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Bigkas Pilipinas: From page to stage poetry


Writer or not, at one point in our lives, most of us have written poems. We’ve kept these little verses tucked in hidden pockets or secret diaries, lest someone stumble on our fumbling attempts at rhyming couplets, or worse, laugh at our mush. So imagine how much courage it takes to keep the butterflies in check, climb the stage, and recite poetry before a live, discerning audience. “It’s like standing naked in front of everyone," says Kooky Tuason, a performance poet and long-term advocate of performance poetry in the Philippines. “But after a while, you get the hang of it, and then you’d see a new dimension to your poetry." Kooky is the founder of Bigkas Pilipinas, an informal group of artists who regularly get together for performance poetry gigs in bars, art galleries, and schools. “There’s a big difference between a page poet and a stage poet. Page poetry is basically just writing. Stage poetry is a combination of a lot of things. It’s part theater, part story-telling, part poetry, even part singing. A stage poet is free to do anything she likes that will convey the emotion to the audience, so it’s more fun and challenging."

Performance poetry is "like standing naked in front of everyone," says Bigkas Pilipinas founder Kooky Tuason.
Kooky has a penchant for writing that started when she was still in her teens. But it was only in 2005, after bouts of heartbreak and depression, that she took up a bandmate’s suggestion to compile her poems into an album. Since then Kooky has produced three spoken word albums in collaboration with friends and other artists: Romancing Venus Vol. 1 in 2005, Romancing Venus Vol. 2 in 2006, and Bigkas Pilipinas in 2007. “The theme of Bigkas Pilipinas is Philippine Culture. Someone performed about being a Fil-Am and having a slang; others wrote of a classic Filipino story in which parental restriction got in the way of love’s consummation, about Filipinos’ lack of discipline traversing the highway, and generally about Filipino identity. Others wrote of very personal experiences, but always in the Philippine context," Kooky adds. Listen to "Transit" by Kooky Tuason: After the buzz that Bigkas Pilipinas got from the launch and the series of gigs in Metro Manila, Kooky soon found strangers approaching her during gigs, asking her how to join Bigkas Pilipinas. “I tell them to just write and perform! There are no rules. Most of them are shy and frightened at the thought of performing. These are people from all walks of life – teachers, students, call center agents, bums, executives. After their first try, they overcome their stage fright." Spoken word radio show When she started in 2005, an executive from Jam 88.3 took notice and found Kooky in one of her gigs. “He told me he’s been looking for me. I was shocked. Then he offered me a radio show. I had to ask him to repeat what he said. I was overwhelmed."
From a radio show with a cult following, Bigkas Pilipinas may now be heard on the web through an online radio station that promotes Original Pilipino Music.
Bigkas Pilipinas became the first spoken-word radio show in the Philippines. The program instantly gained a cult following, with listeners across the nation finding solace and inspiration in poetry through Kooky and her guests who come from different fields. One of them was car-racer and actress Gaby dela Merced, who received a text from Kooky. “I didn’t know who Kooky was but she invited me to her show and I immediately said yes, thinking that it was for Tuason Racing. So when I entered the radio studio, Kooky greeted me with a, ‘So, what poem did you bring?’ I was like, ‘Hindi ba ito Tuason Racing?’ I was blushing from ear to ear!" Gaby was so embarrassed she asked Kooky if she could be a guest on another date. As a kid, Gaby wrote a lot, but stopped to pursue other interests. Though she found the experience nerve-wracking, Gaby was able to pull off a love poem in the show. Kooky made her remember she was once a writer and she has since written again. “I thank Kooky for this," Gaby says. Poetry as therapy For two years, Kooky found fulfillment in sharing the gift of performance poetry. She remembers finding solace in poetry during her abused childhood. “Throughout those years, paper and pen gave me the strength to rise above what I went through. I just wrote and wrote. For me, it’s therapy and art form at the same time. People were able to relate to that." Somehow, when one has put down woes on paper, they stay there. At least, that was her experience. Thus, it was natural for Kooky to advocate poetry as a way to healing. She tells people: “If you have problems, just write and perform it. It eases the pain and makes you a better person." Bigkas Pilipinas lasted until 2009, when it was replaced by another show. Online performance poetry These days, Bigkas Pilipinas is back in the airwaves via sarisarisounds.com -- an online radio station that plays and promotes OPM or Original Pilipino Music. Now a two-hour show, Bigkas Pilipinas will have a wider reach, being an online platform. Kooky hopes to tap Filipinos abroad to listen as well as to perform. The new Bigkas Pilipinas focuses more on local poetry and will avoid mixing it up with foreign materials. Just like in the past, Kooky invites guests from all fields and provides them a stage to express their word artistry. Kooky hopes that through the newly improved Bigkas Pilipinas, spoken word will become more widely known as a form of art in the country. “Unlike in other countries, performance poetry is not yet that popular here. It’s not as respected an art form like dance, visual arts and music." The great thing about performance poetry though, is that you can mix it with other art forms. She still hopes to publish a book someday, but feels that the rewards are more fulfilling in performance poetry. “You get to step out of the box and combine other forms to let audiences feel and understand. Unlike page poetry, the reactions are instantaneous. You see it then and there." – YA/KG, GMA News
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