Filipino Arts: Love at the Center Stage from Illustrado
By Shar Matingka
Dark chocolate: a taste of decadence, a dance of inner bliss, a memory of clandestine moments, a faint trace of bitterness overpowered by sweet triumph and love. It is the most fitting simile to performing arts couple, Jojo Mamangun and Kris-Belle Paclibar – young and exuding radiant passion for expressing the complexity of life, and the stories of epic fantasy, as well as abstract sensuality of desire through dance. Jojo and Kris-Belle have the uncanny ability to nourish our daydreams where we place ourselves on a stage fairly lit and only dance makes up for words unspoken.
Humble Beginnings
Jojo spent his early school days in Baguio where he discovered his interest in indigenous musical instruments and gradually acquired a keen sense for visual arts. When it was time for him to leave the cool mountain air set against the colorful ethnic backdrop that is Baguio, he carried with him the promising visage of a charming Filipino meant to become an artist. From North he went South to pursue a future in visual arts, an advocate of indigenous music at the prominent Philippine High School for the Arts. However, destiny had written something else for the young Jojo. With no courses available in the craft he had hoped to study, he landed in Folk Dance and unexpectedly did quite well. Years later, he earned a scholarship in Performing Arts majoring in Dance at the College of St. Benilde and simultaneously, an apprenticeship in Ballet Philippines. With the support and encouragement of his family, Jojo was on the verge of conquering his future in dance.
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