PAGBABALIK Runs 4/24-27 at La MaMa

La MaMa ETC presents resident artist Kinding Sindaw's production of Pagbabalik (Tracing the Path Home), a piece that explores the migratory experience of displaced indigenous peoples of the Southern Philippines, on April 24th-27th at La MaMa ETC, Ellen Stewart Theatre, 66 East 4th Street, between 2nd Avenue and Bowery. The performance runs 90 minutes and includes live music, dance, storytelling, and videography.

Pagbabalik, conceived by Kinding Sindaw founder and artistic director Potri Ranka Manis, is a response to the plight of the indigenous peoples of the Southern Philippines and the experiences of Filipinos in the diaspora. Indigenous communities are facing extinction due to the modern forces of displacement, deforestation, mining, and globalization. Pagbabalik depicts this through the stories of migrating indigenous communities and how their oral traditions, which includes storytelling, music, and dance, have in turn become fractured as communities are dispersed world wide. While dislocated communities strive to reclaim their identity, the piece explores the question of whether one can ever really return home.

Kinding Sindaw Melayu Heritage is a resident artist group at LaMaMa ETC, founded over 20 years ago by Bai Labi a Gaus Potri Ranka Manis to assert and reclaim the ancestral southern Philippines Melayu indigenous culture, and empower and educate Filipinos through the use of ancient artforms, thereby strengthening the Filipino self-identity and aid in the transmission of these ancient and indigenous culture and traditions to future generations for posterity.

La MaMa E.T.C. is a world-renowned cultural organization founded by Ellen Stewart in New York City. For 65 years, La MaMa E.T.C. has passionately pursued its original mission to develop, nurture, support, produce and present new and original performance work by artists of all nations and cultures.

Pagbabalik plays Thursday - Sunday, April 24th-27th at 7:30pm, with matinee shows on Saturday and Sunday, April 26th & 27th at 2:30pm, at La MaMa ETC, Ellen Stewart Theatre, 66 East 4th Street, New York, NY 10003. Tickets from $20 || Senior and Student Discounts || Lamama.org || 212.475.7710212.475.7710.

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