「土生葡語是一種以葡語為基礎，並混合西班牙語、馬來語和粵語等語種的方言。土生語一度有失傳的危機。」飛文基說。如今澳門的土生族群大概有二萬人，但通曉土生語的卻不足一千人。「我開始用土生語創作時，還要先學習這種語言。它的語調和用詞都很有趣，很適合演喜劇。」
2000年開始，劇團加入了華人的角色。飛文基解釋，創作是要反映澳門的生活面貌，所以有華人的參與是必然的。「今年我們還增加菲律賓人的角色，以反映菲律賓社群在澳門不容忽視的地位。」劇團的華人觀眾不斷增加，他們未必明白土生語，但會被土生語詼諧輕鬆的表達方式感染而開懷大笑，這大概就是土生葡語的魅力。
要是你喜歡舞蹈勝於戲劇，澳門的舞者和編舞家絕不會讓你失望。何雅詩和郭瑞萍，自幼分別學習中國舞和現代舞，加入紐約艾美．瑪素舞蹈團受訓後，兩人的舞蹈軌跡便交織在了一起，並共同創作以澳門為主題的舞作。現為澳門紫羅蘭舞蹈團副團長的何雅詩指出，澳門沒有自己的舞步，很多時候只能抄襲。「但我覺得原創精神很重要。所以我在編舞時，會加入一些現代舞元素。」何雅詩解釋：「舞蹈是情感的符號，作品要有意蘊，否則就會變得蒼白。而跳中國舞的多是女生，所以我都以女生的角度出發，讓舞蹈反映當代澳門女性的面貌。令舞蹈有本土情懷，童年回憶是我們靈感的來源。」澳門知名的藝術團體石頭公社骨幹成員郭瑞萍也同意：「創作舞蹈時，我會從身邊的人和事出發，再加上自己的體驗。」郭瑞萍認為集體創作對現代舞很重要，如近期的《澳門故事》系列，以女扮男裝的姿態探討現代澳門女性的角色。「因為我們有很多集體回憶，合作時更容易擦出火花。舞蹈不只是形體動作，還是一次心靈旅程。」
若戲劇和舞蹈是動的藝術，那音樂就是靜中帶動了。作曲家李慧芬深知音樂如何在舞台上打動人心。李慧芬先後在澳門和台灣接受訓練，鋼琴和古典音樂伴隨著她成長。1999年她首次發行原創大碟《非常澳門》。 「創作本地音樂好像是我的使命。我會去澳門舊城區，錄下對老街坊的訪問。細嚼他們的聲音時，音符就跳出來了。」李慧芬說。由於澳門幾百年來盛行基督教，宗教聖樂在李慧芬的作品中也扮演重要的角色。「談澳門不能不談宗教。第一個把聖經翻成中文的馬禮遜也葬於此，所以我創作《馬禮遜組曲》時，把他翻譯的66卷聖經，化成西洋教會調式A Dorian ，奏66次。」
李慧芬對澳門的感情，完全體現在了她的音樂創作中。由數年前在澳門藝術節上發表的《向左走，向右走》組曲、到為舞蹈劇場創作的《靜安寺路192號6樓》，還有為澳門獨立電影《澳門街》配樂，李慧芬的每個音符，都很抒情、很澳門。
A lawyer by profession, Miguel de Senna Fernandes is also a playwright, director and linguist dedicated to preserving the Macanese culture. as a founding member of the amateur theatre group Doci Papiacam di Macau, literally sweet talk , Senna Fernandes has written a number of plays in Patua since the group s stage debut in 1993. Every year the group s comedy is a highlight of the Macau arts Festival, which is set to again dazzle audiences with its 20th staging this May.
“Patua is a creole language that fuses Portuguese with chinese, Malay and other languages, Senna Fernandes explains. it was once stigmatised as bad Portuguese. People weren’t allowed to speak it publicly. Today, among the 20,000 Macanese born Portuguese in Macau and overseas, only a handful are able to communicate in this highly endangered language. “Before putting pen to paper, i had to learn my mother tongue. Patua is a very funny language, phonetically and syntactically. it’s absolutely a language for comedy. That explains why our plays are all light-hearted, topical and, above all, humorous.”
Traditionally, only Macanese would take part in the plays, but since 2000, a chinese character has been added. “Our plays have to reflect all walks of life in Macau. it’s very narrow-minded if we exclude the role of chinese in the play. The Filipino community in Macau is growing. This year, we have an additional Filipino role to show their importance in our society.”
But how do the actors and actresses master this at-risk language so quickly during rehearsals? “Maybe it’s because we are Macanese,” says Senna Fernandes. “We’re of mixed Portuguese and chinese blood blended with strains of everything from Malay to indian. Perhaps our hybrid nature helps us grasp the essence of this hybrid language.”
Those preferring dance to drama may have caught the work of burgeoning dance talents Stella Ho and candy Kuok at previous festivals. Ho’s knowledge of classical chinese dance and Kuok’s innate passion for ballet and contemporary dance give their works a distinct and diverse style. Trained together in new York’s renowned repertory, The Amy Marshall Dance company, both Ho and Kuok were inspired to develop a movement vocabulary with a unique Macanese element.
Ho, vice president of Violet Dance company Macau, believes that even though chinese dance originated on the mainland, it doesn’t mean that Macau should simply copy everything. “I believe that creativity is as essential as originality. Many people think that classical chinese dance is very old-fashioned. To revitalise it, I interweave classical dance with a contemporary edginess,” says Ho. “Powerful, provocative choreography isn’t just about the beautiful outfits worn by dancers. I’m looking at this from inside. It’s the powerful charisma of the dancers and the story they express that moves people. Since most dancers are female in a Chinese dance troupe, we naturally tell stories with a feminine perspective. My childhood memories of Macau also inspire me, especially in our works Macao Tale and Tides of Change.”
Music plays an important role in any kind of performance. Independent pianist and composer Evonne Lei knows the power of sound, knows how it skewers the subconscious and provokes emotions at a deep level. With her training in classic music and passion for contemporary music composition, Lei’s enormous musical talent and love of the piano led her to the successful release of her debut album Macao Sensation, a medley of songs with a distinctive Macau flavour. “After studying in Taiwan for years, composing songs for Macau is the driving force for me to come back. This is a city full of stories and sensations, melancholic but hopeful,” says Lei. “I often visit the old town of Macau with my tape recorder to record the voices of the residents there. They are the voices of the past. When I savour the sounds of this historical part of town, the rhythms emerge naturally from my mind.” Lei’s pop-classical crossovers are relaxing, soothing and even meditative, reflecting the enclave’s serene and sacred temperament – Macau has been a centre of Christianity in the Far East for centuries. According to Lei, it’s impossible to talk about Macau and music without talking about religion. As if to emphasise her point, she dedicated Morrison Suite to English missionary Robert Morrison, who first translated the Old and New Testament into Chinese and is buried in the Old Protestant Cemetery in Macau. “This is a tiny place, but I have a lot of inspiration from its unique history,” says Lei.
Source: Air Macau Inflight Magazine April/May 2009 Issue
Writing by Chung Wah Chow
Photography by Gary Mak
