Myra Beltran's Portrait of a Wallflower
Celebrating Ten Years of Independent Dance in the Philippines
Aug 21, 2008
To celebrate her tenth year anniversary, established independent contemporary dance artist, Myra Beltran, put on Nostalgia: Le Grand Tango at her Dance Forum Space on West Avenue, Quezon City in June 2007, with a reprise at the second WiFi Body Independent Contemporary Dance Festival in July. It seemed a strange selection to commemorate a tenth year anniversary. Tango is not a dance form you would associate with Myra Beltran, whose almost abstract, intense works are characterized by flowing movement that seems to come from within.
Girl/Choreographer Just Wants to Have Fun
When you ask her why the tango, she notes that longtime collaborator Alfonso "Coke" Bolipata suggested the music of Astor Piazzola, which he and a chamber group performed live during the premiere and CCP run. Also, "I just wanted to have fun," she added.
It did seem like a lot of fun to veer away from her comfort zone, although Myra's tango was not the battle of the sexes that was typically Argentinian. It was sensuous, but required a tender co-dependency from the dancers and their partners. Myra played with form and the push and pull of the partnerings, according to Piazzola's music. Still, although some movements were quite interesting and, at times, quite gorgeous, there were moments of awkwardness, perhaps due to an unfamiliarity with heeled dancing shoes while executing the steps. And the energy of the full-length piece could have used a little more Argentinian-style sexual tension.
Portrait of a Wallflower: a Sequel
So, it's surprising that one is able to appreciate Le Grand Tango more after seeing Myra's last choreographic work for 2007, Portrait of a Wallflower, which was performed in her season production, Signature at Dance Forum Space. Signature was staged to give tribute to the staging of Star Maiden, Myra's first full-length solo work in this venue, ten years ago.
Portrait of a Wallflower, the last number in the program, seemed a sequel to Le Grand Tango, this time showcasing the milonguera without a partner, waiting for a chance to dance and realizing that she need not wait for someone to dance with her, that she can dance on her own. Before this realization, she makes a series of finger snaps to the beat in her head, moving through set steps as if rehearsing them in her mind while waiting for someone to ask her to dance, practicing the sways of her hips as if she has forgotten them.
Every now and then, she looks for validation from the stool where she, as a wallflower, sits. Other times, it seems that the stool is her dance partner, and she lets out a muted frustration at the stool's indifference. The first part of the solo hints at humor, but we dare not laugh as the underlying sentiment is quite serious.
The Dance of the Milonguera, and of the Choreographer as Well
In the course of the solo, she asks herself to what fulfillment is this dance for, and even braves a commentary on the aging of her body, stripping to her underwear and staring at her reflection in the mirror. This refers to the character of the piece, Myra as a milonguera without a dance partner, and at the same time to herself as a dance artist, a dancer and choreographer who is still dancing and choreographing dances for herself beyond her 30s. But as Myra the dancer has most likely discovered already, and as Myra the milonguera will discover at the climax of Portrait, dancing is its own fulfillment and the audience, whatever audience there is, will be appreciative.
Thus, Portrait successfully takes Myra back to her solo work, to who she is and what she has become these past ten years. Portrait also gives proper tribute to Dance Forum's tenth year anniversary and the length of time Myra spent realizing that she very well could dance on her own if she wanted to. The audience that she has accumulated over the last ten years seems to agree enthusiastically.
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