BAGUIO CITY — The Tanghalan Metropolitan (The Metropolitan Theater) is now in hot water following a production number that drew the ire of indigenous peoples of Cordillera for “bastardizing” the use of G-strings or bahag in a dance number.
National Commission on Indigenous Peoples regional director Atanacio Addog said that they will be writing to the National Center for Culture and the Arts, Metropolitan Theater and the dance choreographer to demand an explanation on why they allowed the women to wear G-strings.
The NCIP stressed that what the NCCA and the choreographer did was a misrepresentation of the IPs of the Cordillera especially the women.
The flak came after the theater group featured dance choreographies of National Artists for Dance Alice Reyes, Agnes Locsin with the Alice Reyes Dance Philippines. One of the dances was entitled “Igorot” where the dancers portrayed the indigenous peoples of Cordillera supposedly dancing their traditions.
This is in line with the online presentation as part of its celebration of 50th anniversary of the “Orden ng mga Pambansang Alagad ng Sining.”