Agnes Locsin’s La Revolucion Filipina celebrates Ballet Philippines' 45th Anniversary – The Sapphire Season

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The country’s classical and contemporary companyBallet Philippines in cooperation with the National Historical Commission of the Philippines proudly announces the return of Agnes Locsin’s La Revolucion Filipina to kick off the company’s 45th Anniversary – The Sapphire Season.

Agnes Locsin’s La Revolucion Filipina will be performed at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater) from July 25 to 27, 2014. It will be on 3pm and 8 pm (Friday and Saturday) and 2pm and 6pm (Sunday). 

The sublime paralytic Apolinario Mabini and the story of his role in the Philippine Revolution are brought into the limelight once again, just in time for the hero’s sesquicentennial birth anniversary.

Named Outstanding Dance Production and winner of Outstanding Choreography for Agnes Locsin at the 2008 Gawad Buhay! Awards, La Revolucion Filipina features original music by Ryan Cayabyab and libretto by Dennis Marasigan. 

Jean Marc Cordero as Apolinario Mabini 

Choreographer Agnes Locsin was a former artistic director and resident choreographer of Ballet Philippines. She was the Gawad CCP awardee for Dance in 2012.

This fourth restaging of the modern dance masterpiece is led by three members of La Revolucion Filipina’s original cast, Annette Cruz-Mariano, Judell de Guzman-Sicam, and Alden Lugnasin. 

The role of Mabini was choreographed on Lugnasin, now the company’s resident choreographer and artistic director of Ballet Philippines II. 

Jean Marc Cordero as Apolinario Mabini 

Preparations for the production began at the start of summer, with eleven of the company’s dancers being sent to Davao for a six-week residency at the Locsin Dance Workshop. The dancers underwent intensive training in Agnes Locsin’s signature Neo-Ethnic dance style on top of taking regular classical ballet classes. They also participated in the 32nd Locsin Dance Summer Showcase on May 14 alongside the Dance Workshop's regular students. 

BP principal dancer Jean Marc Cordero plays the role of Apolinario Mabini. Cordero danced Mabini in the 2008 restaging, which was his first lead role for the company. He shares the stage with BP principal dancer Richardson Yadao and Tanghalang Pilipino actor Nicolo Magno, the new production’s Emilio Aguinaldos.

Several notable actors have essayed the role of Aguinaldo, starting with Nonie Buencamino, then Raymond Bagatsing and Richard Joson. The most recent cast included former Ballet Philippines dancers Angel Gabriel and Patrick Rebullida.

The artistic and creative teams of La Revolucion Filipina are led by Agnes Locsin (Choreographer), Ryan Cayabyab (Music Composer), Dennis Marasigan (Librettist), Mio Infante (Set Designer), Virgilio “Katsch” Catoy (Lighting Designer), Victor Ursabia (Costume Designer), Annette Cruz-Mariano, Judell de Guzman-Sicam and Alden Lugnasin (Restagers).

For bulk reservations, show buys, and inquiries, visit www.ballet.ph, send an email to info@ballet.ph, or call Ballet Philippines at 551-1003. For tickets, call the CCP Box Office at 832-3704 or Ticketworld at 891-9999. 

You may 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

The 45th Anniversary Sapphire Season. Rare scenes of power and grace. Love, valour and redemption. Under the artistic directorship of Paul Alexander Morales, this is a toast to 45 years of dance excellence!

Ballet Philippines announces "Manhid" auditions on June 13, 14 and 17

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Ballet Philippines with Tanghalang Pilipino invites you to be part of MANHID, the 45th season ender performance slated for February 20 to March 8, 2015 at the CCP Main Theater.

MANHID. The Pinoy Superhero Musical was first staged by UP TROPA in 1991 by Auraeus Solito, Kanakan Balintagos, Vincent de Jesus, Carina Evangelista and the Eraserheads.

Actors/Singers between 20-35 who are able to play the following characters:

DILIM (coloratura soprano), LAM-ANG (soprano), ALUNSINA (rock alto), BANTUGAN (tenor/baritone), RADYA/INDARAPATRA (baritone), and other roles.

Auditions will be at the Museo ng Kalinangang Pilipino (MKP Hall) at the 4th floor of the Cultural Center of the Philippines on June 13 and 14 from 4:00pm to 9:00pm and on June 17 from 5:00pm to 9:00pm. Registration begins an hour before the audition proper.

Co-presented by Tanghalang Pilipino and choreographed by Paul Alexander Morales and Alden Lugnasin, MANHID is set in an alternate present day Philippines where the EDSA revolution failed. This legendary dance rock musical features heroes and villains with superpowers, and a people sick with Kamanhiran (Apathy). Celebrating a nation of heroes on the 29th Anniversary of EDSA revolution, MANHID promises to be a must-watch event for 2015. 

For more information, visit http://ballet.ph/news/company-news/115-manhid-audition-annoucement.

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

The 45th Anniversary Sapphire Season. Rare scenes of power and grace. Love, valour and redemption. A toast to 45 years of dance excellence!

10 things you should be excited about Ballet Philippines

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1. Opening our season is the award winning choreography of Agnes Locsin, LA REVOLUCION FILIPINA, with a libretto by Dennis Marasigan and set to the music of Maestro Ryan Cayabyab. This "powerful and poignant" production about Apolinario Mabini will give you another reason to be honored to be born of the Filipino race, especially as this year marks Mabini’s sesquicentennial birth anniversary.

2. Guest Artists from the American Ballet Theater (ABT) essay the roles of Giselle and Albrecht in our Fundraising Gala of GISELLE. Watch out for ABT Soloist Stella Abrera and Principal Dancer James Whiteside as they dance with Ballet Philippines. Did we mention that Ms. Stella Abrera is a Filipina?! More Philippine pride! 

3. THE BLUE MOON GALA and THE HOMECOMING GALA: two "once in a blue moon" gatherings of BP's dance community celebrating its 45 years. 

4. Ballet Philippines will go on a US Tour on October 2014 - Get ready, West Coast! 

5. Alice Reyes' CINDERELLA will bring merriment to families - especially to children - as this happy production's comeback will surely bring fun to the Yuletid0e season!

6. Ballet + superheroes + the music of Eraserheads back when they were in UP all in one production = MANHID: THE PINOY SUPERHERO MUSICAL, which will bring the season to a rocking close. This production was created by Auraeus Solito and will be choreographed by Artistic Director Paul Alexander Morales and Resident Choreographer Alden Lugnasin, and is co-presented by Tanghalang Pilipino.

7. Two new schools of Ballet Philippines officially opened in the beginning of the season - the Ballet Philippines Dance School in SM Aura and Studio One near Folk Arts Theater. More space, more opportunities for young dance talents! 

8. Ballet Philippines goes to USA International Ballet Competition and Varna International Ballet Competition. Support our dancers who DREAM BIG!

9. MANanayaw, a documentary on the male dancers of Ballet Philippines, will be part of Cine Totoo: the First Philippine International Documentary Film Festival!

10. Ballet Philippines now offers FLEXIBLE SUBSCRIPTION where you can choose 4-series, 3-series, and 2 -series. Subscribers can get to choose the productions they want this early, choose seats before they are posted publicly, and save up to 25 percent!

WITHOUT YOUR ENTHUSIASTIC SUPPORT, WHERE WOULD WE BE?

THANK YOU FOR A GLORIOUS 45TH YEAR!

Ballet Philippine’s launches “The Sapphire Season” on May 21

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Enjoy the wonderful world of theater ! 

THEATER NEWS 2014: BALLET PHILIPPINES SET TO LAUNCH 45TH ANNIVERSARY – THE SAPPHIRE SEASON ON MAY 21

BP’s Sapphire Season: 10 Things You Should Be Excited About!

1. Opening our season is the award winning choreography of Agnes Locsin, LA REVOLUCION FILIPINA, with a libretto by Dennis Marasigan and set to the music of Maestro Ryan Cayabyab. This “powerful and poignant” production will give you another reason to be honored to be born of the Filipino race.

2. Guest Artists from the American Ballet Theater (ABT) essay the roles of Giselle and Albrecht in our Fundraising Gala of GISELLE. Watch out for ABT Soloist Stella Abrera and Principal Dancer James Whiteside as they dance with Ballet Philippines. Did we mention that Ms. Stella Abrera is a Filipina?! More Philippine pride!

3. THE BLUE MOON GALA and THE HOMECOMING GALA: two “once in a blue moon” gatherings of BP’s dance community celebrating its 45 years.

4. Ballet Philippines will go on a US Tour on October 2014 – Get ready, West Coast!

5. Alice Reyes’ CINDERELLA will bring merriment to families – especially to children – as this happy production’s comeback will surely bring fun to the Yuletide season!

6. Ballet + superheroes + the music of Eraserheads back when they were in UP all in one production = MANHID: THE FILIPINO SUPERHERO MUSICAL, which will bring the season to a rocking close. This production features Tanghalang Pilipino was created by Auraeus Solito and choreographed by Artistic Director Paul Alexander Morales and Resident Choreographer Alden Lugnasin

7. Three schools of Ballet Philippines officially opened in the beginning of the season – CCP Dance School (for its 45th Summer Dance Workshop), Ballet Philippines Dance School in SM Aura and Studio 1 near Folk Arts Theater. More space, more opportunity for young dance talents!

8. Ballet Philippines goes to USA International Ballet Competition and Varna International Ballet Competition. Support our dancers who DREAM BIG!

9. MANanayaw, a documentary on the male dancers of Ballet Philippines, will be part of Cine Totoo: the First Philippine International Documentary Film Festival!

10. Ballet Philippines now offers FLEXIBLE SUBSCRIPTION where you can choose 4-series, 3-series, and 2 -series. Subscribers can get to choose the productions they want this early, choose seats before they are posted publicly, and save up to 25 percent!

Join us and without your enthusiastic support, where would we be?
THANK YOU FOR A GLORIOUS 45th YEAR!

A Midsummer Night's Dream

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What Ballet Philippines is up to after huge success ! 

After the critical and box-office success of Rama, Hari, which had its full-house audiences giving rousing standing ovations after each performance, Ballet Philippines once again takes on an old-time favorite and gives it a new twist in A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM.

Running for one weekend only from February 15 to 17, 2013 at the CCP Main Theater, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM is a new ballet adaptation choreographed by Hong Kong-based award-winning Filipino choreographer Carlo Pacis. Based on the timeless romantic comedy of William Shakespeare and the music of Felix Mendelssohn, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM is a world premiere, and is Pacis’ first full-length ballet for Ballet Philippines.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream weaves together the lives of mortals and fairies. Oberon, the King of the Fairies, and his Queen, Titania, are fighting over an Indian changeling. To punish her, Oberon instructs the mischievous Puck to place the juice of the Love-in-Idleness flower on her eyes so she falls in love with the first living thing she sees. Oberon also instructs Puck to place the juice on a young mortal man, whom he sees spurning a young woman.

But Puck makes a mistake and his folly creates madness and mayhem in the forest. He puts the juice on Lysander, in love with Hermia, instead of Demetrius, who spurns Helena’s love because he pines for Hermia. Lysander awakens, sees Helena and falls in love with her. To correct his mistake, Puck places the juice on Demetrius’ eyes, who also sees Helena when he awakens. Meantime, Titania, after getting juice on her eyes, awakens and sets her eyes on a man with a donkey’s head. The result is an unforgettable romantic comedy of errors between man and magical beings.

While Rama, Hari is heroic and epic in scale, centered on a prince who is an avatar of a god, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is fun and youthful. It is the interplay of humans and fairies, with mischief-maker Puck at its focal point.

“Fairies have no morals, they want it, they want it now,” says Pacis, whose short work for Ballet Philippines, “Shifting Wait,” won Outstanding Choreography at the Philstage Gawad Buhay Awards.

“The youthful energy of the company will be perfect!” he says. With this, he builds his characters, and uses it to bring out the “fun” and “comedic” nature of the ballet.

While Rama, Hari showcased the dancers’ strength in modern dance, A Midsummer Night’s Dream will let the dancers’ classical ballet technique shine. But Pacis wants to go beyond ballet and infuses more modern, contemporary and non-ballet elements to the dancing. He wants to “push the envelope as far as pas de deux work, musicality and all that.”

Pacis also wants to tell the story with multimedia, sets (by Ricardo Cruz) and costumes (by fashion designer Eric Pineda).

“For me, the underlying theme is love, and I think that being a universal experience to us all, the audience can hopefully understand the story,” Pacis says.

The world premiere of Carlo Pacis’ A Midsummer Night’s Dream runs at the CCP Main Theater on February 15 (3pm and 8pm); February 16 to 17 (2pm and 6pm).

Bulk and group sales are also available for schools, classes, organizations and corporations.

For tickets and inquiries please contact Ballet Philippines at (02) 551-1003 and (02) 551-7919 or Ticketworld at (02) 891-9999.

Ballet Philippines' NEO-FILIPINO: ANTING September 14-16, 2012

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Anting promises to take audiences to a different world, one that is altogether historical, 

traditional, and familiar yet edgy and unusual in approach. 

Sa kapangyarihan ng Anting, ikaw ba'y pahuhumaling?

Tunghayan ang sayaw ng mahika, hiwaga at galing.

Tony Perez’s libretto that explores the world of talismans and amulets of Filipino magical traditions. It is made up for four separate movements, each depicting a specific kind of amulet and its powers.

Each movement is interpreted through dance by noted Filipino choreographers: 

BP artistic director Paul Alexander Morales

BP associate artistic director Christine Crame

BP alumnus and E-Dance Theatre artistic director Gerald Mercado

Airdance artistic director Ava Villanueva-Ong. 

They will work with the music of noted musicians Jed Balsamo, Jerrold Tarod, Teresa Barrozo and Israel Rodriguez.

Neo-Filipino: Anting has six (6) performances at the CCP Little Theater: Friday, September 14 at 3pm and 8pm; Saturday, September 15 at 2pm and 6pm; and Sunday, September 16 at 10am and 3pm. Tickets are at P600 (matinees) and P1000 (evening shows). Student and senior citizen discounts apply. For tickets, call Ballet Philippines at 551-1003 or Ticketworld at 891-9999. Visit www.ballet.ph.

Ballet Philippines presents ANTING

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On September 14 to 16, 2012, Ballet Philippines performs its second season offering, Neo-Filipino: Anting.

Anting brings to life pre-eminent dramatist Tony Perez’s libretto that explores the world of talismans and amulets of Filipino magical traditions. It is made up for four separate movements, each depicting a specific kind of amulet and its powers.

Each movement is interpreted through dance by noted Filipino choreographers: BP artistic director Paul Alexander Morales, BP associate artistic director Christine Crame, BP alumnus and E-Dance Theatre artistic director Gerald Mercado, and Airdance artistic director Ava Villanueva-Ong. They will work with the music of noted musicians Jed Balsamo, Jerrold Tarod, Teresa Barrozo and Israel Rodriguez.

Anting promises to take audiences to a different world, one that is altogether historical, traditional, and familiar yet edgy and unusual in approach. As the 43rd Season: Dragon Song continues, Ballet Philippines keeps the magic and wonder alive in us all.

Neo-Filipino: Anting has six (6) performances at the CCP Little Theater: Friday, September 14 at 3pm and 8pm; Saturday, September 15 at 2pm and 6pm; and Sunday, September 16 at 10am and 3pm. Tickets are at P600 (matinees) and P1000 (evening shows). Student and senior citizen discounts apply. For tickets, call Ballet Philippines at 551-1003 or Ticketworld at 891-9999. Visit www.ballet.ph.

Photos: Jojit Lorenzo

Ballet Philippines Opens 43rd Season with Local and International Works

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A bold gala of local and international works opens the season of Ballet Philippines’ 43rd Season: Dragon Song in Songs, on July 6-8, 2012 at the CCP Main Theater.

“Dragon years are always significant with their great energy and sense of renewal, the beginning of a new cycle,” says BP Artistic Director Paul Alexander Morales. “ Let’s all rally behind and embrace the company that has brought much pride to the country—after all, it is truly OUR OWN.”

Songs also features sensational masterworks in the arsenal of Ballet Philippines including:

Les Petit Mots D’Amour by Redha Beintefour (France)

A compelling dance piece that embodies man’s innermost desires. In it, man is reduced to his primal origins as he covets and yearns for an interactive idea. This vigorous search thrusts him into an enigmatic core of emotional existence. First performed in the Philippines in 1994.

Moriones by Agnes Locsin (Philippines)

Inspired by the Moriones Festival of Marinduque, Locsin’s MORIONES was choreographed for Ballet Philippines 2’s participation at the Recontres Festival Du Danse in La Baule, France. It was also a study for movement for the Guardias Civil dance for Locsin’s coming Encantada, slated to be premiered the next year. First performed in July 1991, Manila, Philippines.

This is My Life by Alden Lugnasin (Philippines)

This solo contemporary dance piece highlights the independence and elegance of woman.

Songs will also feature works by BP’s Morales, as well as a new pas de deux choreographed by former BP artistic director Augustus Damian III. Damian’s piece will be premiered by Candice Adea and Jean Marc Cordero, who have recently triumphed at the 2012 Helsinki International Ballet Competition.

Songs will run from July 6-8, 2012 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Main Theater. 

For tickets contact Ballet Philippines at 551-1003, 551-7919, 624-5701. 

Or call Ticketworld at 891-9999, or CCP Box Office at 832-3704.

Ballet Philippines is at the 4th Floor Cultural Center of the Philippines Bldg., CCP Complex, Pasay City.

Visit  www.ballet.ph and Ballet Philippines Facebook for more details.