What the hell us curacha?
"Curacha, ang Babaeng Walang Pahinga," a Chito S. Roño film in 1998 written by National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts Ricardo Lee, better known as Ricky Lee, and starred in Rosanna Roces and a host of other cast members including the late Jaclyn Jose?
The movie might have an allusion to the term purportedly at the suggestion of the director or straight from Ricky's creative apparatus.
Roño is a true blue Waray and curacha among Waraynons is the staple dance in Region 8 which is primarily composed of the provinces of Leyte and Samar.
Curacha is a traditional dance—the name originated from the eponymous curacha, a kind of crustacean water creature like, according to Wikipedia, spanner crabs common in Zamboanga.
Yet Zamboanga, from Mindanao, is a separate region from Samar and Leyte which are found in the Visayas.
In my entertainment reporting territory, King of Talk TV Boy Abunda, movie news hen Aster Amoyo, actor Tom Rodriguez, comedienne and writer Bibeth Orteza, matinee idol Paulo Avelino, stand-up comic and multimedia actress Tessie Tomas, entertainment editor Art Tapalla, among others, are Waraynons and Samareños/Samareñas while Kring Kring Gonzales, movie columnist Nitz Miralles, socio-cultural critic JC Nigado, among others, are Waraynons who are familiar if not dancers of curacha.
I thought of the curacha dance (a pair of males and females move around before an audience accompanied by local music like "Curacha Mayor," "An Giporlosanon," "An Pinayungan" etc. and appear in a short narrative where a man courts or woos a woman amidst trials while spectators throw in money--gala--to the floor or the air as a form of approval) in favor of a fundraising cause for the Legacy Project/s of UST Arts and Letters Class '75 Golden Jubilee celebration.
The UST Artlets '75 golden anniversary will be held on February 21, 2025, at Heritage Hotel and February 22-23, 2025 at the Casas de Acuzar in Bagac, Bataan.
One of the activities of the batch is to donate or support whatever programs for the Faculty of Arts & Letters like scholarships, books, research facilities, etc.
Our alumni president Sarah P. Cayabyab wants to accomplish them but we have to raise funds.
Then I saw a Waraynon batchmate, Easter Dasmariñas, an AB Sociology graduate, posted in her FB wall a video clip of her dancing the curacha.
I excitedly texted Easter that curacha could be an ideal means of generating funds for the Faculty.
I was even more impressed that Dasmarinas' act had made at least P200,000.00 on that single performance alone.
I thought of talking to Abunda about a collaboration between his family, especially his sis Maria Fe Abunda who is running for reelection as congresswoman of the lone district of Borongan, Eastern Samar, and Artlets '75 to mount a curacha party in Manila although, initially, Easter was discouraging but I firmly believe it could be done.
What about it, Boy?
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