Original Repertoire
“[Dulce] Capadocia has a gift for fusing elements of her contemporary dance background with the gentle nuance of traditional Philippine Dance. And she stages narrative gracefully.”Los Angeles Times, Calendar Section
MULTI-MEDIA WORKS:
Video Editing & Design: EZTV; Videographer: Adrian Ravarour
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD VIDEO - MOTHER NIGHT
MOTHER NIGHT
(A Dance Drama based on the theme of Death and Dying)
2001 premiere
Los Angeles Theatre Center
“Brilliantly conceived and flawlessly executed… the audience was stunned by what they were witnessing and at the show’s conclusion gave Ms. Capadocia and her company an extended standing ovation.” - Dan Marcus, Playwright, National Playwrights Association
A contemporary, socially relevant, prolific, multi-media one hour epic of emotional and dramatic impact. The work retells the death of Silayan Dance Company’s Founder, Sonia Capadocia. After heart attack complications, she was left in a perennial vegetative state for over 6 months under a life support machine, leaving family members feuding and divided. Woven with autobiographical information, hospital images, spoken word, mythology, storytelling, new music/sound score and new film, the work is a powerful spiritual, ethical and political examinaton of life passage.
Video Editing: EZTV; Videographer/Cinematographer: Adrian Ravarour
Original Music: Hillard Street. Lester Horton Award winner for
Outstanding Company Performance and Lighting Design.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD VIDEO - MA'I LOST
MA'I LOST
1999 premiere
Luckman Fine Arts Complex
A contemporary, visually arresting, one hour dance epic based on the life of Kapinangan, the Philippine counterpart of the Arthurian Guinevere and wife of Datu (Lord) Sumakwel—one on Panay Islands’ historical figures. Fleeing political persecution from Brunei in the 12th century, he created a Malayan settlement in Antique, a part of Ma’i (former name of the Philippines) after bartering the land for a price of a golden hat from the black nomadic Ati tribes. Woven with underwater photography, field research documentation, new film, spoken word, new music/sound score, the award-winning work dramatizes Kapinangan’s secret love affair with Gurong Gurong (Sumakwel’s trusted ally), her banishment from Ma’i, and her renewal among the Atis.
STAGE WORKS:
BIHAG ("Captive")
2009 premiere
MORE ABOUT THIS WORK: http://counterpulse.org/performing-diaspora/artists/dulce-capadocia/
SINGKIL STORIES
2007 premiere
Eaglerock City Hall, Aquarium of the Pacific
The lighter, comedic sequel to "Mother Night." Framed around the popular Muslim bamboo folk dance Singkil, this contemporary dance theatre work brings to light the complexities of a zany, sometimes irreverent, entirely dysfunctional Mother/Daughter relationship. The full-length, satirical dance drama in "drag" is woven with spoken word and skillfully written storytelling. It retells the difficult, thought provoking challenges that two head-strong, self-possessed women artists have when placed in collaborative projects and work situations! Giving life to the oral traditions and important stories of many Filipinos residing in Los Angeles, Singkil Stories premiered as part of a City of L.A. Cultural Affairs Dept. grant-sponsored workshop led by celebrated playwright Henry Ong.
WHERE YOU STAY?
2006
Where You Stay? is a collaborative multi-disciplinary work under the direction of Performance Artist Alison De la Cruz. The multi-media story-based creation follows the journeys of a small group of Angelinos as they share the nature of their relationships to both the urban and earth-based landscape of Los Angeles in an artistic ode to the city.
2006 reconstruction - 2007
Studio A Dance
PHILIPPINES: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE
2006 premiere
San Francisco
Woven with popular as well as traditional songs and dances, the multi-media Dance work was commissioned and performed by over 30 members of the Los Angeles chapter of the Philippine-American Society of Certified Public Accountants (PASCPA), a professional membership society formed to advance the profession of accountancy in the state and internationally. The performance was part of an annual major and nationwide performing arts competition among the chapters.
ISANG DIWA (ONE SOUL) CONCERT
1997 PREMIERE - 1999
Barnsdall Art Gallery, PBS Television, Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel, Loyola Marymount University, Pierce College
Woven with Poetry, Music, Spoken Word and Dance, the intimate full-length multidisciplinary works highlight the original creative offerings of well-known actor Muni Zano with Modern Dancers Rose Lago and Dulce Capadocia.
". . . a breathtaking triumvirate." - Los Angeles Times
SONG FOR TATAY
1996 premiere - 1999
Strub Theatre, California Plaza, Loyola Marymount University, Pierce College, Keck Theatre, Arts Manhattan Festival, Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture, Hoover High School, and other city-wide community events.
Commissioned by the Dance Kaleidoscope Festival and presented as part of "Isang Diwa" (One Soul) Dance Concert. Tatay is "father" in Filipino. Set to the Kundiman music of honored musician Juan Silos, the intimate autobiographically-based work tells the relationship between an impaired father and his dutiful daughter.
THE GATHERER
1995 premiere - 2005
LACE, Met Theatre, Hoover High School, Loyola Marymount University.
Initially created for Highways Performance Space as a solo piece, the work blossomed into a site-specific ensemble piece commissioned by and for the California Plaza’s Performing Arts Series. Celebrating the power of indigenous women and inspired by field work on Igorot tribal culture, the choreography uses real fire, earth and water as a backdrop for contemporary work fusing traditional and modern Dance forms.
MALAKAS AND MAGANDA
1994 PREMIERE, RECONSTRUCTION, CHOREOGRAPHY BY RAMON OBUSAN
Pierce College, Los Angeles Theatre Center, Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture, toured city-wide in unconventional venues, Citrus College.
According to Philippine Manobo tribal myth, a weary bird perched on a long bamboo tree during the beginning of time. Hearing noises from wihin, she pecked the tree open and out came forth the first man and woman - Malakas (the strong) and Maganda (the beautiful). From them sprang all the great peoples of the island.
DIWATA, FLY
1995 premiere - 1996
L.A. Venue, Japan America Theatre.Diwata is "Spirit". Set to the original musical score of kulintang gong master, Danongan Kalanduyan, the all male trio investigates the spiritual connection that people have to all living things.
JUAN AND THE CROCODILE
1991 premiere - 1997
Strub Theatre, Ivar Theatre, Fountain Theatre, Japan America Theatre, Los Angeles Theatre Center, Alexandria Elementary School Auditorium, Manhattan Beach Mall.
Based on a children's tale co-written for the stage by playwright and actor Ed Ramolete, this fable teaches the important lesson of gratitude or "utang ng loob". It retells the mischievous adventures of popular Philippine folktale character Juan Tamad. One day, he finds a crocodile tied to a tree. The crocodile promises him a golden boat only to find out that he wants to make Juan a tasty meal!
THE LEGEND OF THE MAYON VOLCANO
1985 premiere - 1994
Conwell Dance Theatre, Scottish Rite Auditorium, Ivar Theater, Fountain Theatre, Japan America Theatre, Los Angeles Theatre Center.
A Romeo and Juliet, large scale, contemporary Dance tragedy of the origin of one of the Philippines’ most famous landmarks.
SOLILOQUY
1980 premiere - 1995 reconstruction
Strub Theatre, Conwell Dance Theater, Fountain Theatre. The Lester Horton Award nominated Modern Dance solo set to original music by Edwin Milan and Dulce Capadocia.
Performed as part of Temple University’s Conwell Dance Theatre concert showing celebrating the work of Philadelphia-based Dance artist and legend Judith Jamison.
Background Image Photographer: Shatto Light
Copyright © 2008 Dulce Capadocia. All rights reserved.