Episode 605 - Prison Dancer--The Musical & The Hopefulness of Filipinos

The perfect way to start off our episodes for the month of December is by taking in a musical. Your Halo Halo Podcast co-hosts Jezzie and Sigi had the pleasure of watching  Prison Dancer: The Musical--now playing through December 2 at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. The musical, created by Romeo Candido and Carmen Leilani De Jesus and directed by Nina Lee Aquino is inspired by a 2007 viral You Tube video where 1500 inmates from a prison in Cebu danced to Thriller. Blown away by the music and lyrics by Romeo Candido, Jezzie found underlying messages in the spectacle including, “Dancing gives life”; “Taking responsibility for your life”; and “Asking for what you need.” Dynamic performances from the cast including the “love teams” : Lola (Julio Fuentes) and Shakespeare (Dominique Brillantes); and Christian (Daren Dyhengco) and Cherish (Diana Del Rosario) has the co-hosts floored and clamouring for more. Later, Jezzie outlines the message, “Hope can exist anywhere,” ties into this week’s culture capital topic and that hope is “recognizing that there are many ways to accomplish one’s goals and not giving up as a result.”

If you are in Ottawa, go and see Prison Dancer: The Musical. From the music, dancing, tales of love, hope and having no “regerts”—get your tickets before it is too late!