Here to There; This to That

Blog article as a reaction to our January 30, 2012 class: Frankfurt School

Coming from Nazi Germany to the United States of America, the theorists of Frankfurt School were like noobs or rookies experiencing a totally different battlefield, a new environment with alien forms of culture, media and communication arts such as film, pop music, the radio, the television and other forms of mass culture. In Germany, media production and consumption is limited and controlled by Nazi leaders - media was very constrained, bounded by many restrictions and bans. To their surprise, such practices are not done in the United States. There, media production as well as consumption, was but a large form of commercial entertainment controlled by big corporations, private organizations and businesses.

Most of the theorists from the Frankfurt School were on the same positions except for one outlier. Walter Benjamin, had similar but slightly altered thoughts and ideas. Benjamin said that new forms of media - the mass reproduction of photography, film, media recordings and publications replaced the original "aura" of what was done in the earlier eras. For him, the new forms of media serves as "alternative oppositional cultures".

As we discussed the topic further in class, our professor mentioned that this so-called "new media" is the masses' reaction or response to the already existing culture simply because "elitism" was often always attached to the culture and the arts of the earlier eras for some reason.

I decided to relate this topic to something very close to my heart and this is none other than dancing.

Like many other forms of the arts, dance has a historical background. I first found out that about this when I was in high school. Being a dance major in the Philippine High School for the Arts, we had a "Dance Theory" subject every other day and this was precisely what we study. Because dance has a lot of more specific genres, (Traditional/Folk dance, Ballet, Street dance or Hiphop, Ballroom, and so on and so forth) I will only focus now on the genre which is most appropriate to tackle in relation with the cultural theories of the Frankfurt School - Ballet.

Ballet was first introduced to the world in the 15th and 16th Century along with the rise of the Italian Renaissance Courts. It was quickly spread to the French Courts and was then funded by French arts patrons and elites. When the Russians finally adopted the Ballet with two official ballet dance companies - The Royal Danish Ballet and the Imperial Ballet, Ballet became more widely celebrated and patronized. Dancers, choreographers, and dance enthusiasts nowadays refer to this style as Classical Ballet.

Here is a video showcasing an excerpt from a well-know Classical Ballet piece, the Swan Lake. In this video, the white swan flaunts her gracefulness in her technique and her very vulnerable character.

Notice its gracefulness, the specific dance techniques which are only seen in Ballet, the infamous tutu and ballet pointes (which are staples and essentials in ladies' Classical Ballet costume) Also, more often than not, the themes and choreography of Classical Ballet are about fairy tales and the life of the elite - courtship, love, familial feuds, tragedy, climax resolution, grand endings and nothing too political. Now, let us compare and contrast it with another style of Ballet.

Modern Ballet or sometimes also referred to as Contemporary Dance was first introduced to the world by Martha Graham in the early 20th Century. Modern or Contemporary Ballet initially served as a "break". In the 1900's, the European and American dancers started to rebel against the rigid constraints of the Classical ballet. Not only did this radical change alter the technique and some dance disciplines of the Classical, it also liberated the dancers from the most essential part of their costumes - the ballet pointes. This time, instead of having choreography based on years of research and influence from fairy tales and the stories of the elite, the theme of most, if not, all, Modern and especially Contemporary pieces are concerned with more sensitive issues such as politics, social conflicts, the self and its issues with itself, life and the like. 

This video is a sample of a Contemporary dance number in which I was a part of. This long piece was choreographed by La Salle Dance Company - Contemporary's adviser, Mr. Peter Alcedo, Jr. in collaboration with the young choreographers of La Salle Dance Company - Street. This was choreographed for an annual production organized by La Salle Dance Company for the aspiring dancers in the DLSU community - Remix; An Inter-Lasallian Dance Competition. 

This piece was the spot number for Remix '09: Youth for Nation. It features the failures of the disaster management teams/leaders of the nation, how society reacts and copes with the calamities and in turn how the government simply "does nothing". 

Watch out for the little girl in school uniform, oversized white polo and the a blue plaid top with a black scarf, hihi.

Did you see the difference between the two styles? I can very much relate this radical transition of the High to Mass culture, which was studied and shared to us by the Frankfurt School, to the evolution of Classical to the Modern or Contemporary style. Both transitions were caused by resistance, the pursue for freedom and openness and the emerging interest of the society with political of societal issues.

Will there be further developments? Will there be another genre or style as other theories emerge? I guess the only way to find out is to stay tuned! ;)

♥ Reese Corpuz

Oh hello, Self! ♥

Blog article for January 9, 2012 Classroom Discussion: The Self

As one of our requirements for our elective class, CULPOLI (Culture and Politics), we are expected to write a blog and keep track of our personal thoughts and realizations after our classes. After my thorough explanation of the blog's title Sense and Sensibility, I now welcome you more formally to my blog and therefore also, my personal thoughts and views about Culture and Politics.

Keep Calm and read my blog lol

So you may ask, who am I? In one of our sessions in class, we talked about our self and out other. In this post, I am here to talk about my SELF.

My whole name is Therese Christianne V. Corpuz. I was born and raised in Makati City as the only-daughter of a family of 5, in between my brother who is now 26 and my little brother, 16. As a daughter, I can say that I am very respectful. I see respect as one of the most significant things any man can offer others. I get very busy with chores althroughout the week; I look over our cat most often, clean every now and then, wash the dishes, cook our meals, do the laundry and sometimes even iron the clothes. With that, I can say that I am definitely a hard-worker at home. That is just how my parents raised me. Even if there is help around, we still had to do chores. I am thankful of this because somehow it made me independent and strong.

Ever since my younger years, I have been very interested in performing arts already. I joined competitions and pageants and I always looked forward to the talent showcase part. In school, I am a very enthusiastic student-artist. I am very energetic, I talk a lot, I laugh a lot. Even to a point that some people might think of me as boisterous and all over the place. That's just how expressive I think I am. I join different organizations because simply studying everyday academic lessons is just too boring for me. Aside from being part of the Pilot section and an incumbent classroom officer, I was also part of the school choir, the school theater and dance club, the school paper and even the student council. I was also an active girl scout and troop leader. I was also very active in our church. I loved serving as the lector or commentator for our mass celebrations. I garnered heaps of awards and medals when I was in Grade School and made my parents proud so many times. Grade School was definitely my field of success.

In highscool, my vision definitely widened and deepened. Having the opportunity to become a scholar in the Philippine High School for the Arts, I was exposed to authentic Philippine culture and arts - got to read authentic books, meet national artists, watch shows, exhibits and programs showcasing Philippine culture and the arts. Popular art didn't seem to have as strong as an impact on me anymore because I got obsessed with the traditional. Because I was a Folk Dance Major, traditional dance became an integral part of my life. After everything I've learned and I've been through in High School, I definitely became more passionate, more focused to my future, more determined. I became more confident and straight to the point. Finally, I also became more creative and artistic.

Currently, I am still who I am from who I was twenty years ago. However, of course, there had been some significant improvements and developments are still in progress.

The most important aspect in my self now which I can proudly brag about is that I am more liberal and opinionated - in terms of my personal or political beliefs and everything in between.

Upon generally knowing who my self is, the only question now is can you say that we have the same selves or my complete other?

Keep visiting to know thy author more and further understand how close Culture is to her heart, and how she grows fonder of Politics and Political Science :)


♥ Reese Corpuz

My Personal Politics

Blog article for January 9, 2012 classroom session: Personal Political Views

Because of a certain class discussion about our personal political stands, I was inspired to further analyze my own views and opinions regarding several political issues and concerns and to find out where I stand in the debate of the republicans and the democrats (Even if these two opposing political parties are not particularly observed in the Philippines).

I found this quiz generating site and in it I found a short "Personal Politics" quiz. Its questions were "politically significant", as the author labelled it, and the choices provide possible answers of different people with different political stands. If you want to know your place, visit this! For now, I'd love to share to you parts of the quiz (not all the questions, some important ones only) as well as my result and analysis.


On my views about my country (Philippines) and the world:


Disagree 1. I'd always support my country, whether it was right or wrong.
Agree 2. Our race has many superior qualities, compared with other races.
Disagree 3. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Strongly Agree 4. There is a worrying fusion of information and entertainment.


On how I perceive the economy:

Strongly Agree 1. It's a sad reflection on our society that something as basic as drinking water is now a bottled, branded consumer product.
Agree 2. Land shouldn't be a commodity to be bought or sold.
Strongly Agree 3. It is regrettable that many personal fortunes are made by people who simply manipulate money and contribute nothing to their society.
Strongly Agree 4. Governments should penalize businesses that mislead the public.


On my personal social views: 

Agree 1. All authority should be questioned.
Agree 2. Good parents sometimes have to spank their children
Strongly Agree 3. It's natural for children to keep some secrets from their parents.
Strongly Agree 4. There are no savage and civilized peoples; there are only different cultures.
Disagree 5. What's good for the most successful corporations is always, ultimately good for all of us.


On the society:

Strongly Agree 1. Although the electronic age makes official surveillance easier, only wrongdoers need to be worried.
Strongly Agree 2. The death penalty should be an option for the most serious crimes.
Strongly Disagree 3. Abstract art that doesn't represent anything shouldn't be considered art at all.
Strongly Disagree 4. Mothers may have careers, but their first duty is to be homemakers.


On religion:

Strongly Disagree 1. You cannot be moral without being religious.
Disagree 2. It is important that my child's school instills religious values.


On sex:

Strongly Agree 1. A same sex couple in a stable, loving relationship, should not be excluded from the possibility of child adoption.
Strongly Agree 2. What goes on  in a private bedroom between adults is no business of the state.
Strongly Disagree 3. These days openness about sex has gone too far.

THE RESULT:

This quiz will definitely make me more conscious now on how I react on issues. From now on, every time I react, I will assess whether this quiz is more truthful than not. It is nice to come from a defined starting point. This way, I will personally understand where I will be coming from.

So how about you? Where will your red dot land in this color-coded graph?

♥ Reese Corpuz

More About Sense and Sensibility

This post is to introduce and describe my blog for our subject CULPOLI (Culture and Politics)
and how I got the title Sense and Sensibility.

Nothing can be more interesting than the discussion of the thoughts, personalities, actions and lifestyles of politicians and more broadly, politics.

Yeah, yeah. Politics can be monotonous - discussing familiar theories every now and then, analyzing the same forms of government since Elementary Social Studies, talking about the same people who interact with the same people doing the same things over and over again. Sure! Politics can be boring - with all those thick heavy books discussing and further emphasizing how boring law is and how it is nowhere near fun, reading about commentaries which basically say the same thing, hearing depressing news on the television everyday and every night. Indeed! Politics can be a matter for the old - after all, the aged and mature citizens are the ones directly concerned and directly subjected to the law, the elections, the tax deduction.

As silly as contradicting myself and my first statement in this blog (that nothing can be more interesting than discussing politics), I believe that even though the most common negative sentiments about politics, - it being monotonous, boring and for the old, are true, I also believe that there is another side to it that I saw and experienced which made me become interested to politics and everything in between.

Upon establishing my interest in politics, I now channel everyone's attention to my personal attachment to Filipino culture (and arts). My friends would often refer to me as taga-bundok because they realize how obsessed I am with all things Filipino - Philippine folk dances (above all), Indigenous tribes from both North and South, Filipino food, customs and traditions and Filipino festivals. I am not a hypocrite therefore I admit that I also admire and patronize foreign culture however it is still a fact that I do have a deep inclination to Filipino culture.

In both fields, politics and culture (arts), sense and sensibility is definitely one of the "requirements" in order to understand, appreciate and even practice it. However, in our case, most actors tend to put them aside and focus on competition, self glorification and deception instead.

Sense and Sensibility targets to discuss latest and most popular happenings and events, people and even places if needed be and at the same time remind everyone to put some sense and sensibility in everything that is going on.

This blog will definitely contain my personal thoughts on the political events and issues, most often in the Philippine setting. (Naturally because I am a Filipina.) However, it may also include foreign political issues every now and then because closing oneself to the world is one of the biggest crimes one can commit. That being said, I therefore now emphasize my freedom to say what we have to say, stand firmly and remain loyal to the sides we take and the decisions we make. If in any case I bump into a critical issue and offend certain readers, I apologize in advance but assure you that I will not take back what I said (write) no matter what. Comments (negative and positive ones) will be greatly appreciated (or debunked) as well because I also believe that communication is learning. This blog will also contain sources which would help me further understand and evaluate certain issues. Among all online sources, my top three picks are: bulatlat.com / philippineupdate.com / philippinestoday.net so you will definitely be seeing more from them here. Finally, this blog will contain images, videos or music clips and even dances, (some of which I own and some I will grab from other sources) which would further express my ideas and further input some sense and sensibility in your politically interested minds.

Here's to sense! Here's to sensibility! Here's to me and my thoughts about culture and politics and everything in between!

♥ Reese Corpuz