Ballet Phils. Celebrates Apolinario Mabini's 150th Birthday with La Revolucion Filipina

2014 marks the 150th birth year of the "mind behind the Philippine revolution", Apolinario Mabini. Ballet Philippines opens their Sapphire season with Agnes Locsin's La Revolucion Filipina. What's unique about the production was that it combined dance with theatrics. There's a part where the ballet dancers spoke lines in the production.

Agnes Locsin not only choreographed this play but did her own reading about the works of Apolinario Mabini. She was digging dipper on what makes Mabini's mind tick. She imagined his visions and interpreted in the only language she knows how: dance. This is how I imagine Mabini if he knew how to dance, says Ms. Locsin.

The choreography was not easy. She had to collaborate with librettist Dennis Marasigan to coordinate the sequences of the story with the dance. She used the movements of local tribal dances and infused it with the story.

The music was written by Mr. Ryan Cayabyab. There's an interesting story about the original music. Ryan Cayabyab already had music in mind but when he saw the dance sequences, he immediately wanted to create a music that will fit the movements without asking any monetary obligation in return. It was an honorable thing to do because it's a musician in him.

La Revolucion Filipina was first performed during the 90's and was already been shown in U.S. Imagine the surprise of the Fil-Am community especially those who were born in the U.S. that there was a Filipino-American war that took place in history.

La Revolucion Filipina will be staged for 6 performances starting July 25 at CCP. Take this opportunity to see it because there are facts that our history textbooks didn't cover about that is significant in today's society. If you have a heart of looking back in history, you may also express desire to buy seats for people who you seem fit to pass the message of this production.

For more updates of Ballet Philippines and their Sapphire season line up, follow this blog or like L.E.N.S. blogs on Facebook.

BALLET PHILS. DANCERS TO COMPETE IN US AND BULGARIA THIS JUNE AND JULY

THREE DANCERS OF BALLET PHILIPPINES

ALL SET TO COMPETE IN

INTERNATIONAL BALLET COMPETITIONS

TO BE HELD IN USA AND BULGARIA

THIS COMING JUNE and JULY

            Ballet Philippines, the country’s premier classical and contemporary dance company proudly announces the participation of three company members to compete in two prestigious international ballet competitions in USA and Bulgaria.

Victor Maguad and Jemima Sanielle Reyes will represent the Philippines in the USA International Ballet Competition to be held in Jackson, Mississippi from June 14 – 29, 2014. 

Monica Amanda Gana will represent the Philippines in the 26th International Ballet Competition - Varna 2014 to be held at the Open theater Varna in Bulgaria from July 15 - 30, 2014.

            Victor Gamosa Ursabia, director of the Ballet Philippines Dance School is coaching the three dancers and will be accompanying them to both competitions abroad.

            Jemima Sanielle Reyes started dancing at the age of 3 at the Lilibeth C. Trinidad Dance and Exercise Center in Cabanatuan City. She graduated from the Philippine High School for the Arts, Majoring in Ballet, in 2011. She joined the company as an apprentice at the age of 16 and was promoted to junior company member a year after.  She performed the principal role of Princess Aurora in Sleeping Beauty for the CCP Dance School. For the company she has essayed significant roles such as Princess Florine in Sleeping Beauty, Prinsesa in Crisostomo Ibarra, and Gintong Usa in Alice Reyes' Rama Hari. Jemima was a finalist at the National Music Competition for Young Artists (NAMCYA) in 2009, she placed 8th at the first Asian Grand Prix International Ballet Competition in 2011 in Hong Kong, and she was a semi-finalist at the 2012 Rudolf Nureyev International Ballet Competition in Budapest, Hungary.

           

Victor Maguad started dancing at the age of 7, training under the supervision of Luther Perez, Tony Fabella and Eddie Elejar at the Manila Dance Center where he was given a chance to join Ballet Philippines' production of Shoes++ in 2000. He played Michael in Edna Vida's Peter Pan in 2001 and essayed John when the production was restaged in 2010.

He joined the CCP Dance School in 2004 as a full scholar at the young age of 11 under the tutelage of Noordin Jumalon. His passion for dance and his exceptional technique brought him to dance various male variations such as Basilio in Don Quixote, Prince Florimund in the Sleeping Beauty and the male variation in Paquita. In 2007, he competed at the National Music Competition for Young Artists (NAMCYA) and won 3rd place in the Juniors Ballet category. Later that year he performed in the Philippine Festival inJapan.

Monica Amanda Gana started her formal dance instruction at the age of 8 under the guidance of Toni Lopez Gonzalez.  In Steps Dance Studio she continued to train in Contemporary Modern, Jazz and the classical ballet syllabus of the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD).   She was trained and took classes with Sofia Elizalde, Raul Sauz, Eurica Balagtas, Jeffrey Espejo, Anna Villadolid, Jun Saagundo, James Laforteza and Max Luna III.  Monica placed first in the Junior Category of the 2011 National Music Competition for Young Artists (NAMCYA) Ballet Competition and eighth in the 2012 Asian Grand Prix International Ballet competition in Hong Kong.  Monica attended Alvin Ailey’s 2011 Summer Intensive Workshop and the 2012 American Ballet Theater Summer Intensive Workshop in New York City.  She is now studying in the College of Saint Benilde taking a degree in Dance. 

Ballet Philippines’ Candice Adea and her partner Jean Marc Cordero competed at the 2010 USAIBC. Candice Adea won the silver medal in the senior women's division and won first place at the 2012Helsinki International Ballet Competition.

THE USA INTERNATIONAL BALLET COMPETITION which has been held every four years since 1979, provides an opportunity for dancers to test themselves against recognized international standards of dance excellence; to showcase their technical skill and artistic talent; to provide a forum for communication and intercultural exchange; and to educate, enlighten and develop future artists and audience support for the art of dance.  The two-week competition is where tomorrow’s ballet stars vie for gold, silver and bronze medals, cash awards, scholarships and jobs. It can be an invaluable stepping stone to a dancer’s career. 

For this year, there will be a total of 99 dancers representing 20 countries composed of 57 senior competitors (ages 19-26) and 42 juniors (ages 15-18).

Established in 1964, the INTERNATIONAL BALLET COMPETITION - VARNA is one of the world’s first professional ballet competitions.  In spite of the many ballet competitions created in the world, none other can rival the Varna Competition in terms of quality and prestige, well illustrated by its discovery and consecration of stars such as Vladimir Vassiliev, Natalia Makarova, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Patrick Dupont and Sylvie Guillem. The quality of the performances throughout the event, the high degree of technical skill from the competitors and the demands of the jury are so great that the competition has been nicknamed “The Dance Olympics”.

Good luck to Jemima Sanielle Reyes, Victor Maguad and Monica Amanda Gana!

For inquiries, visit www.ballet.ph, send an email to info@ballet.ph, or call Ballet Philippines at 551-1003. 

Connect to Ballet Philippines online through the following social media networks:

Facebook:    www.facebook.com/balletphilippines

Twitter:          @balletph

Instagram:    @balletphilippines

YouTube:     https://www.youtube.com/user/balletph

Photo credits: The headshots were taken by Jojo Mamangun

Ballet Philippines Celebrates Its Sapphire Year

Ballet Philippines is now in its 45th year and to celebrate the Sapphire year, they unveiled their new studio not far from CCP.  Christened as Studio One, the new studio is for the use of Ballet Philippines within the CCP Complex. BP started sharing rooms with Philharmonic Orchestra at the CCP Building. Their first studio is located at SM Aura.

Studio One

In addition to the Sapphire season, they also launched their upcoming productions for this year and the next. This July, they will kick off the season with La Revolucion Filipina, an BP original ballet choreographed by Andrea Locsin based on our nation's history. It solely focused on Mabini since it happens to be the sesquicentennial birthday of the Brain of the Revolution.

BP Alumni

This is will show the interpretation in ballet form if Mabini can dance. Libretto by Dennis Marasigan and music by Ryan Cayabyab. Other productions to be anticipated includes Giselle, Cinderella, Manhid and a lot more.

Inside Studio One

Besides the seasonal productions, Ballet Philippines is sending some of their dancers to compete internationally in June and July. As a geek, I am anticipating Manhid because its a pinoy superhero musicale with the music of Eraserheads. Not only that it involves the superhero genre but it is original pinoy superheroes created for the musicale and their names are pre-colonial.

Sample number on upcoming productions

Not only I got to see the sample of future productions of Ballet Philippines, I also witness the alumni of BP joined the launch to show support. For more updates and upcoming productions of Ballet Philippines, follow this blog or like L.E.N.S. blogs on Facebook.