By Marcella Pabros-Clark

Marcella’s parents on their wedding day.

Born to immigrant parents from the La Union and Pangasinan provinces of the Philippines and raised in a culturally diverse neighborhood on Ohlone Territory in what is now known as East Oakland, CA, my formative years were steeped in the American culture at the height of the Civil Rights and Feminist Movements of the late 50’s/early 60’s. The sounds of Motown, Fania, Atlantic, MGM and Blue Note Records produced the music that was woven into the fabric of my daily life as a teenager. Rita Moreno, Lena Horne and Nancy Kwan were the icons I could relate to in terms of representation in American mainstream films as they seemed to be the closest in terms of skin color and/or cultural background.

As a child I learned and performed in front of my parents’ various Filipino membership clubs the requisite Philippine Folk dances, e.g tinikling, pandango sa araw, itik-itik and singkil. But as a teen I was drawn to the Afro-Latin music and couple dance scene that was so prevalent in Oakland/San Francisco. I learned to salsa with my sister’s boyfriend at the age of 13 and would go dancing at various venues. Santana’s breakout onto the rock scene with his Afro Cuban rhythms made room for many music and dances classes throughout the Bay Area and led me into the traditions of Ifa as iterated in the Regla de Ocha (Santeria) practices of Cuba and the Condomble and Macumba practices of Brazil. The rhythms resonated in me in ways I could not explain in any words other than soulfully and to the core. Together with the dances I would find myself transported. I would find that same resonance and healing quality in the dances and gong music of the Philippines when in 1989 Kulintang Arts Ensemble toured to Baguio and Mindanao and we were able to learn and practice with the culture bearers of the traditions in their place of origin. I was finally able to experience the indigenous spiritual practices of the Ipat rituals in Cotabato on Tribal Tour with Alleluia in 2013, which hit home to me of why I was so comfortable in the practices of Santeria.

Marcella Pabros-Clark, Headshot

Marcella Pabros-Clark, Lina’s Garden (2005).

After the onset of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) in 1990, I changed over to the acting track and became a member of Screen Actors’ Guild (SAG) with my first film role as a nurse in Francis Ford Coppola’s movie JACK, starring Robin Williams. I became an American Federation of Television and Radio Artists member with my first television role as Secretary to the Mayor in an episode of NASH BRIDGES starring Don Johnson and Cheech Marin. I moved to Los Angeles to pursue the dream of landing a juicy film role or series regular on television. And found myself pursuing a way to heal myself of RA. Developing and performing my solo piece LINA’S GARDEN with Teada and LA Women’s Theater Festival, as well HEALING MARS in LA and San Francisco helped me to develop and incorporate my understanding of the healing properties of self expression through story, sound and movement, which I continue to utilize in my private and group facilitation work. My husband and I moved to St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands in July of 2016 where I enjoyed teaching movement and dance to young students on the island through St. John’s School for the Arts and lead my RESET, REBALANCE AND REMEMBER workshops in both St. Thomas and St. John. After the islands were hit by two Cat-5 hurricanes, Irma & Maria, we relocated back to the SF Bay Area on October 11, 2017. I reconnected with fellow students of the late Danongan Kalanduyan and am continuing to learn and enjoy performing with Maniliatown Heritage Foundations’ cultural arm Kultura Kapwa and upon occasion it’s house jazz band Autonomous Region.

Kultura Kapwa performing at the 2019 Parol Lantern Festival in SF.

The formation of Kulintang Arts back in 1985 was a chance for a group of us artists to continue to nurture, develop and produce work that was rooted and informed by Philippine indigenous music/dance/story and create something that uniquely expresses the artist’s vision. I am so happy that it continues to develop, evolve and lead as it meets and rises with the demand for equal representation in the Arts and freedom of expression as part of the Global Philippine Diasporic community. As a co-founder, original Board of Directors member and performing artist of Kulintang Arts, it is a great pride and pleasure for me to be active again on the current Board of Directors team as we enter Kulintang Arts aka KULARTS’ 37th year since incorporation!

Living Threads in the Tapestry of a Co-Founder