Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa (Yapan, 2011)

In her awe-inspiring glory, Ginmayunan enthralls the vulnerable. Seven years Humadapnon spends enslaved by her allure…

Three figures engage in a creatively stirring mosaic of dance, poetry and love in Alvin Yapan’s Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa (The Dance of Two Left Feet). One witnesses an intermingling of gender through the eyes of Marlon, who has taken an attraction to his Literature professor, Karen. Upon discovering Karen’s second occupation as a dance instructor, the well-to-do college student seeks the help of Dennis, a classmate and also a student of his teacher’s dance class, to tutor him basic choreography to impress Karen.

One might reject the film’s lack of a definite narrative in exchange for something tighter, more laidback, but the director’s vision is one ambitious foray into murky waters. In Sayaw, there is exercise in poetry, poetry in exercise. Using the poems of six feminist Filipina poets the film garners solid footing by showing the different plights of the three characters through the union of dance and poetry. We have here individuals who find solace in these two arts, deemed formidable by the masses. Key scenes involve the trio succumbing to the body’s flexibility thru dance, and it is when the recited verses become non-diegetic do we witness a method of storytelling both bold and unconventional.

Disguised as a boy, Nagmalitong Yawa frees Humadapnon from the clutches of the sorceress. Struck by his savior’s beauty, Humadapnon marries her.

Jean Garcia’s portrayal as Karen feels genuine. The way her graceful movements sweep the screen spellbinds the unwary. One can truly feel the character’s passion for dance, but Karen is surprising in a way that she disagrees on a career in dancing. Paulo Avelino’s Marlon, meanwhile, is inhibited and quiet, too quiet, in fact, a quality which might have been granted solely to Dennis, played by Rocco Nacino, the sexually confused companion who serves as the film’s aide in highlighting the gender synthesis later on. One cannot help but yearn for more. What the film does well thru style, it lacks in penned detail. Our knowledge on the character of Karen is limited, and the same goes for the two male leads, but in the end, this does not necessarily become detrimental.

Dance provides prospect for the mingling of masculinity and femininity. Sayaw submits a glaring truth that the Body is one regardless of sex and gender. Through the graceful curving of their limbs, through the intimate joining of their bodies, a blurring of societal functions occurs. As a result, the so-called lack of story can be met with open arms, and the audience is given a sense of immediacy, of a detachment from reality, as they watch the events happening on that specific place, during that specific moment. Even the supposed homoeroticism is downplayed. One can even reject Dennis’ homosexuality and get away with it. 

Humadapnon returns from a seven year quest to find Nagmalitong Yawa with another husband. A sword through the flesh and his wife departs from the living. Humadapnon still stands, enraged yet mournful.

A sad truth enfolds Alvin Yapan’s Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa. This is not a film all would enjoy or understand. Poetry and dance are two art forms receiving cautious treatment not only in cinema, but in reality as well. The film dares to defy this unfortunate scenario, with Jean Garcia’s presence illuminating each scene and its dance scenes, set against feminist poetry and a hauntingly beautiful selection of music, serving as proof of Yapan’s gallant vision.

The film is as thought-provoking as it is visually entertaining. A sword. A tear down the cheek. It closes with an epic, with two male bodies intertwined, raising questions, and what bliss it is to experience such freedom. Like poetry and dance, Sayaw frees itself from expectations, from the prerequisites of society, and, in turn, provides liberty to those enlightened.

Full of regret, Humadapnon approaches Labing Anyag. He pleads her to use her powers to bring his beloved wife back to life.

An admittance of error. An act of forgiveness.

Nagmalitong Yawa lives.

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Links:

-Cinemalaya schedule of Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa

-Trailer of Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa