Danielle Faye F.

Clerigo BSN-III

A Reaction Paper

The IPAG performance was very interesting because they depicted the
history of the Philippines through just instrumental music and dancing while
acting. They didnt speak a word at all but I understood the meaning of what they
theyre trying to tell the audience. The dancing was very different to the usual
modern dancing today because they portrayed their roles through it by acting while
dancing. Meanwhile, though the music doesnt have a singer or words to it, you can
still really feel the emotion coming from it. It helped build the atmosphere of a
certain scene which youll understand immediately if its a fighting scene because
the rhythm and tune of the instrumental music will go faster. Also the lighting was
amazing, it also helped build the scene, it would go dark, bright or really colorful
depending on the scene that was portrayed. The projector and background also
helped in the performance for the better understanding of the audience. Though, I
did not really read the words etched clearly on the projected screen because we were
sitting at the back of the gym and I didnt wear my glasses. Im also amazed by the
fact that they made the portrayal possible with just the help of instruments and
students with pure talent in dancing and acting.

In the middle of the performance, a technical difficulty happened. My favorite

part of it all was the professionalism of the actors. I was really awed because even
though there was no music, the priests who represented Europe, kept dancing. They
were able to finish their performance without breaking character at all. Even the
audience was filled with astonishment that they gave them a round of applause. I
couldnt have done it if it would have been me. It was a knowledgeable experience
for me because we made a trip down memory lane to the past of our country,
including the influences of our colonizers, through art.
Danielle Faye F. Clerigo BSN-III

AGORA
(A Reaction Paper)

The movie Agora was about the story of Hypatia of Alexandria, a noted Greek
scholar and mathematician. The movie was about her and that is why I was
disheartened that she died in an unreasonable and unjust way. The movie brought
a lot of mixed emotions but mostly I was very mad and angry at the people who had
their own factions and own gods and goddesses. They are all human beings but they
struggled to accept each others differences and condemned one another because of
their different beliefs.

The violence and hatred in this movie was very disturbing I know I shouldnt be
mad at the Christians or pagans because none of this is their fault. They were very
ignorant and they blindly believed in what is taught to them and never questioned
it. On the other hand, Hypatia was very curious, she questions everything. She was
very focused however on her astronomical pursuits that she didnt notice the
fighting that is around her until it was too late. I was rooting for her and her freed
slave, Davus to end up together but we all cant get everything in life. I felt like
crying when Davus choked Hypatia to death, it was still clear he loved her by
killing her swiftly so that Hypatia wont feel the pain when she will be tortured by
the Christian fanatics. In the end, she didnt arrived at the conclusion that satisfied
her but she was very unwavering. She was willing to die for her beliefs even though
she wont know where these will lead her. She was also very compassionate and
caring of her students and slaves, whether they are Christians or pagans.

I would also like to acknowledge the barbaric way and reason for the Christians and
pagans killing, they tortured and hurt each other just because they believed in a
different God. They kill because that is what their God would like them to do. I
find it stupid and clearly they need to be educated. ALSO I DONT NEED TO SAY
MORE ABOUT THE OPPRESSION OF FEMALES as evidenced by Hypatias death
and the reading of Ammonius from the bible. I dont know if it was really written
exactly as he read them but yeah I was very angery!

Overall, this was a very excellent movie. I would rate this as 10/10 but this movie
has a tragic ending and left me in a bad mood so 9/10 though the actors portrayed
their characters very well. Also, it was very enlightening for me now I know why the
pagans and Christians hate each other so much. But the cruelty of how they treated
each other is still not acceptable.