by Cecilia Ortiz Luna
For a Filpino motorist traveling eastward on 12th Avenue in Calgary’s Beltline, one glance is all it takes to clock the predominantly blue mural of two dancing figures and quickly realize, “Hey…that’s tinikling!”
This was exactly what The Filipinx Kasaganaan Artist Collective, composed of muralists Gladzy Kei, Von Zuniga and Allan Brent Rosales were aiming for: Filipinos recognizing and seeing their culture —that is, themselves — depicted in Calgary’s public art spaces.
And what a space it is.
The mural spans two stories of flat surface, a tabula rasa of a wall made of exposed bricks painted beige. The west-facing wall overlooks the restaurant Civic Tavern which has a generous frontage setback bordered by short white picket fences, affording an unobstructed view of the mural from every angle. The entire building, including the façade, is painted the same beige color which makes the stark blues and yellows of the mural pop. A bundle of electrical wiring that quietly runs along the wall has been painted over and incorporated into the artwork. The only reminder that the structure behind the mural is a functioning building is a small window along the top edge of the mural.
The liveliness of the mural is in keeping with an area that has seen itself become a favorite destination for the downtown lunch crowd, as well as those seeking after office wind-down. Several dining establishments in the vicinity have patios where customers can cast their work-weary eyes on the stark colors and bold contours of Tinikling and Bboy.
By the way, why Tinikling and B-Boy?
According to the statement on the artists’ website, the mural highlights the importance of dance in Filipinx culture. The two figures are caught, mid-dance, at an exciting point in their respective routines. The B-Boy is in a gravity-defying pose called the “baby freeze”, where the dancer holds their body low to the ground while balancing on their hands and head with feet up in the air. The mural statement indicates that “the Filipinx dancer … has fully embraced modern urban culture and they are breakdancing over a hip-hop beat.”
The tinikling dancer wears a short balintawak dress (with its characteristic bell sleeve), her feet between the poles. The dancer’s hands pin down her skirt, as if in a measure of modesty amid the aggressive and intricate knees- exposing footwork that makes the dance thrilling to watch.
When you pause to regard the mural, you can find other iconic Pinoy elements: the tikling bird to the right of the dancer, from which the name of the dance came from; the baybayin letter for “ka,” a Filipino prefix signifying connection (like kapitbahay and, erm…kapuso, kapamilya); and in the background, the waves that represent the journey of Filipinx immigrants traveling across Pacific Ocean, breaking over the snow-capped peaks of the Rocky Mountains, bringing the travelers to their home in Mohkins-tsis (otherwise known as Calgary).
Tinikling and B-Boy is a mural we are proud of not only because of its Filipino themes but because it is a staggering work of public art. The good news – it has friends. Filipinx Kasaganaan Artist Collective has created other murals across Calgary.
