Magsayaw ta / Let's dance!
Join us at Magenta House in Redfern, Gadigal/Sydney on Saturday 22 March at 3pm for an open introductory workshop with Sitti Obeso exploring Pangalay, a pre-islamic classical dance form Indigenous to the Tau’sug people of the Sulu Archipelago. Characterised by intricate and flowing movements of the hands and arms, this dance resembles the movement of ocean waves.
Participants will be guided into Pangalay improvisation methods bridging their bodies with land and water, spirit and sea. This workshop is a rare opportunity to learn from one of Tau’sug’s foremost cultural bearers, Sitti Obeso, with live music accompanied by kulintang master Pahad Panayaman.
All proceeds from the workshop will go towards supporting Sitti's cultural practice.
This is a beginner's class so you don't need to have prior dance experience to participate. Please wear comfortable clothing and be prepared to dance barefoot. We will meet at Magenta House and proceed to the class together. The class will be held in the public playground near Magenta House and participants may leave personal belonging at Magenta during this time. For enquiries or an access info, pls contact housekeeper@magentahouse.com.au.
Team
Cultural-bearers/Facilitators: Sitti Obseo, Bhenji Ra
Musician: Pahad Panayaman
Event Organiser/Comms: Mariam Ella Arcilla
Documentation: Joseph 'Butch' Schwarzkopf, Mason Kimber, Mariam Ella Arcilla
Bios 🐣
Sitti Airia Sangkula Askalani-Obeso is a Ta'u Sug Cultural Bearer and Pangalay Master from Jolo, Sulu, now residing in Davao City, Mindanao, Philippines.She learned Pangalay at a very young age from her mother, Jamjora Timbasal Sangkula populary known as Camaso. Sitti was a former member of the pioneering Ta'u Sug performing arts, founded in the 1970's, the Dayang-Dayang Filipinas Dance Troupe. Sitti is the Artistic Director of Bunga Lima Ta’u Sug Community Cultural Group based in Davao, City. As a culture bearer and Pangalay Master, she has helped preserved and build Pangalay‘s vocabulary in various hand gestures Bunga Lima and footworks. She actively performs and teaches the Ta'u Sug children and community in Davao. Sitti has performed in New York, Malaysia, and various festivals including Kadayawan sa Davao and Budayaw in General Santos. In 2011, Sitti was the champion of Kalilangan Festival’s Pangalay Dayang-Dayang competition, culture bearer for NAMCYA 2019 and performed as part of Dance Xchange on Air 2020 She serves as culture bearer for various dance companies such as Hiraya Performing Arts (Brisbane, Australia), Madayaw Cultural Ensemble (Davao, Philippines), Kababayang Pilipino (Vancouver, Canada), Kinding Sindaw (New York, USA), Parangal (California, USA) and Kalinangan Dance Company (Brisbane, Australia). Her teachings, through performances, span in Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America and Australia. Sitti has served as guest culture bearer/ teacher at University of San Francisco’s Philippine Dance and culture. Bunga Lima has been taught through various universities in the United States.
Bhenji Ra is a transdisciplinary artist currently based on Gadigal land, Eora Nation. Her practice combines dance, video, illustration and community activation. Her work dissects cultural theory and identity, centralising her own personal histories as a tool to reframe performance. She is the mother of Western Sydney based collective and ballroom house SLÉ.
Magenta House is a gathering and knowledge-sharing space that explores the synergies between art, food, communing and experimental practices. Nestled inside a re-envisioned domestic home in Redfern on Gadigal/Sydney Australia, we self-organise and partner with bright minds to host programs that foster spacious learning, cultural revitalisation, and cross-field dialogues.
Pahad Panayaman is a Kulingtan master hailing from the Sulu region of the Philippines who learnt how to play the instruments when he was nine years old
1:05pm – 5pm
