Kularts (Kulintang Arts Inc.) is a San Francisco, CA based non-profit organization founded in 1985 is considered the premiere presenter of contemporary and tribal Pilipino arts. Its mission is to inform and expand the understanding of American Pilipino culture, through the productions and presentations in the United States. Through its program activities of performances, visual arts, community dialogues and festivals, the organization hopes to advance the spirit and integrity of ancestral Pilipino art and cultures. Kularts, Inc. has presented over hundreds of artists to more than one million people locally, nationally and internationally.
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History
In 1985 musician Robert L. Henry, dancer Marcella Pabros and choreographer/director Alleluia Panis founded Kulintang Arts, Inc., now popularly known as Kularts. They chose ‘kulintang’ to honor the artistical excellence and resilience of ancient music tradition of the unconquered people of Mindanao, Philippines. Its first office and rehearsal space was in the South of Market Cultural Center in San Francisco, CA. Kulintang Arts, Inc.’s primary program was the work of Kulintang Arts Ensemble (KAE), a ten-member music and dance ensemble who presented contemporary work rooted in the indigenous Pilipino traditions. Danongan Kalanduyan, a master musician from the Southern Philippines, was KAE’s resident artist and kulintang music director/instructor (1985-88). KAE members included Musiban Guiabar, Frank Holder, Joey Maliga, Dana Nuñez, Anna Sun Foo, Frances Cachapero, Ric Serrano, Joshua Francisco, Daniel Giray, Sharon Sato, Jesse Bie, among others. Panis choreographed full-evening works: Ancient Rhythms/Urban Sounds (1988); Lm’ Ehek: at the heART of the sharpeniNG ston (1989); Cycles: Timeless Rituals to Ancient Icons (1990); and Diwata (1993). KAE performed consistently at the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival 1985-1990 and toured nationally and internationally including Dance Theater Workshop-NY, Lincoln Center-NY, Kennedy Center, Bumbershoot Festival-Seattle, Verona Jazz Festival-Italy, Baguio Arts Festival-Philippines, Asian Arts Festival- Singapore. KAE Music Recordings: A Song For Manong, by Fred Ho’s Bamboo That Snaps Back, Originally released by AsianImprov Arts; recordings released by Kulintang Arts Inc. Ancient Rhythms/Urban Sounds; Kulintang Arts Live! In Concert with Jon Jang; Cycles: Timeless Rituals to Ancient Icons By early 1992, serious stresses were beginning to affect the performing ensemble. The artists were suffering from burnout as a result of the grueling pace of creating, performing and touring new works year after year. These stresses forced the leadership to reexamine the mix of Kulintang Arts Inc's program activities, which, up until this time, focused on the KAE dance and music works. Kulintang Arts Inc shifted it activities to presentations and project commissions. After 10 years of successful performances, creation of major works, national and international tours, KAE officially disbanded in 1995 and the organization Kulintang Arts Inc took on a different route to become an organization for the commissioning and presentation of works by American Pilipino and Philippine-based artists. Through this organizational restructuring, Kularts has found great success in its educational programming and mentorship roles by developing emerging and established artists. Kulintang Arts Inc. took on the name Kularts to reflect the expansion of its program activities. Kularts, is currently directed by Alleluia Panis at Bayanihan Community Center in the heart of San Francisco’s SoMa Pilipinas. Panis has navigated through various challenges of the past decades, ensuring that community experiences manifest into a strong and sustainable future for Kularts. Today, Kularts continues to perform a key role in the shaping of contemporary Pilipino cultural identity and community.
Kularts Presents
Presentations of commissioned works Pilipino American and international artists to showcase contemporary and tribal Pilipino performing arts.
Partial list of commissioned works:
Partial list of notable presentations: Post-Modern American Pilipino Performance Project (POMO) (1998–2009) - a curated annual concert of shared program of cutting edge works highlighting the experiences of the Pilipino diaspora.
Partial list of artists presented includes:
Philippine Master Artist In Residency (PMAIR)
Community Engagement Program
Kularts creates participatory arts events that provide connections to Pilipino culture and history.
Visual Arts Program
Beginning in 2009, Kularts began this program in response to a community planning process which made it apparent that the community needed a visual public presence to claim its history and ongoing presence in San Francisco. The first project of this program was at the Filipino Community Center in the Excelsior district which was created through a community effort led by James ‘Ganyan’ Garcia and Christopher de Leon.
Visual Arts Commissioned Projects:
Maség: Typhoon
Set in pre-colonial 1400’s, Maség takes place on Pulo, a fictitious typhoon-battered island in Palawan, Philippines where a once powerful tribal shaman was banished with his daughter. Upon plotting his revenge, he manipulates and enslaves spirit deities into conjuring powerful typhoons to sink his enemies ships. Once shipwrecked, his enemies are separated throughout the island. The chieftain then places a spell on his daughter to seduce his enemy’s son. Does the shaman abandon his quest for vengeance or does he continue the path toward self-destruction?
This piece was created in 2014 by Master Choreographer, Jay Loyola and Creative Director/ Producer Alleluia Panis, Maség is a reinterpretation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Music was provided by Florante Aguilar who played each of the 17 instruments: guitar, kulintang, sarunai, hegelung, kagul, bungkaka, kubing, sludoy, bamboo flute, gambal, cajon, taiko, celesta, African shakers, Brazilian drums, and Logic Pro. Maség: Typhoon premiered at the Brava Theater in San Francisco on November 15 & 16 and returned for an outdoor showing at the Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco on May 23 as part of the 1st Annual Ma’ARTES Festival and the 15th Annual Yerba Buena Gardens Festival.
Tribal Tour
Since 2002, Kularts has provided a one-of-a-kind tribal tour, giving participants hands-on opportunities to explore, discover, and become inspired from indigenous Pilipino cultures of Mindanao. During the 12-day trip, participants engage in meaningful interactions with T’boli, B’laan, Maguindanaon, and Manobo tribal leaders, shamans, healers, and master artists in their ancestral homes. This trip takes participants to Davao del Sur, Sunggani, South Cotabato, and in Maguindanao. This experience allows for hands-on experience in the following subjects:
She, Who Can See
She, Who Can See tells the story of a 4th generation Filipina American whose family comes from a shamanic past and her struggles as she deals with her extraordinary abilities. Ancestral deities begin to appear in her dreams and throughout her life, turning her world upside down as she tries to live the life of a normal working-class Filipina woman.
Alleluia Panis created this piece in 2015 which premiered at Bindlestiff Studios in the South of Market District of San Francisco as part of the inaugural Ma’ARTES Festival. Florante Aguilar composed the musical score for the piece, using traditional Philippine instruments and other instruments found across the globe. June Arellano created the costumes combining cultural outfits into a modern interpretation of the Pilipino experience. Wilfred Galila served as the videographer for She, Who Can See.
Ma'ARTES Festival
Created to present and promote Pilipino artists all throughout the Bay Area, Kularts in partnership with Filipino American Development Foundation and API Cultural Center began the Ma’ARTES Festival in May 2015. The festival was inspired by the traditional festivals of the Philippines which celebrated the first of the monsoon rains- a symbol a life and promise of the future. The festival hosted various forms of art to celebrate and honor Pilipino creativity throughout the month of May. Events were hosted at five historically Pilipino American spaces: International Hotel’s Manilatown Center; Bindlestiff Studio; Bayanihan Center; Yerba Buena Garden; Gene Friend Rec & Park.