Ballet Philippines

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Ballet Philippines (BP) is a ballet company in the Philippines founded in 1969 by Alice

Reyes with the support of Eddie Elejar and the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
Proficient in both ballet and modern dance,[1] the company synthesizes diverse dance
and movement forms,[2] from classical ballet to avant-garde choreography,
from traditional dance to modern dance, from martial arts to aerial movements, into
distinctively Filipino contemporary expressions. [citation needed]
As the resident dance company of the Cultural Center of the Philippines,[3][4] Ballet
Philippines is recognized[by whom?] as the country's flagship company in ballet and
contemporary dance.[citation needed] The company has been cited[by whom?] for its strong dance
foundation, flexibility of style and exciting sense of theater.[5]
Each year outreach and educational programs introduce audiences to dance, [6] to music,
and to visual art. BP's official school is the CCP Dance School.
With over 400 works, Ballet Philippines' repertory is unparalleled in Asia, [according to whom?] from
full-length classical ballets and internationally recognized masterworks to indigenous
works of Filipino folklore and social issues. [citation needed]

Contents

 1History
 2Artistic directors
 3Notable alumni
 4See also
 5References
 6External links

History[edit]
The american colonization paved the way for the introduction of ballet in the Philippines.
In 1915, distinguished ballet dancer Paul Nijinsky performed classical ballet at the
Manila Hotel Roof Garden (Dimalanta, 2006)
In 1927, Luva Adameit came to the Philippines and started a ballet school. She trained
the first few ballet dancers in the country. Her dancers, Sur les pointes, were inspired by
local dances like the Planting Rice, Carinosa, and the Maria Clara that eventually
influenced Leonor Orosa Goquingco.
From then on, ballet has thrived in the country and brought a number of foreign
teachers and performers to perform and teach as well. It paved the way to "a receptive
outlook towards the artistic values of the art form" (Alejandro, 1983). The institution that
eventually became Ballet Philippines was first conceived in 1969, with the opening of
the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP).[7] It was initially conceived by dancer-
choreographers Alice Reyes (now a National Artist of the Philippines for dance), Eddie
Elejar, and Tony Fabella as the CCP Summer Dance Workshop.[7] This later evolved into
CCP Dance Company, which eventually became Ballet Philippines. [7]
In February 1970, the Alice Reyes Modern Dance Company premiered its debut
performance at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Its original members included
dancers from the Bayanihan Dance Company, U.E. Dance Troupe and Dance Theater
Philippines. In April that year, recognizing the available time and space at the CCP as
well as the need to train more dancers, the company introduced the first CCP Summer
Dance Workshop which would eventually be held annually, training two to four hundred
students each year in classical and modern dance. That same year, the CCP Dance
Workshop and Company was launched with Alice Reyes and Eddie Elejar as Artistic
Directors.

Artistic directors[edit]
 Alice Reyes, National Artist for Dance[8] (1969–1989)
 Denisa Reyes (1991–1994/2000-2004)
 Agnes Locsin (1995–1996/1999-2000)
 Cecile Sicangco (1996–1999)
 Noordin Jumalon (1999–2000)
 Alden Lugnasin (2004)
 Agustus "Bam" Damian III (2004–2008)
 Alan Hineline and Max Luna III (2008–2009)
 Paul Alexander Morales (2009–2017)
 Present: Alice Reyes