Art and Passion

           
            With a serious smile in his lips, watching his hands playing in the table, he said, “My goal is to inspire and touch people… and that is art!”
In his values education class while in the fifth grade, his teacher asked him to make a role play. Sito was a kid but he did it. When he turned 26 of age and was asked about this circumstance, he laughed and said that this person was the first to believe in his talent.
            As early as then, his dream is this- to be in the field of performing arts. Since childhood, his infatuation to arts has been apparent. While in elementary, he joined a singing contest; taught dance to his fellow students in the Mabini Academy when in High School and even organized groups and gave dance lessons to his fellows in San Salvador in which some were even older than him. But his fascination to arts never ended there. When he finished studying Economics in BSU Main and was able to earn pennies, he made ways to pursue what he wanted because for him, everything is a personal decision.
“Personal decision din kasi yan eh. I have to do what I want.”
            When at the Canossa Academy teaching economics, he attended seminars and workshops and has been even in Manila in the latter years looking for scholarships to be able to study and enter the world of performing arts. He even handled the cultural group of the academy. At the Cultural Center of the Philippines, he took up Technical Theatre major in Lighting Design and was able to finish it.
Mrs. Emerita Generoso, his co- instructor now at BSU Lipa and his first cousin tells his story when at home. She knows him on lights out of course. She says, he hates gossips and he gets mad whenever people talk about their neighbors. The truth is, he can’t walk out of the room and leave his cousin answering questions in an interview about his life and personality. He keeps roaming around the corners and teasing her to stop talking- especially if it’s about his love life. This is not a piece of the story but the most interesting part about her revelation must be this:
            “Kapag fiesta, may motif yan. Minsan nakapasok ako sa mga yan tapos merong banga, sabi ko ‘ano ga to, ano gang nangyari dito, parang gubat’. Nanglilimot yan ng siit- siit ng kawayan tapos nilalagay nya sa bahay nila.”
People who have known him and were able to work with him in a production believe that what he has in him is more than a hobby or a little crush on art. They suppose it is passion. Shaira Icaro, BSU Lipa Dance Company member is one of those people who do so. She knows this man for almost seven years since she joined the Lipa Integrated Performing Arts where he became her dance instructor up to this time in the dance company. Her statements during an interview disclose much more disposition than people expect of him and his passion for arts.
       “Sya…pag practice, practice talaga.”
    “Hindi pwede sa kanya yung…ok lang, yung ok na. Dapat…hindi naman yung perfect kasi wala namang perfect…yung parang close to perfect, ganun,” she points out.
    As to her account, he is strict and serious. This must be the reason why as he revealed in an interview last September 9, his co workers call him emperador and mando. But then, his fervor towards his kind of knack must be very influential for as Shaira confesses, their group becomes more disciplined and organized under his management. This only shows that, passion plus talent is equal to a hip hop group turns to performers of contemporary dances. To the third degree of relation, passion plus talent equals him. Now he’s not just a passionate artist but an artist of passion- as how he put it, “…humihinga ka dahil artista ka.”
    It was somehow nude of him that he said those words affectionately that you can say he meant it. As the interview went on, he made several chuckles and cackles with a voice that can cause a room to tremble. He laughs at simple jokes that’s why being serious answering matters like “Kung bibigyan po ba kayo ng chance na mabuhay ulit, pipiliin nyo pong…mapunta sa field na to?” Of course he laughed at first and joked that the question is too personal but made it to the point of sincerity and at the end he said, “Oo..oo naman.”
    These are jus few insights in which his character can clearly be seen, but there is no more than what he speaks about his life. On the same interview, he discloses his emotions and beliefs about himself. When asked how it feels that he inspired people after his successful management of Mr. and Ms. BSU Lipa pageant, he gave out quotation that would overwhelm all others mentioned. With a serious smile in his lips, watching his hands playing in the table, he said, “My goal is to inspire and touch people… and that is art!”
    His elementary teacher was right about trusting him for that role play before. Now, he’s not just a theatre director but also a dance instructor and a respected instructor in the university. Sito, emperador,mando or Sir Nario as he is popularly called, whoever he is, he is still Mr. Luisito Torres Nario,the man whose art never ends even here.