Universal Self - Collage

CONTACT INFO:

Booking & Inquiries -

Email:     Senor.Bautista@gmail.com

Office:    415.496.9413
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Online links:

1. Facebook

1. TWITTER

2. Youtube

3. Universal Self: Electronic Press Kit

4. Instagram

5. Linkedin

6. TRANSCEND: Electronic Press Kit

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Sharing at Columbia University's Teacher College

Last night, Dec 9th, 2010, I shared my teaching experience at Columbia University's Teacher College.  The room was packed with 1st year graduate school students in the Masters of Education program.

I honestly was not expecting to end my night on such a high note.  I thought I was just going to support my brotha Tsi Labrev.  He was invited to share his teaching experience on a panel with 5 other teachers in New York City.  One of the speakers canceled and I was in the right place at the right time.  Tsi asked me if I wanted to share.  I was like "Hell yeah!"

Considering the present predicament I am in, a week away from being laid off from teaching Pre-GED literacy instruction for 17-24 year olds for the past 2 years, I took this as an opportunity to share my experience so that this work does not end in vain.  Rather I was able to share ideas and experiences with future teachers!

Dope right!  It has been an amazing journey fully building with my students for over two years in Brooklyn.  But every good thing must come to an end.  And since I have never been a yes-man, those in power always want to do away with anyone who is really doing work and not just pushing papers with the community.  

After 8 years of steady grinding as an educator from California to New York City, I am at the door of a new chapter in my life.  Dec 17th, 2010 will be my last day as a teacher in Brooklyn but it will also be the beginning of my full time commitment as a professional performance artist.

I am excited to launch a national tour of my new solo hip hop theater production entitled, "Universal Filipino" which includes a performance aspect, motivational talks, arts education workshops and humble yet committed movement building.... Watch out for Kilusan Bautista in 2011.....Coming soon to a theater near you!

November 2010 - Update

November was a blessed month! Growth, travel and visions are the main themes for this month.

Mr. Hyphen, Brava Theater, San Francisco, CA-

On Nov 6th, 2010 I traveled back to California to participate in Mr. Hyphen 2010. I was chosen to be one of five finalists who would compete to win the crown of Mr. Hyphen 2010. This is an annual contest organized by Hyphen Magazine to highlight Asian Pacific American men who are devoted to community empowerment. The contest includes several exciting aspects: fashion, performance and Question/Answer. The winner would be crowned Mr. Hyphen 2010 but more importantly, a non-profit organization that serves the Asian Pacific American community would receive a $1,000 donation.

I had an amazing time building with the finalist and meeting the Hyphen Magazine community. The organization that I represented was the United Playaz, a violence prevention non profit organization based in San Francisco, CA. I was placed with 1st runner up. I gave it my all by performing an excerpt from my new solo theater production "Universal Filipino". I was dressed to impress by wearing a 3-piece suit and rocking custom made shoes designed by Jerry Macalino. Overall, it was great to see hundreds of folks come out to celebrate the positive contributions of Asian Pacific American men.

Latin American Law Students Association (LALSA)@ CUNY Law School, Queens, NY-

On Nov 18, 2010, I was the featured artist at the annual "Cafe Con Leche" event organized by LALSA at CUNY Law School in Queens, NY. This year's theme connected the importance of artist within movements for social justice. DJ Soulcrates and I shared a 30-minute excerpt of "Universal Filipino"Despite health issues this month, we were able to receive a standing ovation from the audience.

This event truely represented what it means to stand in solidarity with other communities. Here we have a Latin American student organization reaching out to a Filipino American artist. The principles of a universal struggle brought home the fact that we are in this movement for liberation together and we have so much to share/ learn from each other. In the end, we see the humanity and necessity to stand as a united force! Shout out to LALSA and everyone I met at this great event!

Fela! with the Brooklyn Public Library - Young Adult Pre-GED program, NYC-
On Nov 24, 2010, I was able to watch the hottest Broadway show in town, Fela! with my students from Sunset Park, Brooklyn. I feel very blessed because the theme of our class revolved around "Freedom Fighters" throughout the world and Fela! represented just that, an artist turned activist for Nigeria. My students were impressed by the dynamic presentation. Most of my students had never been to a Broadway production despite growing up in New York City. I am very grateful to be able to end the Fall season on this note. There is so much color, energy, creativity and dedication still alive in the movement to bring about true change, justice and freedom in this world.

It's funny because for the past 2.5 years I have watched several Broadway productions from "In The Heights", "Westside Story" and now "Fela!".....all of which I have never had to pay. God has allowed me to watch these amazing productions so that they inspire the fire within.....I am blessed! It is a dream of mine, that I am working on as we speak, to write, act and perform in the first Filipino American production on Broadway. With God and my ancestors blessings.....watch me!

BIOGRAPHY

Kilusan Bautista is the writer & performer of UNiVERSALself, a solo multimedia production that explores his personal experiences as an Asian Pacific American youth in urban America. Kilusan's second solo multimedia production 'TRANSCEND' examines gentrification & homelessness in Brooklyn, NY.  Kilusan was nominated as the Artist of the Month by the Brooklyn Arts Council in November of 2013 and in 2012, Kilusan received the Outstanding Artist Award by the Filipino American National Historical Society of Metro NY at the Philippine Consulate general in New York City. In 2008, Kilusan was featured on Showtime as the opening act for Nonito Donaire, aka the Filipino Flash, at Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was awarded the Congressional Community Service Award -Kabataan Komemorative- in 2006 by California Senator Tom Lantos.  In 2005, Kilusan was published in the Philippine News after winning the Grand prize for a California Statewide writing contest sponsored by the California Council for the Humanities & New America Media. Kilusan Bautista performs throughout the world with the mission to build cross cultural unity & empowerment through the performance arts/education.

PERFORMANCE BACKGROUND:

UNiVERSALself is a solo Hip Hop Theater Production, written and performed by Kilusan Bautista. It premiered on June 18th & 20th, 2010 at the Rebel Diaz Arts Collective, Bronx, NY. This play offers a creative and cutting edge presentation of the contemporary struggles for working class, Filipino Americans in the diaspora and the interconnectedness of Hip Hop culture with indigenous, tribal Filipino cultural expressions.

UNiVERSALself has been produced internationally: Sahabhaga: festival of participatory performance (India); The Actors Fund Arts Center (Brooklyn) FANHS Conference (New Mexico); SF War Memorial (CA); Nuyorican Poets Cafe (NY); UniPro Summit; Human Rights Summit (SFSU); CSU Dominguez Hills; UC Santa Cruz; San Quentin State Prison; Watsonville Youth Empowerment Conference; Stonehill College (MA); CUNY Law School; Asian American Arts Alliance monthly town hall (NYC); Sulu Series NYC (Bowery Poetry Club); Sulu DC artist collective (Downtown Washington DC); Smithsonian Folklife Festival (Washington DC); Yale University (CT) and Sarah Lawrence College (NY). In May 2010, Kilusan was featured on the Asian Pacific Forum, WBAI 99.5 FM, where he was interviewed and performed excerpts of Universal Filipino.

In the Fall of 2011, Kilusan has created and/or performed original poetry with Jchen Dance company at the Dixon Place (NYC); Male Ego Project via Urbintel Inc. at Clark University (ATL); and Urban Healing Tour at Gallo Center for the Arts (CA). In Nov 2011, Kilusan delivered the opening speech and performed an excerpt of Universal Filipino for the closing cultural showcase for the Filipino Intercollegiate Networking Dialogue at Cornell University, NY for over 800 delegates.

In Nov 2010, Kilusan was a finalist and 1st runner up for Hyphen Magazine’s annual leadership, arts and fashion contest for Asian, Pacific American men known as Mr. Hyphen.

Kilusan was a core member of the Bay Area based Filipino American spoken word collective known as 8th Wonder, which toured nationally and was fiscally sponsored by Youth Speaks.

He has worked with a Hip Hop Jazz band known as Soul Searchers Entertainment, as the Poetic Vocalist/ Emcee, where they performed throughout the Bay Area from 2004-2005. Kilusan also toured Northern California with a Hip Hop Theater organization known as Colored Ink, a group of multi-cultural artists dedicated to social justice in 2007.

He has also worn the directorial hat when he became artistic director of a Hip Hop Theater production known as ‘Dream Cypher’ which was sponsored by the Contemporary American Theater Scene and Movimento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana in San Jose, Ca, April 2004. ‘Dream Cypher’ was featured at the 2005 Bay Area Hip Hop Theater festival at the Center for the Arts, Yerba Buena Gardens, SF, CA and at UC Santa Cruz.

After two years of travel and research, Kilusan wrote and directed his first theatrical playwright production entitled, “A Tuyo in the Sun” at the University of California, Santa Cruz in March of 2002. This play reveals the story of three generations of his family’s history of immigration from the Philippines and settling in America.

He has performed on acclaimed stages such as: Power to the Peaceful Festival in San Francisco, 2007 & 2006; Kimball’s East in Oakland, 2005; University of California at Santa Cruz- Rainbow Theater 1999-2002; NuYorican Poets Café in New York, 2000. In 1999, he was blessed to perform in Palawan, Philippines for the graduation ceremony of a study abroad program known as “Tagalog On Site.” In November of 2008, Kilusan opened up for Top Rank boxer Nonito Donaire aka the ‘Filipino Flash’ at Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.

PRINT AND MEDIA HISTORY:

Kilusan’s written works have been published in Newspapers such as the Philippine News- Art and Culture Section, Listen and Be Heard in Vallejo, Ca. He was a California-Wide grand prize winner for an essay he wrote to the New America Media and California Council for the Humanities in 2005.

He has recorded on CD compilations such as the “Intelligent Movement,” produced by Romedigs of Open Line Media, which brought together Filipino American Hip Hop Emcee’s from across the U.S. and; “The Package,” produced by Chuck Mayes of Namau Records, which comprises an international group of Emcees from Puerto Rico, London and the Bay Area; and a spoken word CD through 8th Wonder. His artistic work and activist commentary has been aired on 94.1 FM (KPFA) and 106.1 FM (KMEL).

COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT WORK:

Kilusan is constantly using his talents to service the needs of the larger community. He does this by hosting community events as the master of ceremonies: Destiny Arts Center’s Winter Celebration in Oakland 2007; Bayanihan Community Center Hip Hop Showcase in 2008; All Oakland Talent Show sponsored by Oakland Leaf in 2007; Fiesta Filipina in SF, 2005; Asian Heritage Street Festival in SF, 2005 & 2006; Pistahan Festival in SF, 2006.

Kilusan has used his artistic and activist background to empower youth throughout San Francisco public schools through the United Playaz, a gang prevention and violence prevention community organization. He has organized ‘Silence the Violence’ cultural productions, speak outs, mediations and fundraisers throughout the Bay Area. For over two years, Kilusan has taught Hip Hop theater classes for youth at Destiny Arts Center in Oakland and the Walden House for young women (a foster care facility).

As a Pre-GED Literacy Instructor with the Brooklyn Public Library from 2008 – 2010 (under a generous grant from the Center for Economic Opportunity, NYC Mayor’s office), Kilusan worked with resilient 17-24 year olds in the areas of new and innovative literacy development, poetry, theater and community empowerment.

Kilusan Bautista is a teaching artist within the New York City Department of Education, using his solo theater production Universal Self to support GED students achieve educational and personal success.