Messages about heart disease prevention universal

The all-Italian crowd must have been feeling uneasy at the beginning of the performance while the stage actors were talking and singing in English, a language they are not too familiar with.

Were it not for the Italian translation projected on stage, they would not be able to grasp the message or why this particular sort of musicale had to depart from the usual way people get to see it.

Even the Filipino performers were wary of the reception. After all, it was their first performance outside the Philippines and they will be performing before an Italian audience who is known to be finicky and expects world-class act from stage actors.

But despite the language barrier and the uniqueness of the performance, the Italian audience soon appreciated the show and at the conclusion of the musicale, the Filipinos were accorded a five-minute standing ovation.

“It was understandable because even here in the Philippines, those who have watched the ‘How To Remain Young At Heart: The Musical’ for the first time were initially baffled. However, as the performance progressed they soon realized that the song numbers and dialogues were actually serious lectures that tackle hypertension and heart disease, and how these two could be avoided,” explained Dr. Adolfo Bellosillo, founding president of the Foundation for Lay Education on Heart Diseases, which conceived this one-of-a-kind show that combines scientific lecture and performing arts.

For public to listen

The reason Bellosillo conceived this sort of presentation several years ago is for the public to really listen.

“Conduct a formal lecture and there’s a huge chance the audience will get bored and no longer listen. But heart disease prevention is a serious issue that needs to get everyone’s attention considering that heart disease topped the list of the leading causes of death among Filipinos in the last three years, while some 46 million young Filipinos may be prone to cardiovascular diseases,” Bellosillo shared.

Cardiovascular diseases refer to a class of illnesses which involve the heart, blood vessels, arteries and veins.

To get the message through, Bellosillo said he needed to be creative, which is why he put melodies to his lectures and later, asked the assistance of several artists on how he could come up with a world-class presentation.

While Bellosillo wrote the lyrics and libretto, he asked the assistance of Jeremiah Calisang, a holder of a Master’s degree in voice from the UP College of Music, who did the arrangement and Ronilo Jaynario, who did the choreography.

For this particular performance, the doctor teamed up with Jai Sabas Aracama, a noted mezzo soprano and directress of the University of the Philippines Concert Chorus; Queenie Ann Moreno, soprano; Ruel Madriaga and Cesar Ryan Santos, both tenor; and lawyer Cresencio Fortunato Balasbas,  baritone; and ballet dancers Joanna Isabel Galeste and Mark Joseph Pineda. Rafael Oredina served as the technical assistant.

“It was a small group, which is fine as we do not know what we would be expecting as we performed in the Italian cities of Cecina, Casarsa and Travesio,” Bellosillo said.

The result was a big hit despite the fact that this is first time the Italian audience had to experience watching a one-of-a-kind musical cum lecture that discusses making crucial lifestyle changes to avoid untimely death due to heart ailment.

Deliver the message

“The actors sing and dance while at the same time deliver the message, that is, take good care of your heart: heal it, hold it, and keep it in your highest regard because death could come unexpectedly,” Bellosillo said.

Italian cardiologist Francisco Schiratti, who welcomed Bellosillo and his group in Travesio, Italy, admired the presentation and lauded the Filipino performers for “letting the Italians to personally watch and learn Bellosillo’s unique method of teaching the audience on how to take care of one’s heart.”

American cardiologist even sent a personal message saying, “I continue to be amazed at the versatility of your thinking, your skill for identifying methods to intrigue lay audience and the success of this entire venture.”

In fact, an earlier form of the musical called “20 Original Songs for the Heart” was among the finalists of the 2009 Louise Lown Heart Hero Award, an international award-giving body that recognizes innovative, preventive approaches to promoting cardiovascular health in developing countries as well as communities where resource is limited.

“This only shows that wherever you may be, the message is universal: It should not just be ‘eat, live and be merry!’ More aptly, it should be ‘eat healthy, then live long and be merry as exposure to at least one risk factor and bad lifestyle habits will only invite death,” he said.