South and Southeast Asian Languages and Societies Commons^™

“Thrilla In Manila”: Troubling Theatricality And Uneasy Spectator Affects Surrounding The Ringside Bar Midget Boxing And Wrestling, Neslie Carol Tan

Akda: The Asian Journal of Literature, Culture, Performance

This paper illustrates how performance and affect inform disability politics in the case of Filipino Little People wrestlers and boxers at the Ringside Bar along a red-light district in Makati City, Philippines. The archive of the study focuses on the reception of its primarily foreign visitors as manifested online, including the bar’s unofficial Facebook account, review-based websites, and select travel and expatriate blogs/vlogs where reviews of these attractions most actively circulate. First, I map out the troubling theatricality of midget wrestling and boxing, identifying their cast, choreographies, and designs, to reveal traces of freak show traditions. Second, I unpack the …