Tuesday, August 1, 2023

More intrigue about Mara Unduk, the dance-drama


Water-damaged photo of the delubyo scene while the mine tailings continued
to enundate daily the Boac nearby.

Teatro Balangaw's Mara Unduk was restaged in 1996 as part of the Easter Sunday program in Boac. One week before the event, in the middle of rehearsals hit the infamous Marcopper mine tailings disaster. All too suddenly, death and destruction was wrought to the historic Boac River.

But coincidentally, there was a scene in Mara Unduk that depicted death and destruction (delubyo), reminiscent of the man-made killing of the river at that time (above photo}. Like life imitating Art, kumbaga, and that did not escape our attention.

Alon and Baylana dance. Daupan Festival for Philippine Revolution, Centennial 1998

To this day, but elsewhere online, people still talk about the Mara Unduk tale. Other than NASA trying to study the two-moon theory which Mara Unduk presented more than a decade before, blogger Bob Demaria stated: "You need to listen to the ancients rather modern science that dreams up scenarios that have no reality."

He went on to mention the Mara Unduk tale providing a link to it, and shared a related story about Mani the moon from the Prose Edda.

He just wants to remind his followers and readers, thus: “Listen  and read the old tales of the ancients who passed them down to us. Modern science knows nothing and is thoroughly ignorant because they’re more intelligent and ancient man was primitive and full of superstitious beliefs.”

Today, I read the news about the passing of Harold Glenn Miciano who played the lead, Alon, many times in many places. Am sharing some of the pictures that have survived natural and man-made disasters. Incidentally, a photo of him as Alon in a Fort Santiago performance had graced The Asia Magazine.


                Harold Glenn at extreme right



A Mara Unduk prformance for Tagalog Fiesta at Nayong Pilipino, 1996.

               Harold Glenn Miciano



Pakibasa rin, read:

A colossal intrigue! From Teatro Balangaw's 1992 two-moon myth to NASA's 2013 two-moon theory.