NEO-FILIPINO

The good thing about Ballet Philippines is that it's been around for forty years.
The sad part is that Pinoys aren't that used to watching Dance as an art form. Ballet Philippines has that tucked under its belt.

Forty years ago a rag-tag band of dancers got together for a workshop: Alice Reyes, Eddie Elejar, the late Tony Fabella. Together they put up the CCP Dance Company which was a resident company of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Madame Imelda Romualdez Marcos' shining beacon of an arts center.

Then came a series of Artistic Directors after Alice Reyes left the company to settle down abroad. Then came Agnes Locsin, Denisa Reyes, Bam Damian, Max Luna. Now it's Paul Morales in the director's chair.

If it's any indication of BP's path... then Neo-Filipino would be a pretty good indication of where it's headed. The works were amazing... I enjoyed watching the pieces of the new choreographers Nelson Yadao, Novy Bereber, and Ea Torado. Kudos goes to them... The were the jewels of the evening!

Cristine Crame,Dwight Rodrigazo, and Alden Lugnasin's pieces were to be expectedly good. They are after all, products of Agnes Locsin's modern ballet classes. They were thanksfully short and sweet. Perhaps the only attempt i did not understand, except for the final piece, was the costuming.

We understand that all the pieces were contemporary but all the costumes except Lugnasin's piece looked as though they were store-bought, off-the-rack numbers. The set was simple and direct. And I must say it added much to the theme of the dance concert.

The dancers were at their outstanding best. Even the scholars and apprentices performed at their most stunning form ever. Kudos to the dance training from Noordin Jumalon's BP Dance School.It was also nice to see Cristine Crame Santillan, Naomi Tolome and Annette Mariano dancing again.



I came to Neo-Filipino expecting nothing. It's best to do that when you're watching Ballet Philippines' productions. They are not known for cutting-edge, daring choreographies for nothing. I intend to see what's in store for the 41st concert season. And that's coming pretty soon...