Filipinescas -- La Orosa’s Heroic Spirit
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Filipinescas (Source: The Filipinescas Story, 1960-70)
The late National Artist Leonor Orosa-Goquingco (1917-2005), the creator of the renowned dance troupe Filipinescas, was the descendant of several great clans of Batangas—the Agoncillos and the Orosas from Taal and the Lunas from Batangas City. Her story illustrates how the heroic formation of a nation is eventually reflected in achievements in art, music and literature.
Leonor Orosa-Goquingco (Source: The Filipinescas Story, 1960-70)
Today, the Legacy Town of Taal still bears the strong imprint of a heroic Fil-Hispanic past. It embraces the impressive ancestral home of Ambassador Felipe Agoncillo, who negotiated for independence during the First Philippine Republic; the splendid domain of Marcela Marino Agoncillo, who sewed the first Philippine flag; the resplendent grand mansion of the Villavicencios, which hosted a visit by Jose Rizal and harbored rebels in its hidden precincts; the memory of Batangas City scion Benedicto de Luna, who opened a law school in Manila, which trained many young men associated with the Revolution.
Leonor Orosa-Goquingco came from the ranks of such heroes and intellectuals, whose tradition extended to public service in the American era. Her own parents, Sixto and Severina, both volunteered as young doctors to serve in far Jolo; her aunt Maria pioneered in nutrition and served recalcitrant Filipinos during the war in which she perished.
Her parents’ cosmopolitan, peripatetic, and adventurous ways exposed the young Leonor to the rich heritage of the Philippines and the cultural ferment in a country that was looking forward to its independence in 1945. They had raised their family in what was then called “Morolandia” and then in the sophisticated Visayan city of Bacolod. They had gone far beyond their Batangas roots and their own Manila upbringing. They were open to educating their children in different systems and creeds, even converting to Protestantism and then reverting to Catholicism at one point. They were not dogmatic or authoritarian; democracy ran in their veins.
Leonor herself studied in as many as nine schools all over the islands, graduating as valedictorian in her high-school class and summa cum laude from St. Scholastica’s College. She would later study at Columbia University Teachers’ College in New York City. But being a member of the elite then meant giving back to society, and Leonor made the most of what nature gave her in spades—a talent for writing, creation and dance.
Her unprepossessing physical stature, her apparent reticence and extreme nearsightedness (she wore eyeglasses all her life) made her an unlikely candidate for her spectacular balletic success. Yet she would continue to surprise her family and friends for her manifold achievements. On stage, she would blossom into a dance goddess and elevate Philippine dance into a classic form.
Leonor Orosa-Goquingco as a young ballerina
While studying to be a teacher and writer, she already showed her creativity in choreography and performance. Building on the achievement of Francisca “Kikay” Tolentino, who had assiduously recorded and codified the vanishing folk dances of the Philippines, she took Philippine dance several steps forward: stylizing and updating their slow, repetitive patterns; introducing storylines and psychological themes to build color and create drama; bringing a local tradition to international attention.
She balanced her artistic life with a domestic life blessed with a devoted, hardworking businessman-husband and three accomplished children. One of them, Rachel, would be a ballerina and soloist herself in Filipinescas.
Leonor’s daughter, Maria Rachel Goquingco,
The name “Filipinescas” was vetted by another National Artist, her biographer Nick Joaquin, who agreed with its echo of the word “Goyescas,” from the Spanish arts, and added in its subtitle “Philippine Life, Legend and Lore.”
Critics in the Philippines and abroad agreed that Philippine dance had risen to another level through the prism of La Orosa’s eye and artistry.
The premiere of the show that eventually went abroad in 1961 was held on the front lawn of the Goquingco house on Timog Avenue, with an invitation-only audience of what was called the crème de la crème of Manila’s intelligentsia. This was the fruit of Leonor’s creative work, which went all the way back to her teens, when she choreographed numbers under the watchful eye of her mentor, Polish ballerina Madame Adameit. Years of training and persistence finally crystallized in the realization of a dance company and a successful tour abroad.
After the premiere, the most succinct of these critics, as quoted by Nick Joaquin, said: “Among her countless trail-blazers in dance theater must now figure Filipinescas, with its first choreography of Lenten pabasa, flagelante, salubong and procession; its first choreography of fiesta and such native games as palo sebo, sipa, juego de prenda and juego de anillo, its first choreography of a Moro duel, sea folk’s trading bustle, and the Philippine fiesta and its first choreography of the cockfight.”
The Filipinescas’ dance choreography (Source: The Filipinescas Story, 1960-70)
The show beginning in June 1961, that had only been projected to run for seven days and in two venues, in Paris and in Spain, eventually became a seven-month event, proceeding to Germany and Norway, on contract, and ending up in Washington, D.C.
These tours ran successively in 1962, 1964, 1966, 1968 and 1970 and broke diplomatic ground where cultural groups had neither performed nor made an impression before, such as the Soviet Union, Pakistan, and Latin American countries such as Chile, Mexico, and Argentina. This was cultural diplomacy at its best, even when the concept had barely been defined or employed by the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Leonor Orosa-Goquingco had managed all this with the chutzpah of a modern-day Filipina. Often, she had to rely on the generosity of her parents and friends. Her husband, Ben, had to sell his shares in the Manila Golf Club to finance their first performance abroad. Sometimes, manna would fall from heaven at the last minute from donors such as her own godmother or those who were impressed by her performances. Filipinescas would be invited to perform at state dinners, such as the one held in honor of President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Mrs. Goquingco did not confine herself to dance during her long career. She is also known for her classic play on Dr. Rizal, “Her Son Jose,” lauded by dramatist Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero as the most notable drama piece of 1955. She also wrote articles in the Manila Bulletin and Bulletin Today; The Times Journal and the Philippine Star; as well as for Dance Magazine, New York City; and Grove’s Dictionary of Music and Musicians, London. In 1980, she wrote the definitive classic on Philippine ethnic dance, The Dances of the Emerald Isles.
In 1976, two years after Filipinescas had been permanently shuttered, Leonor Orosa-Goquingco was given the title of National Artist. In part, the citation reads: “The pioneer Filipino choreographer in stylized Philippine ballet theater for over four decades, she confronted the endless challenge of elevating Philippine dance to high creative art, lifting it to its peak of national artistic development.”
Yet, Orosa-Goquingco’s achievements have not been immortalized through continued performance. As she herself said: “I envy my foreign counterparts--Bournonville of Copenhagen, Fokine and Petipa of Moscow, Balanchine of New York, Ashton of London—because even after their retirement, even after their death, their works are kept alive through continuous performance…But what steps are being taken to preserve choreographies created in the Philippines? Where are the dance-dramas I created and which won for me the title of National Artist? Nowhere to be seen.”
Someday, someone may conceive of a Zoom meeting that will resurrect La Orosa’s heroic dances. Brava!
Sources: Nick Joaquin, La Orosa: The Dance-Drama that is Leonor Goquingco (Anvil Publishing, 1994 for the NCCA)
The Filipinescas Story, 1960-70 In Text and Pictures
Interview with Ms. Carol de la Paz-Zialcita, Filipinescas Soloist Dancer
Here’s a sample of a Filipinescas performance of Singkil:
Filipinescas Dancers Through the Years
Carole de la Paz-Zialcita
1961 World Tour
Erlinda Fernandez, Carole de la Paz, Cielito Valdes, Sylvia Estrella, Erlinda Benetua, Sylvia Marcos, Dulce Festin, Dorothy Ramos, Olivia Montinola, Lydia Fernandez, Denise Melencio, Cristina Laico, Dulce Laico, Nora Ocampo, Rachelle Goquingco, Danilo Dupaya, Eric V. Cruz, Ramon Sarmiento, Luis Morales, Antonio Howard, Juan Dinglasan, Dominador Correa, Raul Yusay, Francisco Hermano, Michael Cardenas
1962 Tour of Malaya and Thailand
Carole de la Paz, Erlinda Fernandez, Dorothy Ramos, Sylvia Estrella, Erlinda Benetua, Cielo Valdez, CArmen Valdez, Lydia Fernandez, Rachelle Goquingco, Aida Castaneda, Rebecca de la Paz, Eric V. Cruz, Danilo Dupaya, Ramon Sarmiento, Luis Morales, Juan Dinglasan, Dominador Correa, Raul Yusay, Antonio Howard, Francisco Hermano, Enrique Abad Santos
1964 World Tour
Rachelle Goquingco, Violeta Manahan, Rowena Aranda, Lita Eugenio, Carmilla Onrubia, Cecille Onrubia, Maribelle Payumo, Concepcion Caballero, Connie Limcaco, Carmen Soriano, Eric V. Cruz, Rey Limcaco, Rabelais Mangahas, Danilo Neri, Felipe Gaerlan, Emmanuel Batulan, Francisco Lumen, Rony Alejandro, Jose Javier, Roberto Caballero, Octavio Gonzales, Ramon Abad, Hernando Neri
1966 Tour of Hawaii
Rachelle Goquingco, Violeta Manahan, Lilia Pintoy, Donna Cortes, Lina Javier, Violeta Neric, Eloisa del Rosario, Elizabeth del Rosario, Tessie Hernandez, Rey Limcaco, Danilo Neri, Felipe Gaerlan, Emmanuel Batulan, Bernard Angeles, Jose Oliva, Jose Javier, Francisco Lumen, Conrado Pascual, Pedro Abraham, Rolando Lobangco, Raul Rosales, Armando Javier, Johnny Pintoy
1968 Philippine Cultural Festival, Hong Kong
Rachelle Goquingco, Lilia Pintoy, Eloisa del Rosario, Elizabeth del Rosario, Eleanor Herrera, Deanna Gaerlan, Rey Limcaco, Danilo Neri, Emmanuel Batulan, Francisco Lumen, Jose Javier, Conrado Pascual, Raul Rosales, Pedro Abraham, Armando Javier
1970 World Tour
Rachelle Goquingco and Reynaldo Limcaco, lead dancers; Eloisa del Rosario, Elizabeth del Rosario, Lilia Pintoy, Tessie Hernandez, Nora Herrera, Deanna Gaerlan, Cielo Condes, Sonia Lachica, Ramona Encarnacion, Emmanuel Batulan, Pedro Abraham, Francisco Lumen, Conrado Pascual, Raul Rosales, Armando Javier, Domingo Garcia, Rolando Balingit, Rolando Dionisio, Roger Malabad
Instrumentalists:
Danilo Cruz, leader; Jarnelito Mechilina, next in command; Isagani Tolentino, Filemon Laqui, Siebe Hartendorp, Emmanuel Batulan, Pedro Abraham
Property Manager: Roger Malabad
Producer: Benjamin Goquingco
Company Manager: Rachelle Goquingco
Public Relations Offcier: Deanna Gaerlan
Source: Filipinescas Pamphlet of World Tours, 1961-1976
Virgilio A. Reyes, Jr.
A career diplomat of 35 years, Ambassador Virgilio A. Reyes, Jr. served as Philippine Ambassador to South Africa (2003-2009) and Italy (2011-2014), his last posting before he retired. He is now engaged in writing, traveling and is dedicated to cultural heritage projects.
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