Primx
A weaving of Bomba Jazz, indigenous dances of the Philippines, Kundiman, Plena, and many other interconnecting indigenous practices within the global south grappling with the persistency of colonialism.
Within the past years, Critical Race Theory became a controversial discussion within US education, parents, school boards, and state legislatures- all fearing an academic approach against white canonical US history. And to those children of immigrants, critical thinking has often been discouraged through a US-curated history curriculum, shielding US colonization behind a more palatable term, IMPERIALISM. A popularly coined phrase, Manifest Destiny became a moral compass used to justify violence against Caribbean and Asian Pacific peoples, justifying colonization as "god's will for US' global domination" and validating Western expansion and the displacement of indigenous peoples. Art and education became gatekeepers of truth and tools for psychological warfare. Democracy became a veil to disguise the hidden agendas of capitalism, leading to mass migrations in pursuit of the mythical American Dream.
As a mother of a first-generation immigrant Filipina and as a first-generation Puerto Rican + Dominican, Anito Gavino and Marcel Santiago Marcelino know these nuanced stories to be true. Despite growing up generations and oceans apart, they connected through their shared stories of oppression and resistance. To reclaim lost histories that resonate deeply within, Gavino and Marcelino create Primx, a theatrical dance conversation between family members connected not by blood but by blood memories.
Gavino and Marcelino are dance researchers who use embodiment, oral history, and scholarly research to explore cultural identities and personal narratives. Gavino is indigenous to the island of Panay, a central island of the Philippines. She is a mother and a mid-career immigrant artist using dance as a portal to dismantle her colonized history. Marcelino is an emerging queer young maker whose first dance language is Bomba, a dance of Borikén. Their work uses Bombazos (Bomba celebration) as a healing practice from a Western-centered dance world. Together, they use the many languages embedded in their bodies to tell a history.
Since its initial conception, Primx has been more of a process than a finished product for how can one end a cousin-like relationship? We have added two dancer theater artists into the AniMalayaWorks and Marcel and Jorge family dynamics, Marsell Chavarria (a first-generation Puerto Rican who grew up in North Philly) and Athena Turek (a first-generation Filipino-American who has never been to the Philippines). We have rehearsed in backyards of North Philly, West Philly community Parks, Yoga studios, and spaces that feel "homey." Familial practices are the heart of AniMalayaWorks, which is shared with all collaborating projects.
This work is a testament to the power of collaboration, sharing stories that are nuanced to each of us as we find kapwa amongst each other. Kapwa is not only shared within people of the same nationality or ancestral lineage; Anito believes Kapwa is a shared identity of people who are highly in tune with their authentic selves, willing to explore art as a pathway for more self-knowledge as self is connected to a larger ecosphere.
After two years of intense workshops and deep research, the ensemble is ready to share their cousin-like relationships through the powerful modes of Bomba, Philippine Folk Dances, Kali, and Kokobale. These expressive forms will weave together stories of colonialism, resistance, migration, and collective healing, taking the audience on an emotional journey of connection and understanding.
Early Stages of Research. April 2021.
Marcel and Anito's explorations in South Philadelphia.
Experimental Film I created post field research in Boriken, April 2023
Field Research, learning Bomba from the Cepeda Family in Boriken, April 2023
workshop at Painted Bride offered to community + rehearsals
Recap of the three year research, creating, and connecting.
