Galaw Morena: Budots & Brown Joy Dance Workshop

It's TiwTiw time! Join us this summer for an energetic morning of conversations and movement as we spotlight Brown Joy and budots with performing artist Ahlex Leyva.

Budots is an underground dance movement and musical genre that originated in the late 2000s in Davao City, Southern Philippines. Known for its high-energy electronic beats and novelty sound-effects and chants, budots is activated bodily through a series of worm-like hip sways, low squats, and gyrating arms.

Initially budots was a Visayan slang for ‘idle slacker’ and was meant as a diss to marginalised, lower-income people. Communities, however have transformed this into an unapologetic symbol of regional community pride, creative experimentation, and inclusivity. Today, budots is practiced as a feel-good and radical form of exercise or social activity - empowering people to 'dance away' systemic and political injustice. This movement was popularised across the archipelago and in the diaspora by dance music legend DJ Love and the Camus Boyz.

For this workshop, Ahlex and Mariam Ella Arcilla (from Magenta House) will be in conversation about their lived-experiences of Philippines dance culture, social politics, colourism, and Brown futurism. The talk will be followed by an outdoors, budots-style dance class led by Ahlex centred on her anti-colourism movement Galaw Morena. In Tagalog, ‘galaw’ means ‘move / movement’ while ‘morena’ refers to ‘brown-skinned girls.’ Galaw Morena was established in the Philippines by Ahlex to provide a safe and empowering space for people of colour to connect and build communities. 

What to expect:

🤎 Artist talk on Filipinx-based methodologies of Brown joy and anti-colourism 

🤎 Budot step-by-step dance class

🤎 Filipinx snacks and refreshments to keep your energy going

🤎 Free Galaw Morena sticker

🤎Access to Magenta House reading room - filled with books on Filipinx precolonial histories, food technologies, and social sciences. 

Notes:

• Filipinx and non-Filipinx people with open minds are welcome.
  No professional dance experience is required - budot is all about inclusive attitudes and move-at-your-pace styles.

• Galaw Morena shirts by MadebyJ9 will be available for sale (pre-order available) 

This event is held as part of Filipino Values Month in November and is organised in collaboration with Magenta House, an artist-run space that stages culturally-vital programs that explore the caretaking synergies between art, food, communing, and experimental practices.

Ahlex Leyva is a Filipina performing artist based in Sydney. She’s a film and stage actress, a dancer and choreographer, a pole and aerial artist, a burlesque performer, a nude art model and an anti-colorism advocate. Galaw Morena is a self-project founded by Ahlex Leyva and Ayn Bernos of Morena The Label in 2019. Their vision is to create a social gathering, a safe space and movement exploration for the Filipinos. It promotes self love, discovery and empowerment. Instagram