“Imagine what a harmonious world it could be if every single person, both young and old, shared a little of what he is good at doing”. – Quincy Jones
LUZVIMINDA has been a painstaking effort ever since its conception. Putting up a show that requires a lot of props, a company of cast, a budget that requires beyond our means and a demanding time that oblige our faithfulness to bring the pieces together into a wonderful show is in itself a masterpiece in its own right. Herein are Filipinos living in Nagoya who walked their separate lives yet came and bonded together in common interest to put up a Cultural presentation at the Nanzan University in Nagoya City.
LUZVIMINDA is a Cultural Show featuring the cultural dances and folk hymns of mother Philippines from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao being staged in front of Japanese audiences at the Nanzan University Hall. This is a charity presentation organized by Philippine Society in Japan Nagoya Chapter in cooperation with Rural Asian Service Association (RASA) for the benefit of poor children in the Philippines.
I felt especially proud for these Filipino performers. They are not the brand of professional artists, but rather, they are the simple and modest housewives, professional teachers, lay workers, students and very ordinary Filipinos who have volunteered their time and effort for a noble cause- to help our less fortunate children in Philippines improve their lives and to offer them hope and dreams that they can look forward to. The group is instrumental in the creation of Sandiwaan Learning Center in Smokey Mountain that provided free education for the poor. They helped raised funds for bantay bata and other charity projects. Such is the driving force behind the scene: it offers self –redemption and promotes self dignity that in the midst of all our individual challenges in a foreign land and the emotional difficulties and trials being away from home, one is able to go over oneself to think and act upon a noble idea of living for the sake of others. It is a culture of heart based on service and love and a patriotic act of promoting the Philippine cultural songs and folk dances to the rest of the world. The act alone is a pride in itself not only did we do a die service for mother Philippines and its people but the action serves a quiet avenue for inner development that when we learn to discover and immerse into the idea, we begin to appreciate our blessings in life that there is much more to celebrate than to feel sorry for; we naturally equip ourselves with the confidence of human dignity, the perception of what is right and good and the ability to have compassion and empathy for those who have less in life.
The preparation for the show did not come like pieces of peanuts but like any show, a lot of sweat and even rubbing of shoulders not to mention the sleepless nights to construct the details of the program went through a needle’s eye. Consecutive Sundays have to be sacrificed especially when the date of the main show comes to a close. The program proper was far from perfect with few loopholes but with a united staffs and performers who refused nothing but only the best, the show came out as one that we all can be proud of. The audience were entertained and informed and others have the chance to have a taste of their first steps to Tinikling. The closing of the program is a powerful rendition of “Ako Ay Pilipino” with the Philippine flag being waved up high. It was an emotional moment as all the performers stood on stage holding each other’s arms and one can only be so proud not only as a performer but as a Filipino. We stood tall as Filipinos for a performance well done as we celebrate the unceasing sounds of claps and applause from the audience and as the curtain comes to a draw. The show ended its dramatic conclusion but in the stage of real life, another chapter have been turned and we stood taller as human beings knowing that all our efforts are not rendered mute and that through this charity show, somewhere in the rural areas of Philippines, a small prayer is answered, a hope is born, a dream conceive and a joy realized. In this concert, three things cry out to us: Our Faith, our dance and music and the desire to live for the sake of others.
by: Jun Flores