Candice Adea, Ballet
Philippines’ principal dancer, won First Prize, Senior Women’s Division at the
recently concluded Helsinki International Ballet Competition, one of the most
prestigious ballet competitions in the world. The competition drew 69 dancers
from 28 countries, including USA, China, Japan, Finland, Canada, Italy and
Cuba, among others.
Her partner, Jean Marc Cordero,
also a principal dancer of Ballet Philippines, was a semi-finalist in the Male
Seniors Division. He won a Special Jury Award for Best in Pas de Deux Technique
(partnering).
Adea’s win caps her illustrious career—in 2010 she won the
Silver Medal at the USA International Ballet Competition in Jackson, MI, touted
as the Olympics of ballet. In 2011, she won special awards at the Boston
International Ballet Competition (the Maris Liepa Award for Artistry) and the
Third Prize at the Seoul International Dance Competition. With Cordero, she
also won the Lead Role in a Russian Ballet Performance in Boston.
Adea is the first Filipino to be awarded First Prize in a top
tier international ballet competition (composed of competitions in Varna, Bulgaria;
Jackson, MI, USA; and Moscow, Russia), and joins the list of Filipino ballet
dancers who have received international recognition.
As in all their previous
competitions, Victor Ursabia, Ballet Philippines’ ballet master and CCP Dance
School Director, stood as the pair’s coach and mentor. Adea and Cordero are
completely Philippine trained. Both Adea and Cordero studied at the Philippine
High School for the Arts (Adea was a Ballet major, while Cordero was in Theater
Arts) and they both graduated with a Bachelor of Performing Arts Major in Dance
from De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde.
Adea and Cordero has performed Ballet Philippines’ Crisostomo
Ibarra, where they reprised their critically acclaimed roles at the last
performance with live music, last June 24, 2 pm at the CCP Little Theater. They
will also perform in Songs on July 6-8 at the CCP Main Theater, where they will
premiere a pas de deux by Augustus Damian III.
Visit www.ballet.ph
No comments:
Post a Comment