The Manila Metropolitan Theater & the Neo-ethnic Encantada

May 2, 2023

To be able to witness a dance production by National Artist Agnes Locsin, inside a 90-year-old and newly-renovated Art Deco theater that survived the Second World War, was a great privilege. And it was free and open to the public!

The Metropolitan Theater or the MET was first built in 1931, designed by Filipino architect Juan M. Arellano. It is designed in the art deco style, which was becoming popular in the West during the time it was built. Art deco is known for its geometric and decorative designs, and originally started in France around the 1910s. The MET’s decorative sculptures and reliefs feature local imagery including bamboo, palm leaves, and bananas.

Art Deco ceiling of Manila Metropolitan Theater with banana and mango designs — Ceiling of the Manila Metropolitan Theater with banana and mango designs.

The building today is still much like the original. When the Battle of Manila took place in March of 1945, Manila would be one of the two most badly destroyed Allied capitals after World War 2. The other, Warsaw, Poland. The Metropolitan Theater was one of the few that barely survived the destruction, losing its roof.

Bombing of Manila Metropolitan Theater by the US in Feb 1945 during the Battle of Manila. Photo by J Tewell, Time Magazine.

An aerial view of Manila after the Battle of Manila - United States Army Signal Corps, public domain — Aerial view of Manila after the Battle of Manila. The Metropolitan Theater is in the top-right corner of the photo, damaged but still standing. Photo from United States Army Signal Corps, public domain.

Before and after photos of the Metropolitan Theater, 1945 and 2023. 1945 photo by J Tewell, Time Magazine.

Outside the theater in the courtyard different designs symbolizing bamboo, palm leaves, performers, and other visuals can be seen on the walls and fixtures of the building. Doors are made of wood which frame segments of woven amakan or sawali, probably made of nipa leaves, bamboo slits, cogon grass or similar. Other wooden doors frame capiz shells.

Metropolitan Theater courtyard - walls show designs of bamboo, palm leaves, actors — Take a walk around the Metropolitan Theater courtyard to get a closer look at the walls depicting bamboo, palm leaves, actors, and more.

Theater doors are made of heavy wood, framing or framed by woven fabric or natural materials and fibers.

The Metropolitan Theater Fly Tower above the stage, viewed from the courtyard.

Photo if gate designs showing leaves, clouds, and other symbols, outside Manila Metropolitan Theater — Outside the Manila Metropolitan Theater, gate design showing leaves, clouds, and other symbols. It is said birds of paradise plants inspired lower areas of these gates.

Outside the Manila Metropolitan Theater, tiles possibly inspired by batik patterns.

Since the Metropolitan Theater or the MET was re-opened in 2021, I had been waiting for the day to finally visit as pandemic restrictions lessened. When I saw a post on the MET’s Facebook page about its latest show Encantada, my wife and I immediately registered before seats were full. We didn’t know much about the production, other than it being directed and choreographed by National Artist for Dance Agnes Locsin, with music by Joey Ayala, Bagong Lumad, and Bayang Barrios. This was enough incentive to watch, other than it taking place at this historic landmark. We would later find out that the show features neo-ethnic choreography, which Agnes Locsin details further in her book “Philippine Neo-Ethnic Choreography”.

Agnes Locsins book Philippine Neo-Ethnic Choreography — “Philippine Neo-Ethnic Choreography” by National Artist for Dance Agnes Locsin.

Ethnic vs. Neo-ethnic

In her book Agnes Locsin writes, “Neo-ethnic dance is a result of a fusion of the ethnic and another dance form, more often with modern dance and/or classical ballet. Neo-ethnic choreography is adapting movements from ethnic dance using Western staging techniques to explore the possibilities of movement native to specific tribes, and expanding the vocabulary of modern dance in the telling of a story through dance.”

Indeed, the opening scene of Act I, according to the book, is inspired by ritual dances by women around Mt. Banahaw in the provinces of Laguna and Quezon. A healing scene was inspired by motions from actual healing rituals by Manobos in Mindanao, while other scenes are inspired by Ati-atihan dances in Iloilo and Sinulog dances in Cebu. These and more are specified in her book.

I wondered about possible cultural appropriation of such rituals and dances. Locsin says in one interview with the Lasallian, “Never have I pretended that my works aim to replace tradition. I pay homage to tradition… If I could, I fight to defend traditional ethnolinguistic dances and practices.”

In her book she writes, “There are times when imitators pretend to be the real thing. Other times, our lumad’ brothers, who originated the ethnic dance, are transported to the city to perform on streets under the heat of the sun in the guise of national tourism festivals and street dancing.” Lumad is a term for Indigenous groups in Mindanao. Locsin is from Davao and is the 6th Mindanawon National Artist.

She adds, “It is the responsibility of the choreographer to delineate what is ethnic and what is neo-ethnic… Since it is neo-ethnic, it is intended to be an artwork paying tribute to its origin.”

Photo of Encantada performance, end of Act I - Pagdiriwang — The end of Act I, “Pagdiriwang” or celebration, is partly inspired by the Ati-atihan.

Art and design of the Metropolitan Theater lobby

Now that we were finally at the MET, I was able to explore the building in person. I couldn’t help but take a closer look, climbing up and down the steps and halls of the lobby. I wanted to appreciate all the small details of the hall, from the colorful capiz light fixtures, the paintings and statues on either side of the lobby, the railings and metalwork, and even the beige paint on the textured cement walls. Were these etched and painted by hand on every wall and ceiling? Did they hold a dual purpose, to provide aesthetic while hiding some of the bullet holes and damage from the Battle of Manila?

Details of the wall and entryway from the lobby to the men’s restrooms — A closer look at the wall unveils painted indentations, which looks like a cross between an animal pattern and a textured canvas from afar. The stairway railings extend to the “Gentlemen” sign. The light fixtures are said to be made of capiz, and influenced from traditional batik patterns.

Restrooms or CR of the 2nd floor Manila Metropolitan Theater lobby — I even took a photo of the restrooms or mga CR. They’re clean and “sosyal” (upper-class, extravagant).

Inside the Manila Metropolitan Theater lobby are a pair of statues and a pair of murals, one each on each side. The two statues facing each other from both ends are “Adam” and “Eve” by Italian sculptor Francesco Riccardo Monti. Turns out he left Italy possibly disappointed by politics in the art community there, and left for the Philippines after meeting Juan Arellano in New York. They then worked together on the MET, and since then Monti lived and produced various sculptures in the Philippines until his death in 1958.

Lobby of the Manila Metropolitan Theater, facing from the side where Francesco Riccardo Monti’s “Eve” sits. Across from her is Monti’s “Adam.” The painting behind Adam is actually a photo-reproduction of Fernando Amorsolo’s “History of Music” (1931) by Benigno Toda III. The real mural was once in the original theater. I’m not sure where the actual painting is today, but it might be with the Government Service Insurance System or GSIS.

Francesco Riccardo Monti Eve inside the Manila Metropolitan Theater lobby — Francesco Riccardo Monti’s “Eve” inside the Manila Metropolitan Theater lobby.

Behind Adam and Eve hanging on both ends of the theater are photo-reproductions of murals. Behind Adam hangs “History of Music” by Fernando Amorsolo, while behind Eve hangs “Ritual Dance” by Roger San Miguel. Both photo-reproductions are by Benigno Toda III. “Ritual Dance” is actually a commissioned re-creation of another Fernando Amorsolo painting, “History of Dance.” The artwork description at the MET states that the original painting disappeared after World War II.

History of Music by Fernando Amorsolo inside the Manila Metropolitan Theater lobby — A photo-reproduction of Fernando Amorsolo’s “History of Music” (1931) by Benigno Toda III. The real mural was once in the original theater. I’m not sure where the actual painting is today, but it might be with the Government Service Insurance System or GSIS.

A photo-reproduction of Roger San Miguel's "Ritual Dance" by Benigno Toda III — A photo-reproduction of Roger San Miguel’s “Ritual Dance” by Benigno Toda III

On the 2nd floor of the lobby is a painting by Abdulmaria Asia Imao entitled “Sarimanok” (2006). Imao was the first Moro National Artist, and was known for his beautiful okir motifs and Arabic calligraphy inspired by his life as a Tausug and Muslim. I’m also familiar with his son’s work, Toym Imao, who created a large art installation at UP Diliman in 2021 titled “Barikada.”

Sarimanok by Abdulmaria Asia Imao 2006 — “Sarimanok” by the late National Artist Abdulmaria Asia Imao.

Enchanted by Encantada

While the curtains first rose for Act I, a morning mist suddenly filled the front of the theater, unveiling the cast of Kababaihan or women, writhing and pulsing as they woke. The Encantada or Goddess played by Sarah Alejandro began her descent from the mountain, while Joey Ayala’s music with hints of local instruments and sounds rang throughout theater. The lights slowly applied tints of emerald on the stage design, created by National Artist for Theater Design, the late Salvador Bernal.

It was as if behind the curtains was a window or portal to another world, and we had no idea. Mainly because I didn’t know what to expect. I don’t watch live theater much, and it had been a while since I saw my last one. But this was unlike any other I’ve seen.

For the first time in a long while my eyes welled-up with pride. I held my breath as the audience responded in its own way, with a loud applause. I simply sat still. All this and the curtain had yet to be fully pulled open!

Encantada program or playbill and Manila Metropolitan Theater stage — Program of Encantada and the MET stage.

Obligatory selfies

After the show, my wife and I got the chance to take selfies with important members of the production. Including National Artist for Dance, Alice Reyes, whose dance company performed Encantada.

With National Artist for Dance, Alice Reyes — Rocel and I with National Artist for Dance, Alice Reyes

Support Philippine arts

A while ago I had seen an article about Manila being one of the worst cities for creatives in the world. A Swedish company based creativity on different metrics such as number of creative roles, art galleries, and green spaces among a few.

The article found that “Manila was the fifth-worst city with a metric score of 3.2, and while it had the most available creative roles in the Bottom 10 at over 14,000, it had the least number of green spaces (17) and museums and galleries (22) and the lowest average annual salaries for creatives at $5,641 (P310,000).”

Sometime after I read the article, a tweet went viral regarding Manila lacking culture. The tweet included, “Ang lungkot pala talaga ng Manila, no? For some, they’re just here for livelihood. Kaya when they have the opportunity to escape from it, they grab it kahit temporary lang. Either umuuwi sa hometown or nagbabakasyon somewhere.”

Loose translation: “Manila is really sad, don’t you think? For some people they’re here just to make a living. So when they have an opportunity to leave the city, they do it, albeit temporarily. Either they return to their hometown, or go on a vacation somewhere.”

The response to the viral tweet was quite divisive, but having lived in Manila for 10 years, I’d have similar thoughts from time to time. Especially if I was stuck in traffic, or saw news about an incompetent politician based in Manila.

Which is why it is even more important to support arts and culture in this city. It took much effort to bring back the Manila Metropolitan Theater. The young professionals of the Alice Reyes dance company literally shed blood, sweat, and tears to remind people there is culture and tradition they can be proud of. All without saying a word.

Manila survived being one of the worst-hit cities during World War 2. Manileños, and Filipinos all over the country in general, can help make these cities greener, more creative, and just better places to live. Like Agnes Locsin, we don’t have to appropriate Indigenous tradition and make them cool, we can take inspiration from them and make something new. Even better, make something together, so that it benefits everyone. We just have to decide to do it. We can’t do it by looking past our differences, but by exploring them, and filling our gaps creatively. Whether it is one brick, or one dance step, at a time.

Learn more about Manila heritage buildings, and how you can help

Renacimiento Manila conducts tours of old, often forgotten historical, cultural, and arts landmarks in Manila. They also engage local government and communities on how to preserve and value these structures and locations. Renacimiento is from Spanish for “rebirth” or “revival”. Visit their Facebook page here.