Colour and Motion: Fringe Manila's Fourth Year

Now on its fourth year, Fringe Manila continues to introduce the most innovative local and foreign artists as part of Philippine Arts Month

Embassies, local creative hubs, overseas cultural organizations, and the Makati City government have come together to organise the 4th local leg of the World Fringe Network’s annual arts festival: Fringe Manila.

Local artists together with those from the Filipino diaspora, as well as visiting foreign artists will dazzle through exhibits, shows, and workshops in the month long festival held in various locations and creative hubs across Makati, with satellite events in Taguig, Quezon City, and San Juan. The spirit, according to Festival Director Andrei Pamintuan, has always been to “celebrate the diversity of talent that converges in the Metro.”

Various art forms and genres, from dance, spoken word, comedy, theatre, literature, visual arts, music, and cabaret will be showcased in more than 180 performances and events. New artists will be introduced alongside returning favourites like contemporary dance company Airdance and improv theatre troupe SPIT.

PUP Maharlikha dance troupe presents their first dance theatre production Karera as Japanese comedy theater group GUMBO will render audiences rollicking with Are you lovin’ it? Andreas Vierziger with the Austrian Embassy’s support holds workshops on the contact points between music and other art forms.

Live painting competition Art Battle will hold its local championship round to determine competitors for the international leg. Diaspora artists such as Kulintronica and Pagbalik from the US, Sam Reynolds from the UK, and Kaye Peñaflor from Canada will respectively share the cross points of Filipino indigenous and electronica music, workshops on cabaret, and a melting pot of Philippine folk dance, partner yoga, and aerial yoga.

Teaser performances from the festival’s main acts were presented in a press launch held last January 23 at Pineapple Lab, one of the festival’s major producers. Flow art group Legato awed audiences with a light and object manipulation show that seemed to defy the laws of physics as singer-songwriters Shak from Singapore and New York Conservatory of Music-trained Izzy Salinel serenaded the audience.

Musical theatre actor and Fringe newcomer Phi Palmos made audiences laugh and cry with an excerpt from Eljay Castro Deldoc’s play Nobenta Nostalgia. Himala, the classic film-turned-play written by Ricky Lee with music by Vincent de Jesus, returns as the Sandox Collective's production; with an excerpt presented by Kakki Teodoro.

Amidst this diverse line-up, Creative Producer Jodinand Aguillon sums up the festival’s vision, one that “bridges independent creatives, small businesses, and cultural institutions to make the arts a vehicle for meaningful collaborations, a safe space for ideas, as well as for expanding networks.” Fringe Manila’s opening night is at February 7 at the Museo ng Makati and runs as a whole until February 25.

For more information on the locations and artists, visit http://fringemanila.com or follow the story at @FringeMNL on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. For sponsorships and partnerships, send an email to hello@fringemanila.com

Tatler Asia

Colour and Motion: Fringe Manila's Fourth Year