When the human body moves, its sole purpose is to get us from point A to point B. In this fast-paced world, we set our goals to get tasks done as fast as possible. We are steadfast in continuing the daily grind, focused only on partaking of the hustle culture that puts food on our tables. When was the last time we ever got to sit down, take in the sights, and appreciate the earth’s bounty? Have we ever given ourselves the time to break through the fifth wall?

By now, we are more than likely aware of what it means to “break the fourth wall,” thanks to characters like Marvel’s Deadpool, Ferris Bueller, and Fleabag, who all break the fourth wall by constantly making remarks and acknowledging the audience. We can trace back the concept of the fourth wall down to French philosopher Denis Diderot. He visualizes the idea of the fourth wall keeping the audience separate from the performers. What then is the fifth wall?

For dance artist Madge Reyes, the fifth wall stands as an imaginary barrier that guests pass once they leave a venue after a cultural experience and return to their daily lives. Think of it as attending a concert, screaming to your heart’s content as you hear your favorite artist belt out the tunes you love, and heading back home after an electric night. You leave feeling changed, often for the better, as if you had been in a life-altering experience and can never go back the same. It’s this euphoric feeling that fuels the creativity behind her project, the Fifth Wall Fest.

Just recently, the Fifth Wall Fest held its fifth edition following the theme, “The body is home.” Starting out as an online format during the pandemic, the Fifth Wall Fest has since evolved to a literal “home” experience by having its venue take place at LVN Pictures president Narcisa “Doña Sisang” V. Buencamino-de Leon’s historic residence along Broadway Avenue in Quezon City and transforming it into the “Fifth Wall House.”

What unfolded over a recent weekend was a series of programs, shows, workshops, and art performances that left guests stunned and lost in another realm. Having the venue take place in the ancestral home added a layer worthy of curiosity, as it leaves guests curious not only about the happenings, but also the lives of those who lived there. Each room had different things going on throughout the two days. You either found yourself joining in the many dance workshops, led by the likes of the Alexander Whitley Dance Company, Alvin Collantes, featuring Hideki Ito, and Magis Creatives Spaces, prompting you to enter a daze and lose yourself to dance, or as an observer mesmerized over the activities lined up in the festival. In one of the rooms, dance films with art house vibes, both foreign and local, would play throughout the day in a nearly pitch-black setting. In each of these settings, to see the human body move and bend in ways that seemed physically impossible was truly a surreal experience. 

Also worth noting were the otherworldly art installations set up in various areas of the house. One particular piece that stood out was Hapag Kainan by Rinsfud. Displayed on a large table that acted as the stage where all forms of life gathered were an array of plants, fruits, and garlic symbolic of the stages of the ongoing transformation on our tables from the perspective of farmers, cooks, and the consumers (us, the audience). 

True enough, going through the happenings of the Fifth Wall Fest was quite an ethereal experience that continues to linger. It has left memories of a movement led by people who felt passionate about their craft and eager to share it with the world through an avant-garde format. Don’t miss out on the sixth edition that’s coming up and you might just leave the festival feeling like a changed person.