Literary Analysis of "The Dancers"

INTRODUCTION

           

The play itself is a good portrayal of what could be the effects of poverty to Filipino families. I chose the production because among the six productions it is the play worth watching for. The splendid performance of every actor in the play added color and intensity of the play.

            Alberto Florentino Jr.’s The Dancer is about a poor family struggling each day for survival. Tony, the eldest son drives jeepney to support the family while the mother works in the market. The indolent father of the family pushes the eldest daughter to dance in the salon just to earn money. At the end of the play, the father forces another daughter to go with her sister in the salon and dance while the mother is weeping over her daughters.

BODY

           

The actors and actresses of the play performed well and are very coordinated. They know their lines by heart that created no chance for dead air. They gave justice to their roles and internalized their characters. Everyone seemed to be acting as if they were really the characters in the play. I would like to commend the lady who played the role of the mother for her impressive portrayal and acting skills. She seemed to act as if she is really a mother of two daughters pushed to dance in a salon. Her tears in the end part of the play added impact on the emotion of the play. Most of the performers were audible and understandable, though there were characters whose voices were inaudible. However, others’ inaudible voices did not affect too much on the play since they were not part of the major characters.

            All of the props were properly utilized and contributed a lot in making the play realistic. The nipa hut was very functional because the characters can really go inside the hut as if it was really their home. However, there was a time when an actor entered the house using the front door then he exited on the side of the hut. Another props that were not properly utilized were the rooster and the bench on the right side of the set. The bench was just used on the opening scene then there was no more while the rooster just stood on the side and was never utilized. The performers’ costumes contributed much on the effectiveness of the play. Their costumes were well selected and very appropriate for every character.

            The lighting was not utilized well since the class used one shade of light for the entire show. The class, though, knew where to focus the light. It was visible when the mother and a dancer danced on stage and the light was focused on them. With the sound effects used by the class, it contributed on evoking the emotion of the play. Since the play was about having a lonely and poor family life, a sad background music was utilized and contributed on the emotions that each character must portray.

            There were unity and flow in the production and all elements were compatible and coordinated. The characters knew where to enter and to exit as well contributing to the proper flow of the production. The actors were all aware of who will receive the lines and who will throw the next lines.

Some points of improvement I can discuss could be the way the actors utter their lines and the practicality on using the props. The actors must utter their line audibly accompanied by the emotion that the line is asking of them. The lady who portrayed Nenita really looked like a little innocent girl yet her voice was inaudible the same goes to the lady who portrayed Rita. On the practicality of utilizing the props, I think the father could carry the rooster so that he can portray his laziness on earning money more effectively because it can imply that the father, even if his family is poor, can still afford to have vices.

CONCLUSION

            The play receiving the first place on the Drama Festival is indeed amazing and outstanding. The simplicity of their props, costumes and acts outshined the other performances. The performers seemed to be acting with passion and dedication. Since they have internalized their roles, their acting for every scene appeared to come from within. In Tagalog, may pinaghuhugutan ang bawat isa, especially the mother. All in all, the play was carried out by amateurs yet brilliant performers which made it realistic and effective. The performers owned the stage and performed with no signs of nervousness and anxiousness. In addition, they seemed to perform not to compete but to entertain the audience.