are Cultural Manager Alma Celesthia Dumalag-Aguja, Producttion Artistic Director Prof. Romeo F. Narvaez, OPESCA Director Prof. Estellita A. Aquino and University Chancellor Dr. Macapado A. Muslim.

IPAG: Integrated Performing Arts Guild

A leading Philippine dance and theatre company whose world-acclaimed productions integrate the dance, music, and arts traditions of the South where it is based. IPAG has represented the Philippines in over 100 cities worldwide, and will continue to represent the country in coming world tours. IPAG is the resident theatre company of the MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology.

Kalimulan Cultural Dance Troupe

Mindanao Culture is both rich and varied A true mirror of the people of which it is the expression. Ethnic dances are a part of this culture. They show not only the Artistic Ingenuity of the natives, but also their beliefs, traditions and life are reflected in them. These ethnic dances have for long survived. But unfortunately, only few people had the chance to see and appreciate them. Inspired by the thrusts and objectives of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP),Prof. Christian T.N. Aguado, a cultural anthropologist headed as founder and organizer of the MSU-IIT Kalimulan Cultural Dance Troupe. As resident cultural dance troupe of the Institute, it was formally launched by a group of young talented college students and faculty members from the College of Arts and Social Sciences on June 13, 1988.

8va: The Octava Choral Society

The Octava Choral Society is a group who could sing folk, Filipino ballads, classical, ethnic, as well as, contemporary music. Not only that, they could also act, dance, and move but still maintain a good singing quality. They are the most versatile choral group in Southern Philippines.

Darangan Cultural Troupe

The Mindanao State University, in fulfillment of its role as conservator and propagator of the indigenous culture of Mindanao, Sulu and Palawan, organized the Darangan Cultural Troupe in 1966. The troupe has since served as a means or achieving one of the essential objectives of the University as mandated by its Charter to promote cultural integration.

Sining Pananadem
Supplementing and reinforcing the efforts of the Darangan Cultural Troupe and the Sining Kambayoka, the Sining Pananadem, an all-Maranao group, had its debut before a very receptive audience in 1989. This company of performance was conferred official recognition through BOR Resolution No. 139, series of 1989. The Sining Pananadem has taken on the mission to wrest from oblivion the centuries-old cultural treasure includes autochthonous songs, rituals, customs, chants and instrumental music. The amassed materials are interpreted for stage performances.

Sining Kambayoka Ensemble

The Sining Kambayoka, founded in 1974, is the only Filipino Muslim folk theater company in the country. In its less than two decades of existence, it has reaped prestigious awards and enthusiastic, critical acclaim. It won the 1977 Aliw Awards for Most Promising Cultural Troupe of the Philippines, the 1977 Kalilangan Awards for the Best Cultural Troupe of the Philippines, the 1978 Aliw Awards for the Most Outstanding Theater Group of the Philippines, and the 1981 Balagtas Award for Filipino Drama.