The troupe has inspired audience with their traditional, eye-catching performance.

ILOILO CITY, Philippines, June 21, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) - Mindanao, the birthplace of Islam in the Philippines, does not only teem with tales of armed conflicts but it is also rich in customs, practices, tradition, and arts.

Formed only in May, the “Maguindanao Master Artists” troupe is on the lead in preserving Mindanao's artistic legacy, particularly that Maguindanao province and its predominantly Muslim people.

"They do not only perform but most importantly they want to educate the people about the real value of our rich culture which must be cherished and preserved," Troupe leader Gutierrez Mangansakan II told IslamOnline.net.

"The Maguindanao people have a very colorful tradition which needed to be appreciated by a larger audience," he maintained.

Mangansakan, who is also a filmmaker and a specialist in Mindanao culture, said his colleagues once belonged to a dance troupe of the Maguindanao provincial government.

When it was defunct, he added, they went on separate ways until their soul-searching journey led them to the "Master Artists".

"I told them people should not only be performers but must embody advocacy too," Mangansakan said.

He is joined in the group by Teng Abas Emba, a talented player on the traditional “kulintang” instrument, Karatuan Sangkay Kalanduyan, a master in the “kutiyapi” (two-string flute) and “gandingan” (drums-like instrument) and Yolanda Mangulamas, an expert in Maguindanao culture including cuisine, rituals and indigenous practices.

The troupe also features Faisal Monal and Akmad Siao, both masters of choreography and creative musicians.

The troupe during a performance in San Francisco.

They have been performing and choreographing for cultural festivals in Mindanao and abroad, winning many awards and acclaim in a short period of time.

Zaida Andamun, a 19-year-old college student in Mindanao, said she was impressed by the folkloric dance of Monal.

“I was totally awed by his dance and I feel happy that somebody still knows what our ancestors left us with,” she told IOL.

She said the group is a welcome initiative because “the people, especially the young ones, have to be made to appreciate the indigenous knowledge.”

The troupe further took their art to the United States in a multi-state tour from May 28 to June 9 sponsored by Kulintang Arts Incorporated (Kularts), a group founded by Filipino American artists.

“By bringing musicians, dancers and artists to the US, it was an opportunity for the people there to get a glimpse of our life and culture,” Mangansakan said.

In the US, they showcased the indigenous Maguindanaon Islamic arts, gong music inspired by typhoon rains and the sound of crashing waves to a diverse audience that included Filipino Americans, lovers of culture, academics, students, and others.

The troupe mesmerized the Americans by their traditional dance and ancient musical instruments like the “agong,” a large kettle-shaped gong, and most importantly the “kulintangan” ensemble.

The “kulintang” is arranged horizontally from largest (lowest in pitch) to the smallest (highest in pitch), and laid over a wooden frame. These are played by striking the knob of the gongs with a pair of light wooden sticks.

The Maguindanao dance is a part of various ritual dance performances including several forms of movements such as leaping, prancing, mock attacks, singing, yelling, poetic incantations, and carrying a tray of embers.

One of the most important Maguindanao ritual dance performances is the “sagayan,” a warrior dance depicting the exploits of “bantugan,” a mythological hero-prince.

Mangansakan believes that the group’s concerts have proved successful in showing the unknown time-honored culture of Mindanao, tipped to be the richest in natural resources among the three islands of the country.

The southern island has been battered by fierce fighting between Manila and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), seeking an independent Islamic state for the Bangsamoro people since the 1970s.

“We had various performances, workshops and lectures. Judging from the reception that we got from the attendees, I can assume that our goals were realized,” he said.