Wherever I am, the world comes after me.
It offers me its busyness. It does not believe that I do not want it.
Now I understand why the old poets of China went so far
and high into the mountains, then crept into the pale mist.
"The Old Poets of China" by Mary Oliver

Professor MCM Santamaria Conducts Sama-Bajau Igal Dance Workshop in Taiwan

Details

Dr. MCM Santamaria, Professor at the UP Asian Center, conducted a traditional dance and choreography workshop on the Sama-Bajau Igal at the National University of Tainan in Tainan, Taiwan from 28 December 2015 to 10 January 2016.

Conducted amongst undergraduate and graduate students, the dance workshop, training and choreography was organized by the Department of Drama Creation and Application as part of the “Short-term Visiting Scholar Exchange Project” funded by the Ministry of Science, Republic of China, Taiwan. Professor Santamaria was invited by Professor Wan-Jung Wang of the Department of Drama Creation and Application. 

While in Taiwan, Professor Santamaria choreographed dances in “If There is a Tomorrow”, a play written by Professor Wang that dramatizes a conflict over the ownership of a sacred site of worship between a group of indigenous people and property developers.  The play is scheduled to debut in May 2016.

Professor MCM Santamaria has a Doctor of Law in Political Science at the Kyoto University, Japan. His research interests include Performance Studies, Politics, Japan and Southeast Asia, and Sama-Bajau studies. He teaches several graduate courses at the UP Asian Center that cover Japanese Culture and Society, Philippine Artistic Expressions, Southeast Asian Culture and Society, and Theater and Society in East Asia, among others. View his faculty profile.

Photo: File Photo | Professor MCM Santamaria during the inaugural conference of the Asian Shakespeare Association in Taiwan in May 2014. 

The Asian Center offers M.A. degrees in Asian Studies with four fields of specialization: Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and West Asia. The Center also has an M.A. program in Philippine Studies that allows students to major in Philippine society and culture, Philippine foreign relations, or Philippine development studies. The Center offers a Ph.D. program in Philippine Studies in conjunction with the College of Arts and Letters and the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy. For an overview of these graduate programs, click here. The Asian Center also publishes Asian Studies: Journal of Critical Perspectives on Asia, the latest issue of which can be downloaded at the journal's website. View recent and upcoming Lectures & Conferences and read other News & Announcements. Join our mailing list to receive invitations to lectures, conferences, etc.