CCA stages ‘Elias‘
“Elias is a story of great friendship amidst social devastation. It portrays the willingness of a man to give up everything even his own life for the sake of friendship.” Mr. Allan Samonte, the Center for Culture and the Arts (CCA) Director, describes the play thematically.
The CCA’s rendition of Elias is a dance drama – using theater arts and movements in rhythmical form portraying the characters of the play and delivering the message and scenes in a contemporary panorama.
The play is based on the missing chapter titled “Elias and Salome” from Jose Rizal’s celebrated novel Noli Me Tangere. History has it that Rizal deleted the chapter not including it in the printed novel due to the national hero’s financial limitations at the time. The missing chapter was restored by the translator Maria Soledad Lacson-Locsin with additions of her son Raul L. Locsin.
In the early 90’s, Mr. Samonte saw at the Cultural Center of the Philippines a presentation of the same title (Elias) which was crafted and directed by the award-winning artist in dance, Ms. Agnes Locsin. “I was enthused by it,” said Mr. Samonte.
“This has been a long dream that I wanted to materialize, and in God’s time, it has happened.” Mr. Samonte’s directorial debut in a dance drama became vivid after his meeting with Dr. Ferdinand Cortez, an English instructor, who, accordingly, provided significant insights into the story of the play. Conceptualizing further the storyline was done by Mr. Samonte through reading the Noli Me Tangere and conducting interviews with some Social Studies instructors.
The play is divided into four acts choreographed to certain genres – folk dance, festival dance, ballroom, jazz, modern dance, hip-hop, and contemporary dances with musical pieces that were neither traditional nor commercial yet meant to create a metropolitan standard.
Nathaine Dalafu, a fourth year Civil Engineering student, plays the role of Elias.
Student government officers and the University administration were consulted for the ticketed show. Proceeds will go to the CCA and the USL Endowment Fund.
The show runs from October 2013 until February 2014 at the University’s Ter Meer Gymnasium.
