Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa

Poetry in motion. This is how best to describe the movie “Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa” (The Dance of Two Left Feet) from  Director Alvin Yapan  who also directed the  “Ang Panggagahasa kay Fe” (The Rapture of Fe) last year. The story revolves around a teacher, an infatuated student and a talented dancer. More than featuring all kinds of dances, Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Paa goes further by exploring themes about sexuality.

  According to the Cinemalaya website, the synopsis is: 

Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa explores the intersection and divergence between feminist and gay concerns in the third world context,.When Marlon, a college student, stalks Karen, his literature professor, he finds out that she moonlights as a choreographer and dance teacher in a dance studio. Frustrated over his performance in her literature class, he plans to impress her instead by learning to poeticize his body movements and enroll in her dance class. He hires his classmate to teach him the basics of dancing. As Dennis, his tutor, teaches him how his body should move, Marlon begins to understand the intersections between the art of poetry and dance. This opens up his world to new insights about the life of Karen as s single woman who chose to live the life of an artist in a third world setting. Marlon begins to understand how the poems being discussed by Karen in class are testaments to her choice to stand by her art. Karen eventually finds out, through Dennis, that Marlon only enrolled in her class to be near her. She confronts Marlon about this and wishes that his interest for dance would survive his infatuation for her. Marlon feels betrayed over Dennis telling Karen. But it is also this sense of betrayal that tells him that he has already become close to Dennis, whom he now considers a friend. Up until then, Marlon and Dennis have become inseparable as they both tackled the complexities of poetry and dance. Sensing the coldness between the two, Karen set them up to help her train a group of dancers for a cotillion dance. Eventually, Karen trains both Marlon and Dennis to star in her dance adaptation of the epic Humadapnon, when she bags a grant. Marlon will play the lead role of Humadapnon, who becomes trapped in a cave full of women. Dennis’ character now has to rescue Marlon from the women, as he plays the role of Sunmasakay, the male incarnation of the goddess Nagmalitong Yawa. On the eve of their performance, in a drunken conversation, Marlon confronts Karen how he could not understand her poetry. Karen, in response, assures Marlon that he does understand her poetry. His mind is just unwilling to, unlike his body which already understands. Karen invites Marlon to dance with her, but in the middle of her dance, she passes him onto Dennis. Their drunken dance culminates with Marlon and Dennis taking on the roles of Humadapnon and Sunmasakay on stage."

paolo avelino

rocco nacino

In a bold step to celebrate literature and present it in dance form, the producers picked literary poems of Merlinda Bobis, Ruth Elynia Mabanglo, Joi Barrios, Rebecca Anonuevo, Benilda Santos and Ophelia Dimalanta.and interpreted them through a cadence of motion. It was just amazing how poetry was seamlessly woven into the story.

jean garcia

 Watching the movie brought back memories of literature classes in college.  Flashback memories of me struggling in my freshman year at UP Diliman is inevitable, particularly  the triumph in the Filipino lit classes.   I guess I did understand and appreciate the written Filipino word than the written English word.

 I was actually drawn into the story and the symbolism that each scene portrays.   I find it refreshing to watch a movie where the theme is not in your face.   As a viewer - you would have to pay attention to what the characters are saying.  You have have to pay attention to each movement - to piece them all together. 

  Sayaw  is about dance, is about love, is about poetry, is about music, is about gay love? Is it? If the last part is all you are going to take away from that movie, I’m not so sure if you get it. This movie was beautifully vague yet at the same time quite deliberate. Who loved who? And did they love each other in first place? And what kind of love was it? That is what makes this film delicious because it leaves so much to interpretation without being indecisive.

The casting of the three main characters is certainly a triumph for Director Yapan. They all fit their roles to a T. Jean Garcia, Paulo Avelino and Rocco Nacino should be able to convincingly portray Karen, Marlon and Dennis, respectively.  Add to that the special participation of the Company of Dance Artists (CODA) and they all harmonize into a fluid and powerful interpretation of a slice of life through dance.Incidentally,one of the producers is a good friend of mine, Martin Lopez, who is the resident artistic director of FEU.

 Perhaps. the producers are successful in their attempt to immortalize poetry as a moving art.

And now, i have three bets for the best film in Cinemalaya 2011: Nino  (Fides Cuyugan, Sharmaine Buencamino), Amok (Garry Lim, Spanky Manikan) and Sayaw.