qz The Kontemporaryong Gamelan Filipino (Kontra-GaPi), the resident ethnic music and dance ensemble of the College of Art and Letters, University of the Phillipines - Diliman is preparing for a concert tour of Europe from June to September in 2013. Having been tested as a performing group all over the archipelago and abroad, Kontra-GaPi aims to display its interpretation of Asian aspects of Philippine culture yet again in Austria, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland which they toured with unexampled success in 1997. This time around however, the troupe will include France, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Poland and Slavonic and other states in their itinerary.
 

For twenty days last May, Kontra-GaPi undertook under Department of Tourism Region VIII auspices a "cultural caravan" of three cities and 12 municipalities in the Eastern Visayas provinces of Biliran, Leyte, Northern Samar and Samar rendering 51 engagements, "a first in so short a time" in the 104 history of U.P. The ensemble has also gone on concert tours of nations closer to home such as Australia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. qz

Their last international mission was May to October at the Philippine Pavilion at the Shanghai, China World Expo 2010 where as the only featured Asian-style act they proved to be among the top draw watched literally by millions of visitors.
 

Pangalay by Kontra-GaPi at the World Expo 2010 in YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxYPaxYJ-GA
 
In all, Kontra-GaPi left home for foreign engagements in ten successful tours showing that new art inspired by venerable traditions drawn from Indigenous peoples of the Philippines expanding to South East Asia can capture the attention and admiration of Filipinos & the world.

The only ensemble of its kind in the country today, Kontra-GaPi brings forward in innovative ways the usual Filipino folk and ethnic dance fare by combining variegated cultural elements to construct "new" music and dance vocabularies. For an example, a well-received number is Ka-Pa-Ti-Ma where inspirations from the Kalinga, Palau'an, T'boli and Manobo ethno-linguistic groups are drawn to form a new music-dance creation.

Declared an "outstanding resident performing group" by U.P.Diliman and several times declared "U.P. ambassador of goodwill for culture and arts, " Kontra-GaPi offers FREE  performances, workshops in music and dance, lecture-demonstrations, lectures and consultations on culture and arts in exchange for accomodations (food and bed), in-city & cross-country transfers, arrangements for all activities and events and the usual courtesies.

For more info / reference, Google:
"Pedro R Abraham Jr," "Edru Abraham" or "Kontra-GaPi." Look through "Kontra-GaPi" on YouTube.
 
For concerts, festival and special performances... Contact: Prof Pedro "Edru" R Abraham Jr, Faculty Center 2003, U.P.Diliman Quezon City 1101, Philippines
Email: abrahamedru@yahoo.com.ph

 

 

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