Defined as “the last man standing in a game,” “Pamato” showcased the indigenous recreational games of Ifugao through dance at the Black Box Studio, School of Design and Arts (SDA) Campus last November 15 to 16. The dance thesis production featured sportsmanship despite the triumphs and defeats encountered in every game.

“Pamato,” directed by Performing Arts in Dance student Cir Garing, portrayed stories of competitiveness for honor. At the start of the production, Dance major alumni Elijah Mendoza and Michael dela Torre, alongside University of Santo Tomas (UST) alumnus John Gamboa and Photography student Anthony Penaranda enacted different indigenous games such as “Guyyudan” (Tug of War), “Hinnukting” (one-legged sumo wrestling) and the “Kayyatan,” the Ifugao version of “Palo-Sebo,” a traditional Filipino game where a player climbs up to a greasy pole until one gets the flag before his opponent.

Aside from having them as a means of leisure, some recreational games were also a calling of indigenous people to their gods where the prevailed player is said to receive a blessing for his victory. Other indigenous products were featured in the production as well such as the “Akkad and Ungut” (Wooden and Coconut Stilts) and the “Batawel,” a rice bundle carrying pole used for harvesting rice.

The production found a comedic way to break the fourth wall through a question and answer portion where each performer gave different types of Filipino games such as “Langit Lupa” and “Ice Ice Water” making the audience interact with the production, according to how the games are played depending on a certain area.

In an interview with The Benildean, Garing shared his inspiration to create the production was to learn about the roots of Filipinos.

“I want them to learn from our roots. Most of our youth nowadays are now focused on using gadgets, I want to give awareness on interaction through the time children used to play outside,” he said.

To close the production, the performers introduced the country’s national sport, “Arnis,” animating its different movements with visual lights to capture the audience’s attention and make them watch in awe.