Without Batting An Eyelash
Christmas gifts for wife, ‘girlfriend’

 

By Maurice Arcache
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 23:45:00 11/27/2008

 

BALLET Philippines (BP) and Philippine Tatler magazine partnered with Ayala Land Premier, Olay and renowned Sofitel to present the magnificent “New Beginnings” gala.

The benefit performance and fundraiser celebrated BP’s 39th successful season, dahlings.

The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) was filled with philanthropists, dignitaries, tycoons and taipans, ballet lovers and benefactors such as the ultra-glam Imelda Cojuangco; adorable Bea Medina Zobel and Jaime Zobel de Ayala; CCP president Nes Jardin; and the gala’s super dedicated co-chairpersons Sofia Zobel Elizalde and Elaine Marden—all elegantly dressed in Filipiniana finery.

Jetting into town for the gala was BP honorary chairman, New York-based Elizabeth Roxas-Dobrish, former BP soloist and the only Filipina principal dancer at the prestigious Alvin Ailey Dance Company. She passionately thanked the audience for supporting BP, quoting her mentor, the world-renowned Alvin Ailey: “Dance is for the people and should be delivered back to them.”

The performance then opened with Ailey’s Night Creature, especially restaged by Roxas-Dobrish, to the chi-chi crowd’s thunderous applause and bravos, dahlings.

The company’s new team of brilliant artistic directors, Max Luna III and Alan Hineline, superbly choreographed the following compelling pieces that composed the evening’s breathtaking repertoire.

Overflowing champagne and generous cocktails from Sofitel were served at the CCP lobby and mezzanine, which were decorated with stunning life-size photographs of dancers in motion and gorgeous flower installations by Margarita Fores of Fiori di M, palanggas.

Après the fantastic happening, Sofitel hosted an intimate party for the gala’s generous sponsors at the hip Le Bar. The chic invitees were chauffeured there by BMW’s elegant fleet of limousines, while Olay gifted 25 of the gala’s standout women with the complete Regenerist line no less, dahlings.

PHLSTAGE Jury Announces Third Quarter GAWAD BUHAY! Citations

            Productions by Tanghalang Pilipino (TP), Ballet Philippines and the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) dominated the third quarterly citations of Gawad BUHAY!, the performing arts awards program organized by the Philippine Legitimate Stage Artists Group (PHILSTAGE).            Tanghalang Pilipino’s Golden Child romped off with a total of twelve citations while Ballet Philippines La Revolucion Filipina and PETA’s Batang Rizal tied with seven citations each.

 

 

 

            Winner of the Tony and Obbie Awards in the United States, Golden Child tells the story “of a traditional Chinese family on the cusp of jarring change”. It merited jury citations for outstanding play, stage direction (Loy Arcenas), ensemble performance for its cast, female lead performance in a play (Liesl Batucan, Tina Chilip, Irma Adlawan Marasigan), male leAd performance (Arthur Acuǹa), translation (Dennis Marasigan), lighting design (Barbara Tan-tiongco), sound design (j. Victor Villareal), set design (Loy Arcenas) and costume design (Gino Gonzales).

 

            Ballet Philippines’ La Revolucion Filipina earned seven citations for outstanding dance production, choreography (Agnes Locsin), ensemble performance, male lead performance (Biag Gaongen), lighting design (Katsch SJ Catoy), set design (Mio Infante) and costume design (Victor Ursabia). It tied with PETA’s Batang Rizal which received citations for outstanding play, stage direction (Dudz Teraǹa), ensemble performance, featured performance (Willy Casero), original script (Christine Bellen), libretto and musical direction (Vincent De Jesus).

 

Major citations were garnered by Tanghalang Pilipino’s The Virgn Labfest entries Ellas Inocentes,  Ang Bayot, ang Meranao, at ang Habal-Habal sa Isang Nakababagot na Paghihintay sa Kanto ng Lanao del Norte, Ang Kalungkutan ng Reyna, Three Sisters and Pamantasang Hirang. PETA’s Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang and Tosca also figured prominently in the citations list.

 

Gawad BUHAY!, otherwise known as the PHILSTAGE Awards for the Performing Arts, honors outstanding accomplishments in theater, dance and music among PHILSTAGE member-companies.  Quarterly citations, nominations, and winners are juried by an independent panel of performing arts practitioners, critics, academicians and enthusiasts invited or selected by the PHILSTAGE Board of Directors.

 

            “The jury members are required to watch all productions of Philstage members to ensure a fair selection process,” stressed PHILSTAGE President Fernando Josef. The jury meets quarterly for the citations from which will be culled the nominees qualified to vie for the annual award to be announced and honored in fitting ceremonies during the National Arts Month in February 2009.

            PHILSTAGE groups together the country’s leading and established performing arts companies which include Actors Actors, Inc. (AAI), Ballet Manila (BM), Ballet Philippines (BP), Gantimpala Theater Foundation (GTF), Organisasyon ng Pilipinong Mang-aawit (OPM), Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA), Repertory Philippines (REP), Tanghalang Pilipino and the Triumphant Peoples’ Evangelical Theater Society (TRUMPETS). It can be reached via email
philstage@tri-isys.com.            Following is the complete list of Gawad Buhay! citations for the third quarter of 2008:

 

 

 

 

 

 

GAWAD BUHAY!

(2008 PHILSTAGE AWARDS FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS)

Third Quarter Citation

 

Outstanding Plays                                                          Tanghalang Pilipino’s Ang Bayot, ang Meranao, at ang
                                                                                     Habal-            Habal sa Isang Nakababagot na Paghihintay sa
                                                                                    Kanto ng Lanao del Norte, Ang Kalungkutan ng Reyna
                                                                                    Ellas Inocentes,           Golden Child, and Three Sisters;

                                                                                    and PETA’s Batang Rizal

 

Outstanding Musical Play                                               No citation

 

Outstanding Dance Production                                       Ballet Philippines’ La Revolucion Filipina

 

Outstanding Stage Direction                                           Loy Arcenas (Golden Child), Jose Estrella
                                                                                    (Three Sisters), Floy Quintos (Ang
                                                                                    Kalungkutan ng Reyna), Tuqxs Rutaquio
                                                                                    (Ellas Inocentes), and Dudz Teraǹa (Batang Rizal)
                                                                                   

Outstanding Ensemble Performance                               Casts of Ang Bayot, ang Meranao, at ang
                                                                                    Habal-Habal sa Isang Nakababagot na
                                                                                    Paghihintay sa Kanto ng Lanao del Norte,
                                                                                    Batang Rizal,  Ellas Inocentes, Golden Child,
                                                                                    La Revolucion Filipina, and Mga Kuwento ni
                                                                                    Lola Basyang, 

                                                                                   

Outstanding Female Lead Performance (Play)                Shamaine Centenera Buencamino (Ang
                                                                                    Kalungkutan ng Reyna); Lovely Balili and Jenessa
                                                                                    Roque (Ellas Inocentes);and Liesl Batucan, Tina
                                                                                    Chilip, and Irma Adlawan Marasigan (Golden Child)

 

Outstanding Male Lead Performance (Play)                   Arthur Acuǹa (Golden Chil), Joey Paras and Arnold
                                                                                    Reyes (Ang Bayot, angMeranao, at ang Habal-Habal
                                                                                    sa IsangNakababagot na Paghihintay sa Kanto ng
                                                                                    Lanao del Norte); and Jonathan Tadioan (Pamantsang
                                                                                    Hirang)

 

Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play                   Willy Casero, (Batang Rizal), and Nor Domingo
                                                                                    and Raffy Tejada (Rosca)

 

Outstanding Female Lead Performance (Musical)           No citation

 

Outstanding Male Lead Performance (Musical)              No citation

 

Outstanding Featured Performance (Musical)                 No citation

 

Outstanding Female Lead Performance (Dance)             No citation

 

Outstanding Male lead Performance (Dance)                  Biag Gaongen (La Revolucion Filipina)

 

Outstanding Featured Performance (Dance)                   No citation

 

Outstanding Original Script                                             Christine Bellen’s Batang Rizal,  Rogelio Braga’s
                                                                                    Ang Bayot, ang Meranao, at ang Habal-
                                                                                    Habal sa Isang Nakababagot na Paghihintay sa
                                                                                    Kanto ng Lanao del Norte, Layeta Bucoy’s Ellas
                                                                                    Inocentes, and Floy Quintos’ Ang Kalungktan ng Reytna

 

Outstanding Libretto                                                      Vincent De Jesus (Batang Rizal)

 

Outstanding Adaptation or Translation                            Dennis Marasigan (Golden Child)

 

Musical Direction                                                          Vincent De Jesus (Batang Rizal)

 

Outstanding Choreography                                             Agnes Locsin (La Revolucion Filipina)           

 

Outstanding Lighting Design                                           Katsch SJ Catoy (La Revolucion Filipina)
                                                                                    and Barbara Tan-tiongco (Golden Child)

 

Outstanding Sound Design                                            Shima Takesi  (Tosca) and J. Victor Villareal 
 (Golden Child)

 

Outstanding Set Design                                                  Loy Arcenas (Golden Child), Mel Bernardo
                                                                                    (Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang), and Mio Infante
                                                                                    (La Revolucion Filipina),

 

Outstanding Costume Design                                         Ron Alfonso (Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang).

                                                                                    Gino Gonzales (Golden Child) and Victor Ursabia 
 (La Revolucion Filipina)

 

 

 

 

Arts and Culture

Beauty begets beauty in Ballet Philippines gala PURPLE SHADES By Letty Jacinto-Lopez Updated November 03, 2008 12:00 AM   A lady visiting from Australia stood next to me and exclaimed, “Your Filipiniana gowns are so exquisite that they simply blow me away.”  She was right. There was this lady wearing a gown with a serpentina train made of natural, hand-woven fiber with a matching panuelo and accentuated by a suite of fine rubies. Soon, the lobby was bustling with guests and patrons dressed at their finest. This was Ballet Philippines’ (BP) fundraising gala to introduce the second program of the season dubbed as “New Beginnings.” BP president Ma-an Hontiveros introduced the honorary chairperson, Elizabeth Roxas-Dobrish, who was delighted to stir old memories. “As a child,” she said, “I ran around with Max Luna III on this very stage and we both dreamed of being dancers sharing a passion that grew steadily through the years.” When BP’s artistic directors, Alex Luna III and Alan Hineline, appeared on stage, the audience laughed to see them exchange “high fives” like precocious youngsters. Their hearts were in the right places.     Alan defined dance as to “leap, to soar and if only for a moment, to fly.” He said, “Like ballet, it was a little of pageantry, a ‘chorégraphie’ of spirit, a richness of soul and a sanctuary that embraced fervor and discipline.” There was also the unavoidable obligation of managerial work and fund-raising that demanded equal time and attention from the artists. Fortunately, the company found an untiring advocate in Sofia Zobel-Elizalde, a former alumnus herself and now, the company’s gala chairperson.  She would strike a good balance between the artistic and the business side of running the company. For Alex, dance shaped his ideals even when he was the youngest member of the company; returning to his artistic roots has provided him a unique opportunity to share the experience of “celebrating all the quality of what’s best in the Filipino.” The program opened with Alvin Ailey’s Night Creatures with music by jazz legend, Duke Ellington. The stage was awash in blue, as blue as the “blues,” in jazz parlance. The dancers moved to the pulse of the music, which I thought was sensual and flirtatious. The main dancers, Georgette Sanchez and Patrick Rebullida, led the entire ballet corps to the “point-your-toes-wiggle-your-shoulders-and-bump-your-hips” routine making jazz look so easy and sinuous on stage. Art patroness, Imelda O. Cojuangco, sponsored this performance.    Max Luna’s The Hurt We Embrace featured a huge gilded frame as the backdrop with two giant lamps that illuminated a man and a woman sitting on separate chairs. The woman moved with pure lamentation consumed by anguish.  Whenever she approached the man (danced by Biag Gaongen) seeking comfort, he carried her back to her chair as if to say, “You cannot escape from this torment.” Inno Sotto designed a black, slinky dress for dancer Camille Ordinario with a second skirt in deep red. Clearly, it was unreciprocated passion heightened by the mournful sound of the cello and the piano.  The third program featured Max Luna’s Mga Awit with music by Michael Dadap and performed by a full ensemble featuring tenor Pablo Molina, pianist J Greg Zuniega, and cellist Ed Pasamba. The stage was set with panels of different layers of sheer nets and the men wore full-length black satin pleated skirts similar to those worn by the Japanese samurai. It was a “men rule” choreography that showed the strength and the agility of the male dancers. The conspicuous absence of their female counterparts proved that male dancers could hold the stage on their own; it was their moment of glory. Max, I miss the male dancer opening the door for his ballerina, so don’t make this a habit, okay?      Alan Hineline’s Thresholds II served as the finalé with music by US composer Jerome Begin. This ballet and score had its debut at the Dayton Ballet Ohio shortly before Alan moved to Manila, therefore fresh and hot from Alan’s repertory. I noticed that at the left side of the stage, a row of engines or machinery of some sort stuck out in full view of the audience. Was this part of the stage design? The dancers wore elastic spandex similar to those worn in aquatic sports. Not wanting to plough through a multitude of interpretations, I decided to go straight to the “source.” Alan said, “I like to challenge the audience” (…and keep them alert?). He also wanted to leave lots of room on stage for the dancers and strip the formality of scenery and props; thus, no attempt was made to hide the theatre’s belly. So much for curiosity. I focussed on the dance and I entertained vicarious images of “winging” high with BP’s “esprit de corps.” Now who wouldn’t feel good about this evening? Elizabeth Roxas-Dobrish mentioned that in order for art to flourish, it would need the support of people who could pass on this vision of beauty. The four works that were presented at the gala were clear examples of beauty begetting beauty. Pass it on. * * * “New Beginnings” is the second presentation of Ballet Philippines on its 39th season. Call Ballet Philippines at 551-0221/1003; 832-3689/6011, e-mail info@balletphilippines.org, or visit www.balletphilippines.org View previous articles of this column.

 (photo by V. Ursabia)
Monday, October 13, 2008
 
La Revolucion Filipina in
the post-People Power age
Viewing a historical dance play with the benefit of hindsight
By Rome Jorge, Lifestyle Editor
 
Dance is the most challenging of the theater arts; it is to tell your story though movement. But this challenge is ballet’s strength as well. A language rendered in dance, when crafted and executed well, is intuitive—able to transcend language and culture differences with a vocabulary that is visceral, timeless and sublime all at once. Hence, it ought to be instinctively self-explanatory even to audiences a decade later.
Agnes Locsin’s La Revolucion Filipina is an example of her Neo Ethnic contemporary dance. Contemporary dance, featuring a language crafted by the choreographer, differs from classical and neo classical ballet which use French pantomime to tell its tale. Now, 11 years after Locsin first premiered La Revolucion, we appreciate her work in a new light.
 La Revolucion involves quite a few speaking lines from the dancers—uncommon even in today’s contemporary dance works. In a recent press conference, Locsin noted that when she first staged it a decade ago, La Revolucion dancers were initially terrified of their lines. But today’s dancers, a few of whom have theater backgrounds, relish using vocal chords as well as their brawn and grace.
Locsin wisely anticipated the limitations of weaving speaking lines into dance. She avoids dialogue during movement—to avoid dancers being out of breath and the oscillation of their voice as they turn and twirl. Nonetheless, the inclusion of any speaking lines begs the question: if dance can offer audiences a dance language that it instinctively understands, would any speaking lines be superfluous?
Certain narratives fit certain genres. While most classical ballet tell fairytales and today’s contemporary dance narrate stories of inner conflict, La Revolucion attempts to tell a complex historical story. Locsin’s La Revolucion Filipina is as brave and daring as it was 11 years ago.
Just as with opera and other centuries-old theater arts with much cultural baggage, ballet demands that its audience learn the context of the dance before performance—at least read the synopsis and notes on the program. But La Revolucion is highly didactic. Many of the lines are seemingly monologues directed at the audience. La Revolucion has a lot to say. For today’s audiences too young to have watched its premier, La Revolucion is as necessary and as relevant as ever.
Young Bohemian audiences, nurtured on independent contemporary dance performances as well as rock ‘n roll, will not be attracted to La Revolucion by its lost novelty. Rather, they will simply enjoy it for its artistry and narrative. Ultimately, ballet dancers ought to be judged as actors and choreographers as storytellers. And if that be the criteria and today’s youths be the judge, La Revolucion Filipina rocks.