Filipiniana reigns in Ballet Philippines’ gala dinner
By Marge C. EnriquezAs Ballet Philippines girds for its 44th season, its president Margie Moran-Floirendo and the board recently hosted a benefit dinner at Shangri-La Makati.
As Ballet Philippines girds for its 44th season, its president Margie Moran-Floirendo and the board recently hosted a benefit dinner at Shangri-La Makati.
On March 7, the Makati Shangri-La Hotel Ballroom will come alive in an evening of song, dance and love as Ballet Philippines and the Philippine Opera Company present “Sing, Dance, Love, Change.”
Expect no cutesy, Tinkerbell-type fairies in Ballet Philippines’ season-ender, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” which runs Feb. 15-17 at Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo of the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
Ballet Philippines is now 43 years old and its humble beginnings cannot be told without its founder, choreographer-dancer Alice Reyes, who is in town for the ongoing run of her “Rama, Hari” until Dec. 9.
Ballet Philippines stages “Anting” for its “Neo-Filipino” series this September. The series features new works by Filipino choreographers and allows them a venue to tackle issues and experiment with form and choreography.
In Ballet Philippines’ 43rd- season opener “Dragon Song,” artistic director Paul Morales could not have chosen a better mix than this repertoire of modern, neoclassical, neo-ethnic and a dash of neoclassical kundiman charm, each showcasing the choreographers’ respective fortes.
A Filipina international ballet star is born. She is Candice Adea, principal dancer of Ballet Philippines, who brought pride to our country not once, but many times over, most recently on June 7, when she bested 69 ballerinas from all over the world to win first place in the elite Helsinki International Ballet Competition (HIBC).
It’s funny how an artistic endeavor that is haphazardly put together would turn out to be one of the best performances of the season.
Most people in the dance community thought Ballet Philippines had gone bonkers when, as a holiday offering, the company decided to stage “Sleeping Beauty.”
Japanese Ballet danseur Nobuo Fujino will play Prince Desire in Ballet Philippines’ staging of “The Sleeping Beauty” this December. He alternates with BP principal dancer Jean-Marc Cordero.
Question: Ballet Philippines is noted for its abstract, contemporary presentations, so why is it now mounting a classical warhorse “The Sleeping Beauty”? “To show versatility,” replied award-winning ballerina Candice Adea. “To show that we can do contemporary as well as classical ballet.”
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