Enjoy the Art of Dance with Ballet Philippines in February
When in Manila and you are not familiar with the country’s cultural treasure that is Ballet Philippines, you may want to set aside a date to get to know them. Coming up you will have just that opportunity, as the Philippines’ premier dance company will end their current season with several shows for two consecutive weekends at the RCBC Theater in February.
As a teaser for their upcoming shows, Ballet Philippines invited the public to watch their open rehearsal, held at the CCP Rehearsal Hall, on January 30th.
Performance excerpts included:
- – Excerpts from PAQUITA
- – A new work choreographed by Gillianne Gequinto
- – Maestro
- – Black Swan Male Variation
- – Excerpts from Muybridge Frames
- – Excerpts from ZEBRA
- – New works choreographed by Brando Miranda
In sculpted bodies and meticulous commitment to precision, the dancers performed their pieces in passionate movements, proving that their daily 8-hour practices were worth the hard work.
Under the guidance of artistic director Paul Alexander Morales, Ballet Philippines has produced dancers of international caliber, many of whom have left their native home to join national ballet companies in other countries.
One of these dancers is Candice Adea, a former principal dancer of Ballet Philippines, who left in 2012 to become a soloist at the Hong Kong Ballet. She got her start in ballet by following her older sister Carissa, also a dancer with Ballet Philippines. Carissa coincidentally started dancing at age 3, when her mother enrolled her in a class that happened simultaneously to her Aerobics class. Candice followed when she turned 4 and both have been dancing ever since, eventually becoming professional ballerinas and making ballet their careers.
Ballet Philippines’ Adea sisters: Candice & Carissa
Carissa points out several Filipino dancers that have become international success stories, such as Marcelino Libao (now with Hamburg Ballet in Germany), Jared Tan (now with Atlanta Ballet in the USA) or her very own sister Candice who is part of the Hong Kong Ballet. “Filipinos have an innate talent for performing arts,” Carissa says. Both sisters explain that anybody can start and dance ballet at any age.
The CCP dance school, at which both have taught at some point in the past, offers an Adult Elementary Ballet class to adults of any age who would like to learn and participate in ballet. Both Candice and Carissa hope for more Filipinos to visit performances at the CCP to broaden their cultural horizons and to discover and experience the art and beauty of ballet. The growing interest of aspiring young dancers and increasing support of the public show the Adea sisters that the future of Ballet Philippines is promising.
Artistic Director Paul Alexander Morales with several dancers of Ballet Philippines
Ballet Philippines’ 44th season will end with performances at the RCBC Theater on February 14-16 and February 21-23, each respective day for two completely different shows: the Day show at 3pm (matinee) is geared towards audiences of all age groups and showcases several contemporary dance performances as well as the classic Black Swan Pas de Deux. The Night show at 8pm (evening show), intended for more mature audiences, will feature – amongst others – the classical ballet Paquita and several contemporary dances.
Discover the Art of Dance when in Manila and head on over to RCBC Theatre to see world-class performances by our very own Ballet Philippines.
Ballet Philippines
Website: https://www.Ballet.ph
Twitter: @balletph
Instagram: @balletphilippines
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/balletphilippines
