Declan Patrick | University of Waikato (original) (raw)
Conference Presentations by Declan Patrick
Arnold Azurin, in 1995 wrote ‘…folklore is not created in the mystical fecundities of primeval mi... more Arnold Azurin, in 1995 wrote ‘…folklore is not created in the mystical fecundities of primeval mist, but instead in the shrewd minds of dominant folks set on moulding the consciousness of the populace for strategically political and social reasons buttressing their vested interest’ (p. 139).
It is not, however, only folklore, but folk dance that can be considered thus.
Dance can be considered as a marker of identity: part of the range of cultural practices that produce and define how we see ourselves. This can be seen very clearly in the Philippines, where arguments over what constitutes ‘Philippino-ness’ include what the dance to represent the nation should be. The very idea of a ‘national dance’ is problematic, bringing up the political, constructed nature of representation, especially in the Philippines, where cultural practices jostle with each other, competing for attention and recognition in the national arena, as well as very different ideas of what ‘nationalism’ and ‘nationalist’ might mean.
As ethnographic objects, dances change meaning according to who is viewing them, who is displaying them, and to what purpose. Basilio Esteban Villaruz (2006) discusses the burden that national attention places on dances, changing their meaning, making them representative of a way of life, an idea of what it means to be Filippino, and a focus of national unity - although this was never the original intention or purpose of the dances. This idea does, however, feed into the continuing development of Filipino folk dance and its relation with the political system around it.
This paper investigates and explores the shift in the consideration of what the national dance in the Philippines is, linking this shift to the changing political relationships with Spain. This shift clearly delineates a change from a colonial subject to a type of independence, yet even the concept of delineation is a red herring, obscuring a process that has been much more complicated in its approach to representation.
The two main dances considered are the Cariñosa and Tinikling. Both of these are highly political choices that reveal specific representational directions. One as a dance that has its origins in Spain, and was ‘Filippinized Filipinized? ’, and the other as an attempt to work into a more Asian identity.
The Maria Clara Suite is a set of Philippine dances that date back to the 19th century, when the ... more The Maria Clara Suite is a set of Philippine dances that date back to the 19th century, when the islands were under Spanish colonial rule. They are part of the Filipino folkloric canon, and have been considered as representative of the nation. Although the Maria Clara Suite has remained static for many years, recent contemporary shows have explored new ways of understanding the dances. The results have been the acquisition of new layers of meaning, displayed in public performances, which became in most cases sites of resistance against traditional narratives. This paper examines some of the possibilities that can occur when cultural products, such as performances featuring the Maria Clara dances, are explored through an interdisciplinary lens. It argues that in order to understand the new approaches to the performance of these Philippine dances, an interdisciplinary approach can be used. Through examining research projects that have created an intersection of interest between them, Declan Patrick and José Miguel Díaz Rodríguez discuss different ways they have investigated specific performances of Philippine folk dance. This includes aspects of postcolonialism, cultural politics and performance theory. Iterations of this research have included performances, public talks and published academic writing. This paper explains how ideas can flow through these different disciplines and interactions, enriching the body of research in each case.
Playing with ‘Others’: Strategies in Intercultural Performance explores ways in which There’s Dan... more Playing with ‘Others’: Strategies in Intercultural Performance explores ways in which There’s Danger in the Dance engaged with approaches to exploring difference. There’s Danger in the Dance was an intercultural performance project that took place between 2007 and 2012. This piece of writing explores some of the strategies taken in conception, rehearsal and performance of this practice-as-research project. The rehearsal and performance investigated a complex intertwining of three dances from the Philippine folk dance canon, English performers and a range of ideas, including ideas around identity, nostalgia, memory and nationalism.
Keywords
Performing Arts, Dance, Intercultural, postmodern, altermodern, practice-as-research, Philippine
Following several of the ideas Sally Ann Ness presents in her work ‘Originality in the Postcolony... more Following several of the ideas Sally Ann Ness presents in her work ‘Originality in the Postcolony: Choreographing the Neo-ethnic Body of the Philippine Ballet’ (1997) this paper explores ways in which indigenous dance becomes symbolic of the nation through processes of conflation and metonymy.
Dance is a highly visible, and striking form of performance. The role of dance in the formation of national identity has been remarked on by a number of academics and practitioners alike. The commercialisation of identity, especially national identity, has meant dance practice has become highly politicised as the choice of what the representation of a country should be depends on one form ‘winning’ over another.
This paper explores these processes.
This paper is concerned with exploring the beginnings of collection and inscription of Philippine... more This paper is concerned with exploring the beginnings of collection and inscription of Philippine folk dances, as well as how this has influenced the development and the directions the dances have taken. Historically, the Philippines have been marginalised within the area of Southeast Asian performing arts, with little articulated academic interest, especially from within the Philippines, where dance is frequently located within a Physical Education department. This legacy from Mrs Francisca Reyes Aquino, the great pioneer of Filipino folk dance from the University of the Philippines, has resulted in the dances being studied in an almost purely mechanical way.
This paper considers the dances, specifically the European-inspired Maria Clara Suite, in an intercultural context; specifically through the work of Benildanze and their ground-breaking performance research investigating cultural relationships between Spain and the Philippines through the research focus of folk dance in 2006. This is contrasted with other university-based companies such as Bayanihan and UP Dance Company, but also with the work of LK Dance Company, a Filipino folk dance company resident in London. The paper examines the processes the dances have moved through, from functioning rituals to representative artefacts, to research tools. The processes through which the Philippines appropriated and transformed European dances, only to return them back to the West are also examined. The paper engages with the work of various artists and academics concerned with Philippine folk dance, such as Basilio Esteban Villaruz, Sally Ann Ness and Leanor Orosa Goquingco to situate and contextualise the debate.
Papers by Declan Patrick
ATHENS JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES & ARTS, 2015
Playing with 'Others': Strategies in Intercultural Performance explores ways in which There's Dan... more Playing with 'Others': Strategies in Intercultural Performance explores ways in which There's Danger in the Dance engaged with approaches to exploring difference. There's Danger in the Dance was an intercultural performance project that took place between 2007 and 2012. This piece of writing explores some of the strategies taken in conception, rehearsal and performance of this practice-as-research project. The rehearsal and performance investigated a complex intertwining of three dances from the Philippine folk dance canon, English performers and a range of ideas, including ideas around identity, nostalgia, memory and nationalism.
Te Kaharoa, 2015
It is interesting, as a Kiwi living in Europe, to understand the ways in which New Zealand is per... more It is interesting, as a Kiwi living in Europe, to understand the ways in which New Zealand is perceived to those outside its borders. When I tell people I am from Aotearoa, their immediate reaction is to identify the country with images: beautiful scenery, the Lord of the Rings movies, sheep, and in particular rugby and the Haka. This ubiquitous image of the All Blacks performing a particular sequence of movement and sound before executing a performance of skill and strategy within the strict confines of an improvisational game is one explored by Stephen Jackson and Brendan Hokowhitu in their 2002 article Sports, Tribes and Technology: The New Zealand All Black Haka and the Politics of Identity. They suggest the conflation of rugby, the Haka and national identity is a deliberate representational strategy. While Jackson and Hokowhitu concentrate on the commercial aspects of this strategy, there is also a strong and present governmental presence within these representational strategie...
Asian Theatre Journal, 2014
all of whom use embodied practices to study Filipino folk dance in the academy but with divergent... more all of whom use embodied practices to study Filipino folk dance in the academy but with divergent methodologies: Aquino uses ethnography, Ness phenomenology, and Benildanze practice as research. It examines the processes by which dances have moved from functioning rituals to representative artifacts and research tools. These processes reveal a complex and constantly developing relationship between dance practice and the academy.
Cultural Memory and Popular Dance, 2021
3rd Annual International Conference on Contemporary Cultural Studies (CCS 2015), 2015
The Maria Clara Suite is a set of Philippine dances that date back to the 19th century, when the ... more The Maria Clara Suite is a set of Philippine dances that date back to the 19th century, when the islands were under Spanish colonial rule. They are part of the Filipino folkloric canon, and have been considered as representative of the nation. Although the Maria Clara Suite has remained static for many years, recent contemporary shows have explored new ways of understanding the dances. The results have been the acquisition of new layers of meaning, displayed in public performances, which became in most cases sites of resistance against traditional narratives. This paper examines some of the possibilities that can occur when cultural products, such as performances featuring the Maria Clara dances, are explored through an interdisciplinary lens. It argues that in order to understand the new approaches to the performance of these Philippine dances, an interdisciplinary approach can be used. Through examining research projects that have created an intersection of interest between them, Declan Patrick and José Miguel Díaz Rodríguez discuss different ways they have investigated specific performances of Philippine folk dance. This includes aspects of postcolonialism, cultural politics and performance theory. Iterations of this research have included performances, public talks and published academic writing. This paper explains how ideas can flow through these different disciplines and interactions, enriching the body of research in each case.
This paper explores some of the possibilities that can occur when a research project is explored ... more This paper explores some of the possibilities that can occur when a research project is explored through an interdisciplinary lens. It argues that although the use of an interdisciplinary approach can pose a challenge to the researcher; it can also bring exciting and creative results, which may have been underestimated otherwise. Through examining research projects that have created an intersection of interest between them, Declan Patrick and José Miguel Díaz Rodríguez discuss different ways they have investigated specific performances of Philippine folk dance. This includes aspects of postcolonialism, cultural politics and performance theory. Iterations of this research have included performances, public talks and published academic writing. This paper explains how ideas can flow through these different disciplines and interactions, enriching the body of research in each case.
It is interesting, as a Kiwi living in Europe, to understand the ways in which New Zealand is per... more It is interesting, as a Kiwi living in Europe, to understand the ways in which New Zealand is perceived to those outside its borders. When I tell people I am from Aotearoa, their immediate reaction is to identify the country with images: beautiful scenery, the Lord of the Rings movies, sheep, and in particular rugby and the Haka. This ubiquitous image of the All Blacks performing a particular sequence of movement and sound before executing a performance of skill and strategy within the strict confines of an improvisational game is one explored by Stephen Jackson and Brendan Hokowhitu in their 2002 article Sports, Tribes and Technology: The New Zealand All Black Haka and the Politics of Identity. They suggest the conflation of rugby, the Haka and national identity is a deliberate representational strategy. While Jackson and Hokowhitu concentrate on the commercial aspects of this strategy, there is also a strong and present governmental presence within these representational strategies also.
Playing with 'Others': Strategies in Intercultural Performance explores ways in which There's Dan... more Playing with 'Others': Strategies in Intercultural Performance explores ways in which There's Danger in the Dance engaged with approaches to exploring difference. There's Danger in the Dance was an intercultural performance project that took place between 2007 and 2012. This piece of writing explores some of the strategies taken in conception, rehearsal and performance of this practice-as-research project. The rehearsal and performance investigated a complex intertwining of three dances from the Philippine folk dance canon, English performers and a range of ideas, including ideas around identity, nostalgia, memory and nationalism.
Growing Desire is a short practice-as-research performance that interrogates several subjects on ... more Growing Desire is a short practice-as-research performance that interrogates several subjects on a variety of levels. Through exploring the ‘demonstrative body’ (posited by Susan Foster) of the teacher, the ‘desired’ and ‘desiring’ body of the student, a solo performer constructs and enacts a ritualised body modification. This act feeds back into the performance of desire, and questions the relationship between the student and the teacher, as well as the audience and the performer. The work opens questions regarding notions of the spectacular, shame, intimacy and how we learn and engage with dance, performance and our own bodies.
The work is interdisciplinary, working between dance, contemporary performance practice, and cultural studies.
A piece of performance choreographed by Cynthia Lapena and Declan Patrick exploring and engaging ... more A piece of performance choreographed by Cynthia Lapena and Declan Patrick exploring and engaging with ideas of colonialism, nationalism and the disjuncture of the present.
An exploration of individual and collective decision making through video, dance, song, scripted ... more An exploration of individual and collective decision making through video, dance, song, scripted and improvised performance.
Performed at the 3MT in Manchester, the Capstone Theatre in Liverpool and the Conway Hall in London 2012-13
Arnold Azurin, in 1995 wrote ‘…folklore is not created in the mystical fecundities of primeval mi... more Arnold Azurin, in 1995 wrote ‘…folklore is not created in the mystical fecundities of primeval mist, but instead in the shrewd minds of dominant folks set on moulding the consciousness of the populace for strategically political and social reasons buttressing their vested interest’ (p. 139).
It is not, however, only folklore, but folk dance that can be considered thus.
Dance can be considered as a marker of identity: part of the range of cultural practices that produce and define how we see ourselves. This can be seen very clearly in the Philippines, where arguments over what constitutes ‘Philippino-ness’ include what the dance to represent the nation should be. The very idea of a ‘national dance’ is problematic, bringing up the political, constructed nature of representation, especially in the Philippines, where cultural practices jostle with each other, competing for attention and recognition in the national arena, as well as very different ideas of what ‘nationalism’ and ‘nationalist’ might mean.
As ethnographic objects, dances change meaning according to who is viewing them, who is displaying them, and to what purpose. Basilio Esteban Villaruz (2006) discusses the burden that national attention places on dances, changing their meaning, making them representative of a way of life, an idea of what it means to be Filippino, and a focus of national unity - although this was never the original intention or purpose of the dances. This idea does, however, feed into the continuing development of Filipino folk dance and its relation with the political system around it.
This paper investigates and explores the shift in the consideration of what the national dance in the Philippines is, linking this shift to the changing political relationships with Spain. This shift clearly delineates a change from a colonial subject to a type of independence, yet even the concept of delineation is a red herring, obscuring a process that has been much more complicated in its approach to representation.
The two main dances considered are the Cariñosa and Tinikling. Both of these are highly political choices that reveal specific representational directions. One as a dance that has its origins in Spain, and was ‘Filippinized Filipinized? ’, and the other as an attempt to work into a more Asian identity.
The Maria Clara Suite is a set of Philippine dances that date back to the 19th century, when the ... more The Maria Clara Suite is a set of Philippine dances that date back to the 19th century, when the islands were under Spanish colonial rule. They are part of the Filipino folkloric canon, and have been considered as representative of the nation. Although the Maria Clara Suite has remained static for many years, recent contemporary shows have explored new ways of understanding the dances. The results have been the acquisition of new layers of meaning, displayed in public performances, which became in most cases sites of resistance against traditional narratives. This paper examines some of the possibilities that can occur when cultural products, such as performances featuring the Maria Clara dances, are explored through an interdisciplinary lens. It argues that in order to understand the new approaches to the performance of these Philippine dances, an interdisciplinary approach can be used. Through examining research projects that have created an intersection of interest between them, Declan Patrick and José Miguel Díaz Rodríguez discuss different ways they have investigated specific performances of Philippine folk dance. This includes aspects of postcolonialism, cultural politics and performance theory. Iterations of this research have included performances, public talks and published academic writing. This paper explains how ideas can flow through these different disciplines and interactions, enriching the body of research in each case.
Playing with ‘Others’: Strategies in Intercultural Performance explores ways in which There’s Dan... more Playing with ‘Others’: Strategies in Intercultural Performance explores ways in which There’s Danger in the Dance engaged with approaches to exploring difference. There’s Danger in the Dance was an intercultural performance project that took place between 2007 and 2012. This piece of writing explores some of the strategies taken in conception, rehearsal and performance of this practice-as-research project. The rehearsal and performance investigated a complex intertwining of three dances from the Philippine folk dance canon, English performers and a range of ideas, including ideas around identity, nostalgia, memory and nationalism.
Keywords
Performing Arts, Dance, Intercultural, postmodern, altermodern, practice-as-research, Philippine
Following several of the ideas Sally Ann Ness presents in her work ‘Originality in the Postcolony... more Following several of the ideas Sally Ann Ness presents in her work ‘Originality in the Postcolony: Choreographing the Neo-ethnic Body of the Philippine Ballet’ (1997) this paper explores ways in which indigenous dance becomes symbolic of the nation through processes of conflation and metonymy.
Dance is a highly visible, and striking form of performance. The role of dance in the formation of national identity has been remarked on by a number of academics and practitioners alike. The commercialisation of identity, especially national identity, has meant dance practice has become highly politicised as the choice of what the representation of a country should be depends on one form ‘winning’ over another.
This paper explores these processes.
This paper is concerned with exploring the beginnings of collection and inscription of Philippine... more This paper is concerned with exploring the beginnings of collection and inscription of Philippine folk dances, as well as how this has influenced the development and the directions the dances have taken. Historically, the Philippines have been marginalised within the area of Southeast Asian performing arts, with little articulated academic interest, especially from within the Philippines, where dance is frequently located within a Physical Education department. This legacy from Mrs Francisca Reyes Aquino, the great pioneer of Filipino folk dance from the University of the Philippines, has resulted in the dances being studied in an almost purely mechanical way.
This paper considers the dances, specifically the European-inspired Maria Clara Suite, in an intercultural context; specifically through the work of Benildanze and their ground-breaking performance research investigating cultural relationships between Spain and the Philippines through the research focus of folk dance in 2006. This is contrasted with other university-based companies such as Bayanihan and UP Dance Company, but also with the work of LK Dance Company, a Filipino folk dance company resident in London. The paper examines the processes the dances have moved through, from functioning rituals to representative artefacts, to research tools. The processes through which the Philippines appropriated and transformed European dances, only to return them back to the West are also examined. The paper engages with the work of various artists and academics concerned with Philippine folk dance, such as Basilio Esteban Villaruz, Sally Ann Ness and Leanor Orosa Goquingco to situate and contextualise the debate.
ATHENS JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES & ARTS, 2015
Playing with 'Others': Strategies in Intercultural Performance explores ways in which There's Dan... more Playing with 'Others': Strategies in Intercultural Performance explores ways in which There's Danger in the Dance engaged with approaches to exploring difference. There's Danger in the Dance was an intercultural performance project that took place between 2007 and 2012. This piece of writing explores some of the strategies taken in conception, rehearsal and performance of this practice-as-research project. The rehearsal and performance investigated a complex intertwining of three dances from the Philippine folk dance canon, English performers and a range of ideas, including ideas around identity, nostalgia, memory and nationalism.
Te Kaharoa, 2015
It is interesting, as a Kiwi living in Europe, to understand the ways in which New Zealand is per... more It is interesting, as a Kiwi living in Europe, to understand the ways in which New Zealand is perceived to those outside its borders. When I tell people I am from Aotearoa, their immediate reaction is to identify the country with images: beautiful scenery, the Lord of the Rings movies, sheep, and in particular rugby and the Haka. This ubiquitous image of the All Blacks performing a particular sequence of movement and sound before executing a performance of skill and strategy within the strict confines of an improvisational game is one explored by Stephen Jackson and Brendan Hokowhitu in their 2002 article Sports, Tribes and Technology: The New Zealand All Black Haka and the Politics of Identity. They suggest the conflation of rugby, the Haka and national identity is a deliberate representational strategy. While Jackson and Hokowhitu concentrate on the commercial aspects of this strategy, there is also a strong and present governmental presence within these representational strategie...
Asian Theatre Journal, 2014
all of whom use embodied practices to study Filipino folk dance in the academy but with divergent... more all of whom use embodied practices to study Filipino folk dance in the academy but with divergent methodologies: Aquino uses ethnography, Ness phenomenology, and Benildanze practice as research. It examines the processes by which dances have moved from functioning rituals to representative artifacts and research tools. These processes reveal a complex and constantly developing relationship between dance practice and the academy.
Cultural Memory and Popular Dance, 2021
3rd Annual International Conference on Contemporary Cultural Studies (CCS 2015), 2015
The Maria Clara Suite is a set of Philippine dances that date back to the 19th century, when the ... more The Maria Clara Suite is a set of Philippine dances that date back to the 19th century, when the islands were under Spanish colonial rule. They are part of the Filipino folkloric canon, and have been considered as representative of the nation. Although the Maria Clara Suite has remained static for many years, recent contemporary shows have explored new ways of understanding the dances. The results have been the acquisition of new layers of meaning, displayed in public performances, which became in most cases sites of resistance against traditional narratives. This paper examines some of the possibilities that can occur when cultural products, such as performances featuring the Maria Clara dances, are explored through an interdisciplinary lens. It argues that in order to understand the new approaches to the performance of these Philippine dances, an interdisciplinary approach can be used. Through examining research projects that have created an intersection of interest between them, Declan Patrick and José Miguel Díaz Rodríguez discuss different ways they have investigated specific performances of Philippine folk dance. This includes aspects of postcolonialism, cultural politics and performance theory. Iterations of this research have included performances, public talks and published academic writing. This paper explains how ideas can flow through these different disciplines and interactions, enriching the body of research in each case.
This paper explores some of the possibilities that can occur when a research project is explored ... more This paper explores some of the possibilities that can occur when a research project is explored through an interdisciplinary lens. It argues that although the use of an interdisciplinary approach can pose a challenge to the researcher; it can also bring exciting and creative results, which may have been underestimated otherwise. Through examining research projects that have created an intersection of interest between them, Declan Patrick and José Miguel Díaz Rodríguez discuss different ways they have investigated specific performances of Philippine folk dance. This includes aspects of postcolonialism, cultural politics and performance theory. Iterations of this research have included performances, public talks and published academic writing. This paper explains how ideas can flow through these different disciplines and interactions, enriching the body of research in each case.
It is interesting, as a Kiwi living in Europe, to understand the ways in which New Zealand is per... more It is interesting, as a Kiwi living in Europe, to understand the ways in which New Zealand is perceived to those outside its borders. When I tell people I am from Aotearoa, their immediate reaction is to identify the country with images: beautiful scenery, the Lord of the Rings movies, sheep, and in particular rugby and the Haka. This ubiquitous image of the All Blacks performing a particular sequence of movement and sound before executing a performance of skill and strategy within the strict confines of an improvisational game is one explored by Stephen Jackson and Brendan Hokowhitu in their 2002 article Sports, Tribes and Technology: The New Zealand All Black Haka and the Politics of Identity. They suggest the conflation of rugby, the Haka and national identity is a deliberate representational strategy. While Jackson and Hokowhitu concentrate on the commercial aspects of this strategy, there is also a strong and present governmental presence within these representational strategies also.
Playing with 'Others': Strategies in Intercultural Performance explores ways in which There's Dan... more Playing with 'Others': Strategies in Intercultural Performance explores ways in which There's Danger in the Dance engaged with approaches to exploring difference. There's Danger in the Dance was an intercultural performance project that took place between 2007 and 2012. This piece of writing explores some of the strategies taken in conception, rehearsal and performance of this practice-as-research project. The rehearsal and performance investigated a complex intertwining of three dances from the Philippine folk dance canon, English performers and a range of ideas, including ideas around identity, nostalgia, memory and nationalism.
Growing Desire is a short practice-as-research performance that interrogates several subjects on ... more Growing Desire is a short practice-as-research performance that interrogates several subjects on a variety of levels. Through exploring the ‘demonstrative body’ (posited by Susan Foster) of the teacher, the ‘desired’ and ‘desiring’ body of the student, a solo performer constructs and enacts a ritualised body modification. This act feeds back into the performance of desire, and questions the relationship between the student and the teacher, as well as the audience and the performer. The work opens questions regarding notions of the spectacular, shame, intimacy and how we learn and engage with dance, performance and our own bodies.
The work is interdisciplinary, working between dance, contemporary performance practice, and cultural studies.
A piece of performance choreographed by Cynthia Lapena and Declan Patrick exploring and engaging ... more A piece of performance choreographed by Cynthia Lapena and Declan Patrick exploring and engaging with ideas of colonialism, nationalism and the disjuncture of the present.
An exploration of individual and collective decision making through video, dance, song, scripted ... more An exploration of individual and collective decision making through video, dance, song, scripted and improvised performance.
Performed at the 3MT in Manchester, the Capstone Theatre in Liverpool and the Conway Hall in London 2012-13
This collection follows Koowhiti, a Special Collection in tekaharoa.com and Go Press. The collect... more This collection follows Koowhiti, a Special Collection in tekaharoa.com and Go Press. The collection shows the benefits of having an academic dimension to a dance conference. The extensiveness of the conference itself where dancers and academics mingled and shared thoughts made it original in the New Zealand context and significant in the world context.
This collection of papers celebrates the performer and then gives space to academic commentary. In the perspectives offered there is also a sense of a new or, at the least, a refreshing dance commentary. My paper "Illuminating cultural terrains in dance: A symbiotic approach to analysis and interpretation" is one of the compilation of 10.