The Gathered Voices and the Artists of “Tini(g)Tipon”

Co.ERASGA proudly present
The Gathered Voices and the Artists of “Tini(g)Tipon”

Presented at the Scotiabank Dance Centre (677 Davie St)
Wednesday, September 21,2016 at 7pm

Tickets through www.brownpapertickets.com
for $20/$30 (sliding scale)

The artists: Kathara PILIPINO INDIGENOUS ARTS COLLECTIVE SOCIETY with Butterflies in Spirit, Grace Nono, Mutya Macatumpag, Co.ERASGA, Dancers of Damelehamid, Coastal Wolfpack Musqueam Group BC, Rulan Tangen, Migrante BC, and Jeremiah Carag.

How can we build alliances through the arts in times when colonialism continue to pose greater challenges and tensions to our contemporary lives? How could artists contribute in the global discussion of the history of migration and belonging within the larger context of settler colonialism? What is the meaning of our presence as settlers on Indigenous lands? Co.ERASGA is gathering Filipino, Filipino-Canadians and Canada’s First Nations artists to build solidarity and networks in a one night cultural performance event called, “Tini(g)Tipon”.

“Tini(g)Tipon” is a Filipino term Dennis Gupa and Alvin Tolentino coined to capture the collective spirit of gathering voices. “Tini(g)Tipon” is also a prelude cultural event organized by Co.ERASGA in honor of the 3rd International Babylan Conference that will take place on Squamish Territories at the YMCA Camp Elphinstone on Sunshine Coast, British Columbia. “Tini(g)Tipon” is a contraction of two Filipino words: “tinig” means “voice” while “tipon” is “gathering.” The combination of these Tagalog terms with the parenthetical “g” in the middle results to three more meanings, that of, “the act of gathering” and “the gathered voices”.

This cultural event will happen on September 21st, 8pm at the Scotia Bank Dance Center that will involve artists from across cultural backgrounds for a collaborative work. Directors Alvin Tolentino and Dennis Gupa is co-working with Tini(g)Tipon and both artists recognize the arts (visual arts, dance, theater, poetry, music) as embodied cultural practice that play an important and critical role in educating and in strengthening our communities. Gupa is theatre director in the Philippines and now an Applied Theatre PhD student at University of Victoria believes that “This event will engage artists and performers willing to further explore indigenous knowledge systems including the myths, storytelling, oral history, cultural and performative practices to critically and creatively think about collective and shared knowledge on decolonization”. Meanwhile, co-director Tolentino and founder choreographer of Co.ERASGA reflects, “The Filipinos in the diaspora, the third largest multi-ethnic settler in Canada, have a long history of encounters with Aboriginal or Native peoples. We now have people who call themselves Indipino or Filipino/Pomo, for example representing mix identities of Filipinos and indigenous people of Turtle Island (North America). And yet to this day there is a lack of recognition and acknowledgement of these connections in academia, in cultural work, and other milieu where these encounters take place on a daily basis”.

Co.ERASGA collaborates with Kathara Pilipino Indigenous Arts Collective, Grace Nono, Mutya Macatumpag, Dancers of Damelehamid, Coastal Wolfpack Musqueam Group BC, Rulan Tangen, Migrante BC, and Jeremiah Carag to create an expressive space where artists and cultural workers reflect and provide the collective stories, ideas, experiences in honouring the indigenous past to the present. Tickets can be acquired through www.brownpapertickets.com for $20/$30 (sliding scale) to a night of a gathering of voices!

MEDIA CONTACT: Karen Merrifield info@companyerasgadance.ca 604-687-6185

Tini(g)Tipon was made possible with the generous support of The Canada Council for the Arts, The BC Arts Council, The City of Vancouver, The BC Gaming Commission, The Dance Centre, Georgia Straight, EastVan Graphics and CO.ERASGA’s individual members, donors and sponsors.