Ballet Philippines

Ballet Philippines (BP) is a ballet company in the Philippines founded in 1969 by Alice Reyes with the support of Eddie Elejar and the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Proficient in both ballet and modern dance,[1] the company synthesizes diverse dance and movement forms,[2] from classical ballet to avant-garde choreography, from traditional dance to modern dance, from martial arts to aerial movements, into distinctively Filipino contemporary expressions.

As the resident dance company of the Cultural Center of the Philippines,[3][4] Ballet Philippines is recognized as the country's flagship company in ballet and contemporary dance. The company has been cited for its strong dance foundation, flexibility of style and exciting sense of theater.[5]

Each year outreach and educational programs introduce audiences to dance,[6] to music, and to visual art. BP's official school is the CCP Dance School.

With over 400 works, Ballet Philippines' repertory is unparalleled in Asia, from full-length classical ballets and internationally recognized masterworks to indigenous works of Filipino folklore and social issues.

History

The american colonization paved the way for the introduction of ballet in the Philippines. In 1915, distinguished ballet dancer Paul Nijinsky performed classical ballet at the Manila Hotel Roof Garden (Dimalanta, 2006)

In 1927, Luva Adameit came to the Philippines and started a ballet school. She trained the first few ballet dancers in the country. Her dancers, Sur les pointes, were inspired by local dances like the Planting Rice, Carinosa, and the Maria Clara that eventually influenced Leonor Orosa Goquingco.

From then on, ballet has thrived in the country and brought a number of foreign teachers and performers to perform and teach as well. It paved the way to "a receptive outlook towards the artistic values of the art form" (Alejandro, 1983). The institution that eventually became Ballet Philippines was first conceived in 1969, with the opening of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP).[7] It was initially conceived by dancer-choreographers Alice Reyes (now a National Artist of the Philippines for dance), Eddie Elejar, and Tony Fabella as the CCP Summer Dance Workshop.[7] This later evolved into CCP Dance Company, which eventually became Ballet Philippines.[7]

In February 1970, the Alice Reyes Modern Dance Company premiered its debut performance at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Its original members included dancers from the Bayanihan Dance Company, U.E. Dance Troupe and Dance Theater Philippines. In April that year, recognizing the available time and space at the CCP as well as the need to train more dancers, the company introduced the first CCP Summer Dance Workshop which would eventually be held annually, training two to four hundred students each year in classical and modern dance. That same year, the CCP Dance Workshop and Company was launched with Alice Reyes and Eddie Elejar as Artistic Directors.

Artistic directors
  • Alice Reyes, National Artist for Dance[8] (1969–1989)
  • Denisa Reyes (1991–1994/2000-2004)
  • Agnes Locsin (1995–1996/1999-2000)
  • Cecile Sicangco (1996–1999)
  • Noordin Jumalon (1999–2000)
  • Alden Lugnasin (2004)
  • Agustus "Bam" Damian III (2004–2008)
  • Alan Hineline and Max Luna III (2008–2009)
  • Paul Alexander Morales (2009–2017)
  • Present: Alice Reyes

Notable alumni
  • Candice Adea
  • Jean Marc Cordero

See also

References
  1. Jacinto, J. 2007. The Ballet Company: A Philippine Experience Through Repertoire. MA Thesis. University of the Philippines.
  2. Bong, Austero (2011-08-15). "A splendid production". Manila Standard Today. ... Ballet Philippines’ restaging of Encantada, Agnes Locsin’s dance masterpiece. ...showcasing various local myths, traditions, and rituals. ... In Encantada, Agnes Locsin fused together classical ballet techniques with stylized Filipino ethnic movements.
  3. "Ballet Philippines". Cultural Center of the Philippines. Archived from the original on 2017-09-26. Retrieved 2017-09-26.
  4. Fabella, Mika (2016-06-29). "Dance review: 'Master Pieces' a collage of hits from Ballet Philippines repertoire". GMA News Online.
  5. Logarta, Michele T. (2000, May 29). The Story of Ballet Philippines. The Philippine Star. Retrieved from: http://www.newsflash.org/2000/05/sb/sb001237.htm
  6. "Whealth treats orphans to a Ballet Philippines presentation of Cinderella". The Philippine Star. 2015-01-05.
  7. "The mother of Philippine contemporary dance". The Manila Times. 2014-08-09.
  8. By the President of the Philippines. ""Proclamation no. 807""
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