‘Tale of 2 Mountains’ told in dance concert

Through dance, a group of young performers hopes to inspire others to protect the environment.

An artistic group called Mga Anak ni Inang Daigdig (MAID), composed of residents from the once-notorious Smokey Mountain dumpsite community in Manila, is set to hold a dance concert this summer titled “A Tale of Two Mountains.”

The April 22 concert will feature ritualistic dance numbers evoking environmental themes and will also see the premiere of filmmaker Ferdinand Dimadura’s work of the same title.

“A Tale” focuses on the story of Smokey Mountain, once the symbol of Philippine urban poverty, and the Mt. Pinatubo volcano, whose 1991 eruption displaced thousands in Central Luzon and affected weather conditions across the globe.

Areas surrounding Pinatubo are now being considered as resettlement areas for some 3,000 families from Smokey Mountain and other communities in nearby Tondo, according to the concert organizers.

Founded in 1993 by Fr. Benigno Beltran, MAID members were initially trained by Philippine International Theater Institute Dreams Academy, a nongovernment organization affiliated with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco).

The group later received training under the late National Artist for Dance, Ramon Obusan.

Now serving as Ambassadors for Peace and Environment on behalf of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, MAID has toured the world and held concerts in Japan, Australia, Sweden, Germany and the United States.

The group also worked with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in connection with  a reforestation project covering 135 hectares on Mt. Ayaas in Rodriguez, Rizal province.

Organized by Sagip Bansa Inc., an antipoverty and environmental nonprofit organization, the concert will be held at AFP Theater in Quezon City.  A seedling will be planted under the name of a ticket buyer for every P1,000 sale.

For sponsorship and ticket sale inquiries, contact Kelly Austria via 09175071211 or e-mail [email protected].