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BASILIDAS V. PILAPIL, JR.
SKCAFI Dance Director
An SKE pioneer and a Physical Education teacher from Gingoog, Basilidas Pilapil, Jr. teaches at the Surigao del Norte National High School (SNNHS). Many SKE alumni and members acknowledge him as among the few who had internalized Frank Rivera's "the total artist" philosophy and the kambayoka style. The SKE members and friends call Pilapil, "Plapla" Unknown to many, the name was given by Anton Juan during a workshop in MSU-Marawi that he conducted in 1978
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A "King of Mass Choreography," Basilidas Pilapil, Jr. conceptualizes, choreographs, and directs the SNNHS's interpretative dances, involving as many as 5,000 students, during the opening ceremonies of athletic meets. He created the school's prize-winning entries to street dancing contests during festivals like the Bonok-Bonok Festival in Surigao, Kaamulan Festival in Bukidnon, Lansones Festival in Camiguin, and the Sinulog in Cebu City.
In Wow Philippines, the Department of Tourism's cultural festival for 2003-2004, Basilidas Pilapil, Jr. choreographed the "Mamanua Suite," which was performed at Intramuros from 16 November to 6 December 2003. The presentation, which was participated in by Hingas Surigao and Sadjaw Surigao, was one of the main attractions of the cultural show of the Caraga Region, with repeated command performances. On his insistence, it was based on his orignal fieldwork data on the Mamanuas, featuring the Mamanua wedding and fullmoon ritual that included prayer, dance, songs, and chants. This gave the presentation greater authenticity to Mamanua culture as featured in festivals in and outside Surigao. Consequently, there is now a growing awareness and recognition of Mamanua culture as a distinguishing ethnic feature of Surigao. Also, on the suggestion of Mrs. Regina Barbers, Senator Robert Barber's mother, he choreographed "Itik-Itik," into a ballroom dance. For the first time, the dance was performed by Hingas Surigao during the Wow Philippines in December 2003.
During the 2004 Sto. Nino Festival under the Wow Philippines, the first in the country, Basilidas Pilapil composed the song for the Sto. de Bad-asay, Surigao City, which was one of the icons on exhibit at Intramuros on January 2004. The SNHHS dancers performed the song on 23 January. This was in fulfillment of a promise to the owner of the Sto. Nino, Joel Sembrano, that he made in 2000 yet. Next year, he will assist in the celebration of the feast of the Sto. de Nino on 14 January in Surigao City by recreating, "Sirong-Sirong," a dance in honor of the Sto. Nino, which is the equivalent of Cebu's Sinulog.
Balisidas Pilapil, Jr. heads the Kambayoka Outreach. Membership in this program includes former SKE members, theater artists, enthusiasts, and cultural workers in Mindanao influenced by the Kambayoka Movement. They produced original plays that made use of the kambayoka style. Pilapil formed the Kambayoka Outreach in Surigao in 1988 on the encouragement of schoolsadministrators, church youth organizations, and government youth-oriented groups that did not have theater and dance troupes yet.
Outside Surigao, Kambayoka Outreach had conducted a seminar-workshop on basic theater arts, dance and choreography, acting and directing, and other theater arts related activities such as happened at the Libertad National High School, Misamis Oriental. On the encouragement of Thelma Macas head of English Department of the said school. Basilidas V. Pilapil staged Frank Rivera's "Si Pilandok". Later, he collaborated with bossom friend Raul Prima, also a former SKE member, on "Usa Ka Kasalan," based on Frank Rivera's original concept, for Dulaang Kabatan of San Isidro Labrador in Lapasan (Duksil).
The Kambayoka Outreach under the Pilapil-Prima tandem was prolific. In 1994, Kambayoka Outreach led by Pilapil and Prima conducted a "Choreography Workshop" sponsored by the News Youth Organization (NYO) of San Jose, Dinagat, Surigao del Norte on the invitation of Danilo C. Bulabos. The workshop paved the way for the creation of a new festival, the "Panagtibo sa Puyange," which focuces on the promotion of cultural unity, in May each year during the the annual conference on forest preservation. Back in Cagayan, Kambayoka Outreach presented religious plays in observance of the Holy Week in Cagayan de Oro City in 1999. Most notable of these presentations was their direction of "Las Siete Palabras."
In 2000-2001, Kambayoka Outreach also helped in the founding of four more theater groups: the Teatro Kagayan of Misamis Oriental General Comprehensive High School in Cagayan de Oro City; Artistang Bukidnon of Bukidnon National High School in Malaybalay City; the Claver Theater Arts Guild of Claver National High School in Surigao del Norte, and the Ato Ini Teatro Surigao of Surstact in Surigao City.
In Surigao, the Kambayoka Outreach created two theater groups: the Hingas Surigao Dance Theater of SNNHS and the Sadjao Surigao. The Pilapil-Prima partnership is very creative, fusing the former's mettle for drama and the latter's talent for dance. Thus, Hingas Dance Theater tries to hone the dance and drama talents of the students. Aside from the traditional dances, they also perform modern dances. With no financial support from the school, the group survives on the talent fees for their performances, which they use for new costumes, props, and sets. Pilapil has raised the aesthetic standard of dance and drama in Surigao. By researching on local cultures and emphasizing the unique characteristics of Surigaonon dances, Pilapil has contributed to the discovery of dances found only in Surigao as shown in his production of "Hingas Surigao, Move Surigao!"
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Sadjao Surigao was founded in 1998. Basilidas Pilapil, Jr.,the founding Artistic Director/Choreographer, is assisted by Randel B. Ruaya as Resident Choreographer, Diosdado C. Ma as Project Manager), and Dante Tocong as Production Staff. The group won the 2nd Runner-up in the 2nd Mindanao Modern Contemporary Dance Competition held in Marbel, South Cotabato, July 2003. The members of Sadjao Surigao are out-of-school youth, students from different schools, and laborers from various government institutions. Sadjao Surigao aims to help the youth in their endeavors in the fields of dance and drama. Acting like ambassadors of goodwill, the group performs before important visitors of the province, during the fiestas in the different municipalities in Surigao, as well as in weddings, birthday parties, and other private occassions.
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In the summer of 2001, Kambayoka Outreach went on tour of Surigao del Norte. The touring play was Orlando Nadres' "Hanggang Dito na Lamang at Maraming Salamat." The production design and direction was based on Basilidas Pilapil Jr.'s original concept and direction of the play, which was first presented by SKE in MSU-Marawi in September 1980 as a tribute to Frank Rivera. Pilapil, together with Felix Tapongot, provided the music to Arcadio Sumgugat's lyrics for the song, "Hanggang Dito na Lamang at Maraming Salamat," the original theme song of the play that he sang during the play's 1980 premier. The song is is one of the most loved of the SKE songs.
In the summer of 2003, Basilidas Pilapil, Jr. organized a "Summer Arts Camp" at the SNNHS. The arts camp aimed to hone the students' talents for the arts in the fields of dance, theater, music, visual arts. The culminating activity included an exhibit of visuals and performances in dance, song, and theater. This impressed the Division Superintendent of Surigao del Norte, Dr. Isabelita Borres, who endorsed for the opening of a Special Program for the Arts (SPA) at the SNNHS, first as a pilot and model project for the entire province. As a result, Pilapil is currently the Coordinator of the SPA at the SNNHS, the first in the Surigao provinces. A dream position, he developed the integrated arts curriculum and syllabus, which he teaches to an initial class of 15 students at the SNNHS. The first play of the class, "Lumad, Huwag Mong Lisanin ang Kabundukan," is based on Arthur P. Casanova's script of the same title, which will be presented for the first time at the 30th SKE Anniversary in Marawi City and Naawan, Misamis Oriental in April 2004.
The metamorphosis of Basilidas Pilapil, Jr. from being an apprentice of Frank Rivera to a man of his own is a shining example of the spirit that Rivera had infused SKE. And yet, Pilapil recalls, in jest, that in all his SKE days his biggest role was, to the envy of many SKE members, he had his own 15-minute claim to fame as Pilandok, with Rolando Esteban as Bombola, in a 15-minute excerpt of "Si Pilandok" before an audience of not more than 15 individuals that included Rivera after the National Conference on Sikolohiyang Pilipino at the Science Lecture Hall, MSU-Marawi in the summer of 1982 while the rest of SKE was on tour.
Such metamorphosis happened in pursuit of his motto in life: Think, feel, and do. The actualization of ideas and emotions in creative ways has made him into the total artist that he is today: director, actor, composer, playwright, dancer, choreographer, singer, visual artist, instrumentalist, researcher, organizer, and teacher.
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