According to Henry David Thoreau "The world is but a canvas to the imagination." It truly is, and everyone of us is either the creator and innovator or the destroyer. We are given a blank wall that represents the true beauty of humanity and as we move towards our destiny we are fed with little creativity and little choices and it is up to us to either grasp the gift with open arms or let it slip away.
Set in the grand ballroom of Dr. Prospoer Absin's El Puerto Rico, El Pueblo Genonivo, Dumaguete City, the recent Legends of Sugarlandia was a true example of a display of creativity in its untainted form. The talents from San Carlos City have shown that the City of Generous People (our beloved San Carlos, of course) is really gifted with creative people that can outshine in whatever medium of entertainment. Yes, we have the fearless Synergy Airdancers from Julio Ledesma National High School who opened the show that left everyone breathless until Pearl Portuguez danced her way to the end of the long ramp to the tribal fusion of Dj RBX and the infamous La Carlota Drumbeaters. The polish of Pearl can really thrill everybody may it be on the streets among the rest of the Pintaflores Dancers or alone on stage wearing the most elaborate costume I have ever made. Pearl has the innate flair to outshine even with the details of the costume that were so intricate.
Maybe it was not the first time for the Dumaguete fashionable crowd to witness the art of bodypainting but the Kina-adman, the Art Ass'n. of San Carlos City, surely left everyone speechless and undecided if they would clap for applause or just remain with their busy eyes and imaagination for the mixed presentation of colors and human body in motion. Presented with the theme of Pintados, the artists and the Hari ng Negros models made it sure that the concept of body painting is an ancient art form that will never die with time.
The festival costumes of the different festivals of the island mostly were intricate and creatively presented except for some which really worn out of their splendor for reasons of recycling and over use, but with the professionalism and beauty of the female models who were all beauty title holders made the attires look festive and new. The Princes and Hari ng Negros winners who donned the Festival costumes were all replicas of Adonis – masculine and endearing.
When the organizer, Michael Ocampo, the organizer of Legends, called me about FTV (Fashion Television) covering the "Legends", I was excited for the bodypainting to be shown worldwide but when he said that FTV wanted to feature one designer, my neurons froze and my verbal senses suddenly worked independently and uttered "I am interested". The next two days became an act in a movie crated in a hand operated camera of the "Three Stogies" days. Two days after, the 8 gowns that I made became the finale of the Legends of Sugarlandia with the theme of tribal meets religion meets modernization and whatever the union of inspiration had resulted, I am sure it was still a product of a crazy word called "creativity".
Without the help of Mike Ocampo (organizer), the Friends of the Dumaguete Christmas House and the Tourism Office of Canlaon City, the San Carlos City talents headed by Sonny Apayla (direction), the bodypainting artists of Kina-adman, the grace of Pearl Portuguez, and of course, Nui's art and ability to construct eight gowns in two days as well as the make up of Jerry and his friends, Jlo's energy, Fred (FTV Shoot producer), the VIAJERRO crew and all the models, the Legends would not be a Legend at all.
The Legends of Sugarlandia truly was juxtaposition of creative minds of the sugar capital of the Philippines and the outcome was actually as sweet as sugar.
Eric Estampador Cabales
