Leonor Orosa Goquinco

Leonor Orosa Goquinco was a Filipino National Artist in Creative Dance. She could play the piano, draw, design scenery and costumes, sculpt, act, direct, dance and choreograph. Her penname was "Cristina Luna" and she was known as "Trailblazer, Mother of Philippine Theater Dance" and "Dean of Filipino Performing Arts Critics". She died on July 15 2005 of "cardiac arrest secondary to cerebro-vascular accident" at the age of 87.

Family

Leonor Orosa-Goquinco was born on July 24, 1917 at Jolo, Sulu. Her parents were Sixto Orosa and Sevedna Luna, both doctors who graduated from UP. She was married to Benjamin Goquinco and had three children: Benjamin Jr., Rachelle and Regina.

Education

Goquinco graduated at the top of her class as valedictorian in Negros Occidental Provincial High School. She later moved to Manila and entered the Philippine Women's University (PWU) where she took an ACS course. She earned a diploma in education, majoring in English Literature from St. Scholastica's College and graduated "summa cum laude". The famous national artist also took graduate courses in theatre craft, drama and music at Columbia University and the Teachers College in New York City, USA. She also took professional and teacher courses at the Ballet de Monte Carlo.

Accomplishments

In 1939, Leonor Orosa-Goquinco was the only dancer sent on the first cultural mission to Japan. She was 19 at the time. She produced "Circling the Globe" (1939) and "Dance Panorama" in the same year. She created "The Elements" in 1940, the first ballet choreographed by a Filipino to commissioned music. She also created "Sports" during the same year, featuring cheerleaders, a tennis match and a basketball game. The first Philippine folkloric ballet, "", was choreographed by Goquinco in 1941. After the Second World War, she organized the Philippine Ballet and brought the famous Filipino novel, Noli Me Tangere, to life. The "Noli Dance Suite" consisted of several dances. "Maria Clara and the Leper", "Salome and Elias", "Sisa", "Asalto for Maria Clara" and "The Gossips" are just some of the dances found in the "Noli Dance Suite".

Aside from producing and choreographing, Leonor Orosa Goquinco also danced during her early years. She danced at the "American Museum of Natural History, Theresa Kaufmann Auditorium, The International House" and "Rockefeller Plaza", just to name a few. She appeared in "War Dance" and "Planting Rice". Other works she choreographed were "Circling the Globe, Dance Panorama, Current events,Vinta!, Morolandia, Festival in Maguindanao, , , Miner's Song, The Bird and the Planters, Tribal, "Ang Antipos" (The Flagellant), "Salubong," "Pabasa" (Reading of the Pasyon)" and "Easter Sunday Fiesta".

She took the Filipinescas Dance Company on a world tour in 1961, 1962, 1964, 1966, 1968 and 1970.

She was also a writer, and her articles were published in "Dance Magazine"(New York City), "Enciclopedia Della Spettacolo" (Rome), "Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians" (London), "Arts of Asia" (Hong Kong) and the "Philippine Cultural Foundation". She wrote "Dances of the Emerald Isles" and "Filipinescas: Philippine Life, Legend and Lore in Dance".

Leonor Orosa Goquinco also wrote a poem on the Japanese occupation, "Lifted the Smoke of Battle". She is famous for her one-act play, "Her Son, Jose Rizal" which is set during the time Rizal was imprisoned and awaiting his execution. It reveals the emotions going through Rizal's mother at that time and the similarities between Rizal's life and that of Jesus Christ. Goquinco was also a critic who wrote many reviews. She critiqued works like Tony Perez' "Oktubre", Ligaya Amilbangsa's "Stillness" and Tanghalang Pilipino's "Aguinaldo: 1898".

Awards

She won the "Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan Award" in 1961 and 1964, the "Rizal Centennial Award" in 1962, the "Republic Cultural Heritage Award" in 1964, and the "Presidential Award of Merit" in 1970. She also won the "Tandang Sora Award" and the "Columbia University Alumni Association Award" in 1975. Leonor Orosa Goquinco was proclaimed the "National Artist for Dance" on March 27, 1976.

Positions

She was an Honorary Chairman of the "Association of Ballet Academies of the Philippines", the founding member of the "Philippine Ballet Theater" (PBT) and was known as a Zontian and a performing arts critic and columnist of the "Manila Bulletin".

Sources

Orosa, Rosalinda L. "Above the Throng: Portraits and Profiles, Sketches and Silhouettes". 1980.Orosa, Rosalinda L. "My Sister Leonor.", The Philippine Star. July 23, 2005.Roces, Alejandro R. "Leonor Orosa Goquinco: National Artist in Dance.", The Philippine Star. July 19, 2005. "Farewell to National Artist Leonor Orosa-Goquinco"., Manila Bulletin. July 18, 2005. http://www.orosa.org/leonor_orosa%20bio.htm