Two of San Diego’s premier cultural dance companies will share the stage for the first time

The PASACAT and DanzArts performing arts companies will forces Saturday, Sept. 14, to present “Mestizaje: Interwoven Identities Between Mexico, the Philippines and Spain.” Above, a male dancer performing the traditional Mexican dance known as Matlachines. Photo by Sue Brenner

By Michael James Rocha | [email protected] | The San Diego Union-Tribune

UPDATED: September 14, 2024 at 9:24 AM PDT

PASACAT, a Filipino performing arts company based in National City, has a long history in the region, dating back to 1970. And for 54 years, it has gone to great lengths to celebrate and elevate the traditions — culturally and artistically — of the Philippines.

Ditto for San Diego-based DanzArts, which prides itself in providing “a creative and relevant space for artistic and cultural expression, as well as preserving and raising cultural awareness of Mexico and Spain … through dance and music.”

On Saturday, PASACAT and DanzArts are ing forces to present “Mestizaje: Interwoven Identities Between Mexico, the Philippines and Spain.” The two companies will share the stage at the David & Dorothea Garfield Theatre in La Jolla, where they will perform two shows.

Ahead of their groundbreaking artistic collaboration, Anamaria Labao Cabato, PASACAT’s executive director, answered some questions about the shows. Also answering questions were Patricia Astorga, the artistic director and choreographer for DanzArts, and Joji Ramirez Castro, PASACAT’s dance director and choreographer.

Q: With its shared ancestral history, it seems only fitting that a production celebrates the ties that bind the Philippines, Mexico and Spain. How did this partnership come together?

Labao Cabato: This partnership started when PASACAT invited DanzArts to perform at the Parol (Philippine Lantern) Festival as a guest artist in 2013 and 2016. We had a mutual respect for each other’s artistry. (PASACAT choreographer Joji Ramirez Castro is a 13-year veteran of the Bayanihan National Philippine Dance Company. Patricia Astorga, DanzArts’ artistic director and choreographer, spent five summers studying under Ballet Folklorico de Mexico. Both companies were managed by Columbia Artists Management Inc. in the 1960s to the 1980s.)

Patricia approached PASACAT for a collaboration in 2018, but PASACAT staff were in the midst of a research tour in the Philippines. Then COVID hit and delayed the collaboration until 2023, when Patricia once again ed PASACAT for the t collaboration. We met via Zoom a couple of times to discuss the concept and the repertoire possibilities from folklorico, flamenco and Philippine dance. We shared the vision of what would be an exciting presentation of what PASACAT and DanzArts could bring to the stage.

Q: What was the most challenging part of this artistic collaboration between two dance companies — was it the logistics of bringing the two together for rehearsals?

Labao Cabato: One of the major challenges was getting some 60 dancers and musicians to rehearse together. There were so many work and school schedules to consider. PASACAT has its own rondalla (Philippine string ensemble) and Indigenous instrumentalist so they were accustomed to regular rehearsals with the dancers. DanzArts uses independent mariachi groups and flamenco guitarists and singers. Having the rondalla, Indigenous instrumentalists, the mariachis and flamenco musicians and singers rehearse with the dancers changes the energy in the room and is truly inspirational for the entire cast. PASACAT’s center, still needing repairs from the Jan. 22, 2024,

flood, hosted the rehearsals.

Q: Now that you’re just days away from making this come to life on stage, what are you most excited about?

Astorga: After years of trying to collaborate, it will be exciting to see the finished production. You put so much hard work in the planning and rehearsals and to see the end result. We are also excited to see the audience’s response to this collaboration.

Q: Artistically speaking, what was the most important part of the production that you all wanted to showcase?

Ramirez Castro: One of the pieces to be presented is “Jarabe Tapatio” (Mexican hat dance) fused with “Subli” (Philippine hat dance from the province of Batangas). The subli was a ritual performed in town plazas in homage to the Holy Cross. There was no music set to it, just the beating sounds of drums and sticks. The music of subli was later added and inspired by Jarabe Tapatio with the same melodic pattern but inverted.

Q: What do you hope the audience takes away from seeing the show?

Labao Cabato: What we hope the audience takes away from the presentation is the awe in discovering the similarities we share and an appreciation of the differences from each country. With this appreciation, we hope people embrace diversity and honor what all cultures offer to the world.