Ramon Arevalo Obusan (b. June 16, 1938 – d. December 21, 2006) was a pioneering Filipino dancer, choreographer, stage designer, and artistic director whose life’s work helped safeguard and celebrate the Philippines’ diverse cultural heritage.

Obusan was born in Legazpi City to Dr. Praxedes Obusan of Camarines Norte, who was the first doctor of Manila’s airport, and Josefina Arevalo, a music teacher from Albay. He studied at the University of the Philippines where he graduated with a BS in Marine Biology subsequently landing a teaching position at the Aklan Polytechnic Institute. It was in Aklan where his love for Philippine folk culture was awakened after attending an Aklanon wedding where he was intrigued and smitten by the richness of the Philippine countryside culture.

He became one of the country’s most respected cultural researchers, dedicating decades to documenting traditional dances, rituals, and lifeways across ethnolinguistic communities – including Jota Daet and Pastores de Talisay, both traditional dances of Camarines Norte. His meticulous fieldwork and vast archival collections shaped an entire generation’s understanding of folk and indigenous performance traditions.

Obusan founded the Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group (ROFG) in 1972, a company renowned for its authenticity, ethnographic rigor, and visually striking stagings of Philippine dance. Beyond choreography, he was an accomplished stage designer and filmmaker, producing documentaries that captured the nuance of local customs and ceremonial practices. His contributions earned him major honors, including the Gawad CCP Para sa Sining, the Patnubay ng Kalinangan, and ultimately the title of National Artist for Dance in 2006.

ROFG participated at the World Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan last June, serving as the official in-house pavilion performers for the Philippines. The group showcased vibrant Filipino folk dances and traditions during Philippine National Day and ASEAN Day, captivating international audiences with their cultural artistry. 

To celebrate his enduring legacy and the spirit of Filipino Christmas, the Ramon Obusan Folkloric Foundation Inc. and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) have collaborated to present “Vamos a Belén: Sama-samang Paggunita at Pagdiriwang” on December 19-20, 2025 at the CCP.

Now on its 5th year, Vamos a Belén is a vibrant educational program and a festive celebration of Christmas Filipino traditions through live performances of Pastores de Talisay, highlighting the rich tapestry of our culture, faith, and community spirit.

To learn more about the life and works of Ramon A. Obusan, we publish the transcript of the YouTube video titled “One Man’s Impossible Dream: The Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group Story” created and written by Dulce A. Obusan, his dear sister.

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It was in the early 60s when a young man was fresh out of college and assigned his first teaching job at the fishery school of a far-flung town in New Washington, Aklan that Ramon A. Obusan experienced an epiphany that would ultimately change the course of his life.

A traditional Visayan wedding opened his eyes to the immense possibilities of exploring the various facets of Filipino culture. He saw the opportunity through the perspective of a stranger looking in and extract material resources that would eventually be the cornerstone of his body of work, which would earn him the highest civilian honor awarded to Filipino artists in the field of dance.

This fascination with dance led him to join the prestigious Bayanihan Philippine Dance Company, where although he did not fit the stereotypical male archetype that the company required, as he was dark-skinned, of average height, and a bit stocky, it gave him the experience of performing on stage and allowed him the luxury of travel. More importantly, it would also serve as a stepping stone to introduce him to the culture of the stage and its intricate operations. From the technical aspects to the secrets and techniques for bringing out the aesthetics in all forms, he learned and absorbed what he could. These would eventually be very useful to him in the times when he would create his own production masterpieces.

Sometime in the mid-60s, during his stint with the Bayanihan, he became more than just a performer. Under the tutelage of the late national artist for dance, Lucrecia Reyes-Urtula, who took him on various trips to do field research, the appeal and fascination of this new experience acted as a catharsis to what was eating at his creative consciousness. Yet again, fate stepped in. In this “aha” moment, he realized that he had finally found his calling.

To better understand this unchartered course, he enrolled himself in cultural anthropology and was mentored by the renowned Dr. E. Arsenio Manuel (best known for his contributions to Philippine anthropology, history, literature, and linguistics), to whom he owed immense gratitude for helping him navigate this newfound field of endeavor.

“I am very meticulous about the preservation of the dance movements, the music and costumes and body accessories. I see to it that I religiously follow what I have seen on the road. Kunwari I went to, let’s say, a particular group of people, let’s say the Mandayas of Davao. And then I see that they wear this particular comb, this particular earring, this particular makeup, this particular… kind of a hairstyle and they have definitely a good taste of color. And so I see to it that I do not desecrate any of these.”

– Ramon A. Obusan

Armed with an 8mm camera, a cassette recorder, and a lot of heart, off he went into what he would often call the backwoods, the unexplored territories populated by tribal groups who were very wary and distrustful of strangers. Adding to that major problem was the difficulty to access these places. He had to trek along footpaths. Through inclement weather, up slopes and riverbanks, even in the middle of armed conflicts, oblivious to the threat to his safety, always driven by an unforeseen energy in search of the coveted prize to document the quintessential folk life of the people. In this day and age of concrete roads, mechanized transportation, smartphones, and bottled water, it would be very difficult to relate to what he had to go through. It was an immense ordeal to say the least.

“When I go on research for the dance, I also study the music. I record. I bring my own video camera with me. And then I have still cameras too. I bring my own tape recorders so that nothing is missed out. Lahat-lahat kasama. And then… when I put together the dance, I see to it that I use the same musical instruments I buy or acquire from the owners.”

– Ramon A. Obusan

Thus, began what would eventually be four decades of passion-driven quest.

After amassing volumes upon volumes of research data, the burning question then became how it could be translated into a means where the general public could benefit from the information and knowledge it contained. The answer was to bring the village to the stage without compromising too much in the transition and ensuring that for those staged, the essence and context of the original materials be kept intact. He was very mindful of the fact that staging corrupts tradition, so much so that he limited his artistic liberties to a minimum. This remained the guidelines that all the groups he established conformed to. As a mentor, he directed everyone to adhere to a fundamental style and has over the years been elevated to a maxim – ‘Keep everything the same.’

This became Ramon A. Obusan’s legacy.

“I believe that a person who cares for our culture, for our art, can attract attention, can open the eyes of many. Ang balat ng aking kalampakan, ang handog ko sa bayan at sa daidig ng sayaw. Kaya ako po ay magpapatuloy na sumayaw hanggang mapudpud ang kalampakan ko, mapudpud ang aking utak sa pagsasaliksik, at mapagod ang aking katawan sa pagsasayaw.”

– Ramon A. Obusan

With research to back up his performances, he slowly established a name for himself in the yet untapped stage traditional dances, rituals, and music of the indigenous peoples of the Philippines. Presenting original work in productions that were not the average fare for cultural presentations became signature work, which earned him recognition both here and abroad. This was also the time he started acquiring various collectibles such as artifacts, textiles, traditional instruments, costumes, and many other items of material and cultural value. These acquisitions slowly grew and is now recognized as one of the main components of the Ramon A. Obusan Folkloric Group Center, a project launched by the Cultural Center of the Philippines to tap into the center’s material and cultural resources and to ensure that the Obusan legacy remains viable.

Since 1986, the Ramon A. Obusan Folkloric Group has remained one of the resident dance companies of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. ROFG’s presence in the acclaimed institution served as the avenue where it could showcase the research materials into season productions and further the objective of introducing traditional performances into mainstream theater and attain the objective of bringing arts to the people firsthand.

2006 was a milestone year for Ramon A. Obusan. It was in June of that year when he was conferred the prestigious National Artist Award for Dance, the highest honor bestowed by the Philippines on Filipinos who have made significant contributions to the development of Philippine art. Barely six months later in December, he passed away.

Dedicated his life to the pursuit of preserving tradition in its many forms, fearing that one day we may find ourselves devoid of our cultural identity. He realized that tradition and all its elements were constantly being bombarded by influences that threatened its very existence. The Herculean task of documentation, preservation and interpretation became for him a lifelong undertaking. His was a burning passion that fueled the desire to accomplish what he ultimately achieved in his lifetime. Ironically, it was the same fire that cost him his life.

When the dust settled and reality set in. The collective effort of the family, group members, friends, institutions, and myriad other entities contributed to helping keep the ship afloat. With help from the CCP, who refused the family’s request to resign ROFG’s residency, the tenacity of the senior members who made individual promises to help keep programs going, the disciples of the Obusan brand, whose loyalty was never in question, financial aid from the family, and the vast amount of material and cultural resources available in the collection. The group has remained active and still is a big part of the folk-dance community.

For its part, the Ramon A. Obusan Folkloric Foundation Incorporated was established on September 23, 1992. primarily to commit itself to the purpose or purposes for which the association was incorporated. The top two reasons in the Articles of Incorporation state that it is to provide for the education of promising but underprivileged members of the community, particularly the youth, through free dance, music, workshops, and training, so that they may have better chances of advancement for themselves and for their communities in the field of traditional arts and culture.

To ensure the survival of the traditions and folkways of the Filipinos and its indigenous communities through research, recording, and performances of the same. Driven by the need to conform to the wishes of its founder, these guidelines have been the engine that has fueled the foundation to reinvent itself from being a performance-driven entity to that of a research-based, education-geared platform. Working closely and guided by the Cultural Center of the Philippines Arts Education Department, the ROFF Inc. has been actively involved in the AED’s programs since 2013.

He may no longer be physically present, but his unequivocal contributions in the preservation and perpetuation of traditional arts and culture leaves an indelible mark in a lasting legacy that will forever benefit the cultural inheritors of succeeding generations and help safeguard our identities as Filipinos.

“I’d like to be remembered as one who tried, one who tried very, very hard to make other people understand those neglected people in the back roads. I’d like them to remember me for trying very hard to bring to the mainstream the cultural communities. And I’d like them to remember that I have been using, or I was using, dance as a medium for them to understand the beauty of the cultures of these people. I realized that I should get to know Ramon Obusan more than just research. Ang gusto ko makilala ako ay yung resulta ng trabaho ko na maaaring hindi matapos. Napakadami. Gahol na gahol sa buwanan. Tulungan naman ninyo ako. Hold my hand. Kulang at kulang ang oras, ang pera, ang atensyon na ibinibigay natin sa ating mga sayaw. Kasi ang sayaw natin tradisyon eh. Hindi mo nang pwedeng tanggalin ang sayaw sa tradisyon eh. So pagsinabi mo sayaw, tradisyon na rin yun. That’s part of us, of being Filipino. I tried very, very hard to record, to document all these gifts na dapat ilagay sa next generation.”

– Ramon A. Obusan

The header shows Vamos a Belén, the pastores dance Christmas presentation of the Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group. All featured photos courtesy of ROFG. References for the foreword and about the author include: Floy Quintos, September 16, 2012, Inquirer.net; F. Katigbak, September 16, 2017, Inquirer.net; Ramon Obusan Folkloric Foundation Inc. FB page; and the Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group website https://rofg1972.com.

About the author

DULCE “Bing” A. OBUSAN is Ramon Obusan’s sister. She is actively involved in preserving her late brother’s legacy and Filipino cultural traditions. She serves as the administrative director of the Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group (ROFG) and a trustee of the Ramon Obusan Folkloric Foundation, Inc. She has written about her brother’s life and work, including an article for a commemorative book entitled Lakbayin ang Sining. She continues to manage the Obusan household, which serves as a hub for artists and the base of the foundation’s operations.