INDIO GENIUS NAMED SUZETTE DOCTOLERO (Third of four parts) (January 21, 2013)

Suzette Doctolero (right) as one of the speakers with Prof. Michael Charleston Chua and Dr.Bonifacio Comandante during the 2012 Bagong Kasaysayan (BAKAS) Seminar-Workshop

Vim Nadera: Please be our guide to popular literature. Do you need a formula to come up with a bestseller?

Suzette Doctolero: If I know the right formula, sana wala na akong nagawa na nag- flop. And there are soaps or movies that I’ve done na hindi rin nag rate o kumita. Walang nakakaalam sa right formula. Pero base sa experience ko at ng iba pang nagsusulat ng popular lit ay ito ang aming learnings: (1) Kailangang may filial love o pagmamahal ng magulang sa anak and vice versa. Kaya naging formula na sa soap yung ina na nawalan ng anak. Lahat yata ng soaps ay may mga inang nawawalan ng anak. Akala ko ay sa Filipinas lang ito ginagawa. Pero ang mga soaps sa Latin America ay ganun din. May mga Korean soaps din na may nawawalang anak o kaya ay nagkapalit. May sumubok gumawa, kapatid na nawalan ng kapatid. Pero mas matindi pa rin ang emotional hook ng inang nawalan ng anak kaysa doon. Bakit? Yung mga naunang soaps kasi ay babae, mga ina, ang audience. Ngayon na lang nagkaroon ng bata at lalaking audience ang soap. May mga pagtatangka nang alisin ang formula na ito. Pero somehow, nagki-click pa rin ang mga soaps na may nawawalang anak. Until now ay hindi ko alam kung bakit. (2) Kailangang may love story. Kahit anong genre pa iyan, action-adventure, drama, fantasy, horror—kailangang may love story. (3) Kapag drama, kailangang may light moment. So importanteng may comedian o side-kick na nagpapatawa. (4) Dahil may mga batang audience na kaya kailangan na ring may batang character sa soap. (5) Kailangang malinis ang main characters. Mabait sila, mabuting tao. May tamang moral stand o compass. Bihira ang mga soaps na may mga lead na flawed o grey ang character gaya ng Bakekang (nagpabuntis siya sa isang Kano para magkaroon ng anak na maganda tapos pinilit niyang mag-artista ang anak niya noong lumaki na). Iyan lang ang importanteng formula na until now ay sinusunod pa rin. 

VN: What about television? Or film?

SD: Mas malawak na ngayon ang kayang abuting tema ng film lalo na’t dumadami ang mga pelikulang gawang indie na tinatangkilik na rin ng mga tao. Yung sa TV, ingat pa rin. May mga formula na p’wede nang buwagin -- gaya ng dapat mayaman ang lalaki, mahirap ang babae. Ngayon, p’wede na ang kabaligtaran nito). Pero mayroong mga formula na mahirap pa ring alisin. Halimbawa: nag-rate ang Encantadia. E kumpletos rekados siya. May inang nawalan ng anak, may love story, may comedy, may drama, may action at fantasy. May ibang mundo. May kakaibang kasuotan. May sariling lengguwahe. Check lahat! Noong natapos ang Encantadia ay ginawa namin ang prequel nito, ang Etheria. Hindi siya flopped pero hindi kasing-taas ng Encantadia ang ratings. Bakit? Inalis ko ang lahat ng formula e. Walang anak na nawawala, walang light o comedy moment—ang dark-dark niya. Pati ang love story, hindi romantic, edgy, dark. Political pa ang topic kahit fantasy. Awayan at schemes ng mga kaharian. Tapos may back-to-the-past premise pa. Kailangang maglakbay ng apat na bidang fairies to the past to correct some mistakes. Masalimuot at kumplikado, kahit ako na nagsusulat, nasisira ang ulo. E kung high fantasy angEncantadia, gusto ko dark fantasy ang Etheria. Akala ko ay tatanggapin ng audience ang dark fantasy. Hati sila. May mga natuwa dahil ibang-iba ang Etheria pero mas marami ata ang namuhi sa akin.

So ang learnings ko from then on: kung magtatanggal ng formula, isa-isa lang. Huwag lahat. Kung mag iintroduce ng bago, maglagay pa rin ng formula para may makapitan pa rin ang audience, na ginawa ko sa Amaya. Dahil bago ang historical fiction sa soaps kaya sinadya kong formula ang k’wento ng buhay ni Amaya: isang prinsesa (mayaman) na namatayan ng magulang dahil sa schemes ng kanyang tiyahin. Inapi. Kinawawa. O? Hindi ba’t soap na soap? Pero kasabay nito ay naikukuwento rin namin sa tao ang tungkol sa mga babaylan, sa mga rajah at datu, sa mga liping uripon (alipin) at timawa (maharlika), sa mga busao (encanto), sa mga old customs and traditions natin noon. 

Ayun, nakita ko ang right formula sa pagkakataong iyon. Pero hindi ko alam kung applicable ito sa lahat ng soaps. Mahirap nga kasing mahulaan ang taste ng audience.

VN: Please share with us your experiences with, say, drama anthologies, soap operas, or telecines.

SD: I was lucky kasi I started writing for drama anthologies before I shifted to soap opera. Kung ihahalintulad, ang drama anthologies ay ang short stories, ang soap opera ay katumbas naman ng nobela. So bago ako nag-soap, naaral ko munang magk’wento sa maikling paraan (drama anthology) bago ako sumabak sa pagsusulat ng continuing stories (soap). Kung sa pag-aaral naman, siguro ang drama anthology ay college degree. Ang nobela ng lit, o soaps sa TV ay maihahalintulad naman sa masteral studies. Ito ang problema ng baguhang TV writers ngayon. Hindi uso ang drama anthologies ngayon sa TV kaya wala silang pagsasanay o training ground. Sasabak na agad sila sa pagsusulat ng soaps. E madali bang gawin iyon? Sa maniwala ka sa o hindi, ibang popular art form ang soap. Marami nang nagtangka na magsulat at baguhin ang hulma ng soap pero sila ay nabigo. Bakit? E hindi muna kasi inaral bago nagtangka. Para mabago ang isang bagay, kailangan muna itong maintindihan at maaral. Hanggang ngayon, sa totoo lang, hindi ko pa rin lubos na naaaral ang soap at nahahanapan ng sagot kung bakit ito ay popular sa tao. Isa siyang discipline na may kasamang gut feel. Hindi mo lang isinusulat ang k’wento, kailangang ito ay damahin din para mag-hit sa tao.

VN: What advise can you give to young ones who dream of becoming a successful headwriter and/or creative consultant like you?

SD: Kung gustong magsulat sa TV at pelikula, manood ng TV at pelikula at aralin iyon. Kahit sa pinaka-panget na pelikula o palabas sa TV ay may matutuhan pa rin. 

Write. Kahit saan, kahit anong genre, kahit sa print, sa TV, pelikula, sa pader, sa papel, para sa contest--- magsulat lang. Mas matututong magsulat kapag sinasanay ang sarili sa pagsusulat. At huwag mahiyang ilako at ialok ang akdang nagawa. Ang manunulat ngayon, lalo na sa TV o popular lit, kailangan ay hindi lang marunong magsulat, dapat marunong ding magsalita (dahil makikipag-debate ka during story pitching sessions) at mag-market ng sariling akda. Kung hindi, sinong makaka-discover sa iyo? 

INDIO GENIUS NAMED SUZETTE DOCTOLERO (Second of four parts) (January 14, 2013)

Suzette Doctolero (left) with Sen. Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. who plays Malaya in the latest teleepic "Indio" which she conceptualized and wrote for GMA 7 (Photo by Xiao Chua)

Vim Nadera: What can we expect from Indio?

Suzette Doctolero: Fantasy na Filipino ang orientation. Hindi na western. Ang Encantadia ay western. AngAmaya at hopefully itong Indio ay Pinoy na Pinoy. 

VN: Do the directors and the producers respect you or your written text? How?

SD: With GMA-7, yes. The management doesn’t meddle with the creative aspect. Hindi ka rin pagagalitan, pag hindi mag-rate. Bahala kang mag-isip ng k’wento. All they want are good and innovative soap opera stories. If they like your concepts, igo-go nila nang walang kung anu-anong pakikialam kaya until now ay nasa GMA ako. May creative freedom e bukod pa sa may maganda silang pasahod at pagbibigay ng credit sa writers. Sino bang nagpauso ng pagbibigay ng billing sa mga writers na nauuuna pa ang pangalan kaysa sa show? GMA-7 iyan.

VN: For a time, you tried writing romance novels. Could you tell us more about it?

SD: After my short stint sa Balintataw TV, yes. Sabi ko nga, I wanted to write. So noong nawala sa ere ang Balintataw, naghanap ako ng bagong susulatan. One day, I passed by National Bookstore to check some books. Napadaan ako sa Filipiniana, sa romance novels section. Nagulat ako. Aba, may Filipino romance novels na pala na mala-Mills and Boon dito sa Filipinas? I was no fan of Mills and Boon (I’ve only read one or two nu’ng teen ako tapos ayaw ko na) pero any venue for me to write, susunggaban ko talaga. I bought one title from Rosas Series. It was written by Lualhati Batista na editor din ng Rosas. Pinag-aralan ko iyon including kung paano sinimulan, ibinigay ang point at tinapos ang bawat chapter. Hmm, ganito pala magsulat ng romance novel? So nagsulat ako using my old reliable Underwood typewriter na muntik pang ihagis ng nanay ko noon dahil ang ingay-ingay.

After five days, may romance novel na ako. My problem then was how to sell it.

I looked for the phone number of Anvil Publications, the publisher of Rosas Series, and called them. I told them, I lied actually, na kamag-anak ako ni Lualhati Bautista and I wanted her home address. Aba, ibinigay nga! Lualhati Bautista was living in New York, Cubao back then. So from Cavite, naglakbay ako pa-Cubao para puntahan siya. Kumatok ako sa gate, siya mismo ang nagbukas ng pinto. Starstruck ako. Ito ang gumawa ng Dekada ‘70 na pinagpasa-pasahan pa namin noon sa PUP. Pero di ko nakalimutan ang rason ko kung bakit ako nandoon. Sabi ko, gusto kong magsulat gaya niya. Nandito ang nobela ko, basahin ninyo po kung may oras kayo.

Aba, ngumiti si Hati at saka pinapasok ako sa bahay niya. Dahil idol ko siya kaya tumuloy ako at inisip ko rin na manghingi ng tubig since Cavite pa ako galing. 

Yun pala ay may mga bisita siya. Nandoon sina Roland Tolentino, Joi Barrios at Levi de la Cruz. E nababasa ko sila, hindi sa romance o popular lit kundi sa mga akdang panliteratura. Ipinakilala ako ni Lualhati sa kanila saka sinabi niya sa mga iyon na gusto kong magsulat at ipinakita pa ang inabot kong manuskrito. Hiyang-hiya ako. Paano kung hindi magustuhan o ma-reject? Hindi ko na matandaan kung paano ako umalis o nagpaalam sa kanila. Ang alam ko lang, pinagpapawisan ako sa nerbiyos at kahihiyan. Hindi na rin ako nakahingi ng tubig na maiinom. Buti na lang, after one week, nag-pager o beeper si Hati at binabati ako. Nakapasa ang nobela ko sa panlasa niya. Ito ay na-publish ng Anvil. Ako si Alex, Babae ang title. Masaya ang panahong iyon kasi gabi-gabi halos ay may inuman at k,wentuhan session sa bahay ni Lualhati. Hindi na ako nahihiya kina Joi Barrios kasi feeling ko, peers na kami sa pagsusulat ng romansang popular.

VN: Is being romantic a prerequisite to writing love stories? Are you one of them?

SD: I’m not. Never been a romantic. Pero all the movies I wrote ay romance. E kasi inaral ko kung paano magpakilig. Sa romance novels, hindi naman talaga totoong pure romance stories ang naisulat ko. Masuwerte lang ako at feminist ang naging editor kong si Lualhati kaya nakapasa sa kanya ang nagawa ko. E mahilig ako sa strong female characters kasi yun ang norm sa akin. Matriarchal ang pamilya ko kaya sanay ako sa mga babaing independent. E bawal ang mga strong, independent female lead characters sa romance stories. Kailangang damsel in distress lagi.

VN: What would it take to become a romance novelist?

SD: Noong dumami ang publishers dahil nag-boom ang Tagalog romance novels noon ay may isang publisher pang namudmod ng guidelines kung paano magsulat ng romance. Ito more or less ang nakalagay doon sa pamphlet niya:(1) Kailangang mahirap ang female lead pero mabait, maganda, at may mahabang buhok; (2) Kailangang mayaman ang male lead, guwapo pero masungit; (3) Okey lang na may trabaho ang female lead pero dapat ay mas mababa ang katayuan niya kaysa sa male lead like sekretarya, nurse, teacher, tindera; (4) Huwag nang pag-aksayahan ng panahong i-describe ang milieu like palengke, factory o opisina; (5) Huwag ring damihan ang narrative description ng scene o pangyayari. Mas interesado ang mambabasa sa dialogs. Maraming guidelines o laws iyan. Lima lang ang natandaan ko. At hindi ko sinunod kaya hindi rin ako nagtagal sa pagsusulat ng nobelang romansa o popular. O sige na nga, napapaaway ako. Biruin mo ba naman, dumating sa point, doon sa ibang publishers ay kanilang mga sekretarya na lang ang pagbabasahin ng nobela. Kapag hindi siya naiyak at hindi siya kinilig, reject ka. Dumating rin sa point na sa dami na ng mga publishers ay paliit din nang paliit ang inaalok nilang bayad sa writers ng nobelang popular. Magsusulat ka ng 130 pages tapos P2,000 na lang? Sa Anvil, P10,000 ang bayad nila. Nasunugan lang kasi ang Anvil noon at nag-fold up ang Rosas kaya tumigil na sila sa pagpupublish. Lumayas na ako sa pagsusulat ng nobelang popular. Mas pinili ko na lang na magsulat sa TV.

INDIO GENIUS NAMED SUZETTE DOCTOLERO (First of four parts) (January 07, 2013)

Suzette Doctolero (right) with writers Annette Abrogar and RJ Nuevas

Suzette Doctolero’s high school education at the Jose Rizal University prepared her. Her teacher in English, with a showbiz name – Fortich – subconsconsciously trained her by asking her to write essays. Two of her works, to her surprise, eventually, all of a sudden, saw print in the campus organ. That was the time she felt the proverbial natural high in writing. It motivated her to write more. But courses like Creative Writing was not yet offered in college then. So she studied at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines -- taking up Accounting as a freshie, Clinical Psychology as a sophomore, and AB Filipino on her junior and senior years. 

Still and all, she ended up as a writer.

Looking back, she could trace such accident from her artistic DNA. Her grandmother, Buenviges Narvadez, was a komedya actress in the 30s in Calabangga, Camarines Sur where she grew up. Her lola used to tell her bedtime stories every night. Her lolo would take her twice a week to James Theater, a moviehouse stone’s throw away from their ancestral house in Bicol. By day, she would be exposed to Bruce Lee and Jacky Chan films while, by night, she would find herself lost in her REM state, through some sort of a magical mystery tour, to wonderland!

In 1988, her Fairy Godmother would become Angie Ferro, who gave her, at 19, a job as a production assistant for Balintataw TV produced by Cecile Guidote-Alvarez. As a working student, she would get the chance to read all kinds of script but it was the one written by influential fictionist, Fanny Garcia, that urged her to write her own. Siegfred Sepulveda came by and he read her script. He liked it and asked who the author was. She was there so she raised her hand. Everybody, including such directors as Maryo J. Delos Reyes, Jose Gruta, Lupita Kashiwahara, Nick Lizaso, and Orlando Nadres would come to their office twice a week, were all stunned. It was the start, so the Steve Allen show and song go, of something big.

To this day, she would still acknowledge Ms. Ferro her mentor even during her stint with the Dulaang Kalayaan, one of PUP’s school-based theatre groups then. She also became a member of Dulaang Bonifacio which Ms. Ferro founded. From the same actress, she was introduced to the plays of Filipinos like Adrian Cristobal or Amado V. Hernandez and European like Anton Chekhov or Maxim Gorky. And she, too, learned a lot the love for writing and for the theatre and its audience by performing during rallies

-- with peasant groups, student activists, and budding actors like Gardo Versoza.

She looked up to Lualhati Bautista, who was her liberating editor at the Rosas Series, the romance novel line of Anvil Publications; Bibeth Orteza, the punctuation-conscious headwriter of the soap operas she wrote for TelevisionAnd Production Exponents, the producer of Eat Bulaga; and Chito Rono, the creative consultant of TAPE shows then who was notorious for throwing bad scripts on writers’ faces.

Becoming a scriptwriter was not that hard for her since she actually started as an actress. She used play Gregoria De Jesus for Dulaang Bonifacio. All the more she would be honed to emphatize with her characters, for instance, when she did a secretarial work for a young foreign journalist who used to share his experiences in covering the war in Cambodia and Vietnam. Before she could die of boredom, it was Nanette Matilac-Lacaba, who saved her by inviting her to join one of Viva Television’s story-pitching. And the rest was her story.

Since then she never stopped writing. Luckily for her, it was in 1996, when the so-called old guards of scriptwriting, who used to be active in 70s and 80s retired except for Gina Marissa Tagasa. That opportunity gave her the way to try drama anthologies. Aside from Orteza, or Manny Castaneda and RJ Nueras, there were no new names then in their field. It was a good break for her and her contemporaries in Galo Ador Jr., Dode Cruz, Lav Diaz, Kit Villanueva-Langit, and Jun Robles Lana.

Comparatively, becoming like them would be easier these days. Now there are workshops, usually free. Generous talents like Armando “Bing” Lao has his own workshop, almost patterned after his own mentor, Ricky Lee’s. In addition, ABS CBN, for example, has a television writing institute with no less than Lee as its facilitator while GMA-7 has its own. In the internet, you can find reading materials about scriptwriting which are all downloadable. Then, there are contests. Yes, left and right, the environment is encouraging for scriptwriters. However, the problem is the same. For her, it is the actual writing. Applicants would reveal to her their dreams but when she would ask for outputs, they could not produce one.

In the 90s, when Suzette was just a wannabe, she would just write and write. Bravely, she would sell her works to headwriters, editors, publishers, even producers. Her philososophy is practical: who will believe that she is a writer if she has no poem, story, essay, play, or script at all.

As a writer, she dreams with drive.

And with here feet on the ground, she keeps on reaching for the stars.

VN: For your latest, and possibly greatest, project – Indio -- how did you prepare it? Did you research for it?

SD: Yes pero covered na ang research ko nito during the time I did my research on Amaya. Ang inaral ko for Indio ay ang mga Filipino epics natin. Gusto kong i-translate iyon sa soap. Pero hindi naman kasi ma-drama ang buhay nina Lam-ang o ni Labaw Donggon at iba pa. Puro adventures. Kung action lang, mito, o fantasy ang hanap -- tiyak na panonoorin iyan ng mga lalaki. Pero paano ang mga misis? O mga babaeng 40 yrs old and up na prime audience ng soaps? Importante sa soap na ma-capture ng isang k’wento ang interest ng buong demographics ng audience: lalaki, babae, bata. Ayaw ko namang gawin ang mga Pinoy epics natin tapos sasaksakan ko ng drama at baka multuhin ako ng mga ninuno natin. Gusto kong gumawa ng bago pero ang pundasyon, ang tema, ang mito, ang kultura at paniniwala ay halaw sa mga Filipino epics.

SEIJI SHIMODA’S SECOND COMING (Last part) (December 31, 2012)

Seiji Shimoda (left) showing his students the way during the Nippon International Performance Art Festival in Tokyo in 2010

Vim Nadera: Japan played a huge role in the development of performance art in Asia. Were you able to witness it?

Seiji Shimoda: Performance art in Japan happened before the World War 2 in the 40s. But famous Gutai group started in the mid-50s and lots of avant garde groups like Neo Dada, Kyushu-Ha, Zero Dimension, High Red Center, The Play etc. made performance art in the 60s. A lot of Japanese artists participated in the Fluxus movement in New York including Yoko Ono. Yayoi Kusama also made street performances in NY before Yoko. Nippon International Performance Art Festival (NIPAF) started in 1993. After I started performance art, I met many old-generation artists in Japan. And also we invited these great artists to NIPAF. But NIPAF is in another stream. We call the 90s as the time of performance art festivals. When the Cold War ended in 1989, we realized that the international performance art festival is one of most important art events. Because even for a few days, artists would have the chance to meet each other. There’s the possibility for exchange. In 1991, I participated in a festival in Poland, I met many artists mostly from eastern Europe. After coming back home, I found out that some artists try to make festivals too. Still there’s no big movement in Japan, but people appreciate NIPAF. Maybe because it is the only one that has good enough vision for the future of human being.

VN: How free are the artists in Japan?

SS: In Japan, we have a Constitution which guarantees our freedom of expression. Our criminal law does not allow, for instance, naked bodies in public places. But, of course, Constitution is the highest law. Nudity in public places is no longer a problem now in Japan.

VN: And indeed you succeeded. In the 90s, you shocked the audiences in Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong where the organizer forewarned the crowd about nakedness. Nobody walked out. Instead they applauded you. Do you always get the same positive feedback?

SS: No. I was arrested by the police twice in 1979 and 1984. It was because of my naked outdoor performances. Now, it’s different.

VN: Do you have videos of your works?

SS: Not all. But I have videos of other artists’ works. Some museums, in fact, asked me to organize video event about performance art all over the world. I did that during Artists Talk in '93 when I began NIPAF in Nagano where14 leading artists from 10 countries took part. In '95 and '96, NIPAF in Tokyo and Nagano had 15 artists from 14 countries. In '96 I began organizing Asian Performance Art series and NIPAF Summer Seminar. Then, in ’97, for the 4th NIPAF, I invited nine foreign and nine local artists.

VN: What are your memorable works?

SS: Well, let me begin with On The Table since 1990 dealing with the meaning of human gathering. I did it in festivals, theaters, and museums in 20 countries. Since '94, there’s My Country which is about nationalism. Of course, since '95, there’s What’s Next? where I use poetry and only small action. And, since '96, I’d been doing Gracias Marcos, Adios Marcos in honor of Polish-Mexican artist Marcos Kurtycz, who died of lung cancer.

VN: Please share with us your thoughts about your classic and controversial work On The Table.

SS: In 1990, a small gallery in Tokyo asked me to have a two-day performance. It was really a small gallery, and I found out that I almost have no space. So I decided to bring my own table. I put my whole body on it. I realized that what I was wearing was too soft and slippery. To avoid danger, I took my clothes off. After starting, I found a new space under the table. I decided to go down there without thinking about what would be the result. It was so challenging. And that’s what I like. Since 1995, I did the same piece in more than 20 countries with my table. Then I stopped for 10 years. But, in 2005 I felt the need to do it again. I did it thrice. I know I get different reactions for doing it around the world. But I am an artist, I don't care.

SEIJI SHIMODA’S SECOND COMING (Second part) (December 24, 2012)

SEIJI SHIMODA (RIGHT) IN THE TUPADA X, TEN YEARS OF TUPADA ACTION AND MEDIA ART, PROGRAM LAST 11-17 NOVEMBER

Vim Nadera: Could you take us back to the 60s?

Seiji Shimoda: I entered high school in Nagano 1969 when I was 16 years old. Student movements were very active then. October 21, 1969 was the International Anti-War Day. Four Grade 3 students occupied the school director's room. Students meetings lasted until night time. Lots of police and right-wing people surrounded our school. In those days, we had street demonstration. Anti-Vietnam war. Anti-pollution. Anti-system. All in our small town. Sometimes we would go to Tokyo to participate in those movements. Unfortunately, our movement fell down in early 70s. Our interest would change. We then focused on our inner world. In my case, I began writing poetry, instead of political slogans. Performance was just my next step after writing poetry.

VN: Is your definition of performance art related to poetry?

SS: Performance art for me is poetry. Call it action poetry. I don't have any interest in theater or performing arts. I just want to make my poetry real. I want to realize my poetry. I have a good idea about body since from the start I was a good sportsman. Sometimes I use strong bodily expressions, but not always. In 1981 I published my poetry 200-plus-page book called Coffeeshops.

VN: What comes to your mind, when you hear: "When I enter the coffee shop…"?

SS: I decided in 1979 to write 99 poems and to make 100 performances in Tokyo’s small hall. And my 99 poems would open with the same phrase: "When I enter the coffee shop..." Then many strange things happened. It was like automatic writing that surrealists would appreciate

VN: Please tell us more about your experiences in France.

SS: Parisians are very positive. It was winter when I was in France -- from December 1982 to February 1983. It was during the time of Pres. François Mitterrand and the Minister of Culture was Jack Lang who was a leader of student movement in the 60s and claimed there’s Belle Époque in Paris then. I went to Paris with very small amount of money and I stayed there for three months. The reason why I went to Paris was because some audience in Live Houses gave him a free one-way ticket to Paris. The ticket value was for only 10 days and the audience had no time to use it. I ran out of money there so I had to do street performances to survive in cold Paris. I had 100 street performances just to earn money for me to buy coffee, cigarette and others. It was a good time to think about myself and about what I really wanted to do with my life. During my stay in France I saw good exhibitions. I had the chance to watchthe Pina Bausch dance company. They all encouraged me a lot.

VN: By the way, what are Live Houses?

SS: In those days in Japan, there are some so-called Live Houses movement. Live houses existed everywhere in Japan, not only in big cities. They had live concerts and other events every weekend. I performed there so many times. The owners were mostly dropouts. The owners would get half from the entrance fees and from the drinks. The artists, mostly musicians, would get half from the entrance fee. It took place just before the boom of what we would call “indies” or independent bands. Oh how we enjoyed our freedom of expression then. Remember, during the time, museums and galleries hate us. Action art, back then, was impossible to do. After coming back from Paris, I started to organize some art events in mid-80s. Like festivals for one-minute original poetry reading tape, one- minute free song tape, 10-minute performance , 21-minute chain performing arts, book media performance, et cetera. Young artists, musicians, poets, dancers, filmmakers and others took part in those events from many cities in Japan. Then I began to go to Europe again in 1987. They say, my special strong body expression was acclaimed as very high quality impressive art in western Europe.

VN: You are a been-there-done-that kind of guy. How can you compare audience reactions?

SS: I am an artist, not a sociologist. Yes I did my performances in so many different places, nearly 50 countries. I began in 1975, when I was 21 years old, in Japan. In 1982, I started to perform internationally. But I don't think there is a big difference. My performance is always bit strange. Normal people would never do what I had been doing. Why? Because I’m always looking for strange things to inspire myself. For example, my poems were like fantasy or dark dreams. I published them only for my friends. By writing poems, I could get inspiration to do body expression. It is not dance, not theater. It is performance art.

SEIJI SHIMODA’S SECOND COMING (First of three parts) (December 17, 2012)

SEIJI SHIMODA (RIGHT) IN THE TUPADA X, TEN YEARS OF TUPADA ACTION AND MEDIA ART, PROGRAM LAST 11-17 NOVEMBER

Today, our students from the University of the Philippines troop again to120-A Narra Street, Barangay Amihan, Project 3, Quezon City. But this time, our visit to Lila Pilipina called Maligayang Pasko Po, Lola is more meaningful, if not the most meaningful, than our previous semestral sojourns for more than 15 years.

This year marks their 20th anniversary and last 1 October, as our way of celebrating the International Day of Older Persons, our students last semester organized Mano Po, Lola, a forum at the U.P. Faculty Center’s Pulungang Recto with the College of Arts and Letters’ dean Elena Mirano and College of Social Science and Philosophy’s history professor Ricardo Jose as special guests. After 10 days, it had a repeat when the Philippine High School for the Arts, through its Creative Writing teacher, Rae Rival, agreed to bring Lila Pilipina to the National Arts Center, the queendom of Mariang Makiling, highlighted by the kissing of lolas’ hand, after young art scholars entertained them through dance, music, and visual arts, among others.

Two years ago, we had the chance to help Lila Pilipina in their struggle to pressure the Japanese government: (1) to present a public apology regarding the crimes inflicted to the women; (2) to revise text books and other materials where these crimes were ommitted; and (3) to seek compensation for the victims.

Yes, it was during the Nippon International Performance Art Festival.

With war crime as our theme, we performed in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagano from 24 October to 5 November in 2010.

Seiji Shimoda, who founded the said oldest performance art festival in Asia in 1993, expressed his “disappointment” with us.

Did he forgive us for what we did on behalf of Lila Pilipina?

We never had the chance to talk earlier this year during his sidetrip to Manila when we welcomed him via Tupada Tuesdays at the Conspiracy Garden Café where we jammed with him last 25 August.

The other opportunity knocked once more during his second coming.

He came back to perform -- with Poland’s Peter Grzybowski, Singapore’s Jason Lee, South Korea’s Kim Kang, Israel’s Beni Kori, United States’ Eric Scott Nelson, India’s Dimple Sha, Switzerland’s Gilles Furtwängler and Anne Rochat, Myanmar’s Yadanar Win, and Philippines’ Luizi Alfonso, Rogger Basco, Roen Capule, Buddy Ching, Thom Daquiaog, Gilbey de Castro, Mael de Guzman, Boyet de Mesa, Martin de Mesa, Arvin Javier, Ian Lomongo, Noel Pama, Sam Penaso, Kaye O’Yek, Crecee Roldan, Joash Roxas, Jo-an Sarmogenes, Mannet Villariba, and Ugatlahi, to name a few.

It was for TAMA X, the 10th anniversary celebration of the Tupada Action and Media Art last 11 to 17 November.

Sadly, we were in Thailand for Asiatopia from 4 to 27 November.

But, with Mannet who videotaped our interview when we went to Thom’s cabin in Makati, we were able to speak with Seiji on cam.

Vim Nadera: Since you began it in 1993, how many artists have performed for the Nippon International Performance Art Festival (NIPAF)?

Seiji Shimoda: More than 300 international artists from 45 countries around the world.

VN: You were born in 1953 in Nagano, Japan where NIPAF usually ends. How would describe your early years?

SS: In 1970, I was a poet. I joined high school student movement. When I dropped out of high school, I traveled in Japan by hitchhike. After five years, I started to focus on art, experimental theater, and performance art in Osaka City University.

VN: What was your exposure then?

SS: I was able to perform in Paris during my three-month stay in 1982. In 1987 I started my Western Europe tour. Then I was invited to more than 150 international art festivals in 37 countries like Western, Central Europe, Asia, North and Central America. I succeeded in promoting art exchanges and dialogues about performance art to the Americas, Europe, and Asia through NIPAF. I also began performance tours, workshops, and lectures at Musashino Art University in Tokyo.

VN: Do you have a particular style in performing?

SS: I should say that my distinct performance work always has action poetry, movement. I usually use my body. I love to utilize objects like table, chair, tape, chopstick or paper.

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LEVY’S STRATEGIES (Last part) (December 10, 2012)

Dr. Nathan Levy, endorsing his books exhibited during his successful Powerful Strategies To Enhance Learning workshop celebrating the National Week of the Gifted and Talented last 30 November

Vim Nadera: Is there such thing as The Nathan S. Levy Approach to giftedness? 

Nathan Levy: No, but there is an NL approach to teaching and learning. Engagement, challenge, relationships and knowledge of the subjects to be taught are all part of the “Nathan Levy approach.” This approach applies to the gifted as well. 

VN: What makes your method stand out? 

NL: I have no single method. I have a variety of strategies that have been successful. The combination of high standards and effective teaching are the keys. 

VN: Are creative people born or made? How can it be developed? 

NL: They are both born and made. Creativity can be taught through practice. Providing lessons with opportunities to think creatively and debrief that thinking is important. 

VN: What is the proper way to think? 

NL: Flexibly - when doing creative activities, and looking at points of view. Rigidly. When lock step thinking (i.e., turning on a computer) is required. 

VN: What is higher order thinking? 

NL: Being able to synthesize and create by looking at things from a variety of perspectives. It is more than having knowledge -- it is using knowledge in many ways. 

VN: Could you give us some tips on enhancing learning? 

NL: Engage learners by drawing on their experiences and giving them a base of knowledge. Both are needed. Provide thinking/problem solving opportunities, and helping learners to master basic knowledge as well. 

VN: Is there really a need for K-12 curriculum? Why? 

NL: Yes, to give all children equal opportunity by providing a common base for children from all areas. If one area of the country teaches its own curriculum, and the others are consistent the isolated group will have gaps and fall behind. 

VN: What advice can you give to parents, teachers, and students about excellence? 

NL: Model it; point it out, hold high standards. 

VN: Please tell us something about your books. 

NL: My books are the following: 

Stories With Holes (Volumes 1-20) are about creative logic stories to help participants think “outside the box”. 

Who Am I?/Whose Clues? (Volumes 1-6) help participants gain basic knowledge in a fun way. 

100 Intriguing Questions (Volumes 1-6) are open ended questions to stimulate writing and conversation. 

Nathan Levy’s Test Booklet of Basic Knowledge is all about America based test of cultural literacy. 

Not Just Schoolwork is on the best writing / critical thinking activity book in the world. 

There are Those is a poem defining “Gifted” from my perspective. 

Thinking and Writing Activities for the Brain (Volumes 1 &2) are about dynamic thought provoking quotes interwoven with activities that inspire children and adults to think broadly and creatively. 

Creativity Day by Day is full of daily activities to spur creative thinking, writing and/or conversation. Great for families and classrooms. http://www.facebook.com/Foundation.AWIT