Two dancers, a pedestal fan, and a whole lot of rice took the audience on an emotional journey in Bahala/o, a truly contemporary dance theatre piece and the first full-length work by Buddy Malbasias.
Directed, choreographed, and performed by Malbasias, with dramaturgy by Liesel Zink and cultural consultancy and mentorship by Buboy Raquitico, Bahala/o draws inspiration from the Filipino philosophy of bahala na – whatever happens, happens.
Malbasias explains bahala na in his program note as “…a powerful, paradoxical phrase that has shaped generations…more than resignation, it is faith, courage and surrender all at once: a willingness to face uncertainty and keep moving anyway.” Bahala/o explored this philosophy through the lens of the Filipino-Australian queer experience, speaking to the chaos and complexities of intersecting identities.
Malbasias’ choreography struck a balance between controlled precision and the looser, improvisational feel of street and social dance styles. The dominant energy of Bahala/o was playful and full of personality, bursting off the stage in the commitment and abandon of the dancers.
Bahala/o ran for just under an hour, tirelessly performed by Malbasias and collaborator Clare Dark, and there was a clear trust between the dancers as they fought, flicked their hair, and fell against each other at impressive speed.
Rice featured heavily in Bahala/o, literally as well as thematically. Rice is associated with ritual in many cultures, as well as being a staple food, and the dancers swept and scattered grains across the stage.
The audience was arranged around a raised catwalk in the New Benner Theatre and the dancers moved up and down the room, returning often to the pedestal fan placed at one end. There were moments of engagement as Malbasias spoke directly to the audience, and the audience was called upon to shower the performers in rice, creating a chaotic storm of movement on all sides.
Bahala/o was a multilingual production, and repeating phrases were delivered differently each time through both the voice and the body. Sharp, sudden transitions between scenes kept the pace of the work high until a sudden drop into slower, more thoughtful territory to finish the performance.
Composition and sound design by Ellen King drew on a wide range of styles to build the Bahala/o soundscape, including Budots music composed and performed by DJ Love (Sherwin Tuna), a pioneer of the EDM subgenre. Among thumping bass and the repeating ding of a rice cooker, Malbasias and Dark added their own voices to the mix, from trending social media sound bites to declarations made into the whirr of the fan.
Lighting designed and operated by Briana Clark maintained focus on the performers as they moved up and down the runway, creating striking silhouettes and profiles. Costuming by Aeron Maevin evolved throughout the performance, adding and removing layers as the emotional arc of the piece progressed.
Bahala/o was an ambitious and personal piece of storytelling, experimenting with form and performed with exuberant energy to leave a lasting impression.
Bahala/o was performed at the New Benner Theatre, Metro Arts, West End, from 19 – 29 November 2025
For further information, visit the Metro Arts website
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