Philippine dance

(Manila Ladies in Procession). 1968. Modem ballet in one act. Choreography, Julie Borromeo; composer, Julio Nakpil; costume design, Marcella Lopez; lighting design, Theatrical Services. Premiered by Dance Theater Philippines (DTP) on 1 Oct 1968 at the Philarnlife Au- ditorium. Cast: Tina Santos, Eddie Elejar, Felicitas Layag- Radaic, Jun Dalit, Susan Vasquez, Julie Borromeo, Ely Rogado. A much revised version was rechoreographed by Borromeo in 1979 for DTP's tour of England and Scotland in the course of the 11th International Festival of Youth Orchestras and Performing Arts. The 1979 cast: Josette Salang, Ricardo Ella, Victor Madrona, Loy Molina, Sophia Radaic, Eric Cruz, Irene Sabas, Rupert Acuna. A divertissement ballet in one act, it is "abstract in design" but "recaptures the spirit of Spanish-influenced Filipino social life in the previous century. It is a ballet of moods highlighted by variations for four (i.e., for women and for men), partly characteristic ensemble work, and three featured pas de deux . . . The zagalas are dressed in national costumes stylized into classic (i.e., ballet) form." The 1979 version retains the dances of the corps (entrada) and the respective dances for the male and for the female corps members, but these are now more elaborately patterned. In the same manner, the old pas de deuxes are changed: the first one becomes a pas de quatre with three zagalas and one zagala often lifted spectacularly; the second, to the melodious "Recuerdos de Capiz" (Memor- ies of Capiz), is disarmingly simple with its nostalgic gestures and alternating solos; the third pas de deux is brisk and virtuosic, leading to the company coda. To the original fans of the corps, there are added scarves that form interesting patterns. Its balletic style and native flavoring are evocative of the era's dance styles including the polka, valse, and other Spanish dances that have become 'Filipi- nized'. Some essential characteristics of Philippine dances are highly visible in the fusion of ballet steps with the sway and sweep of arms and the gestures culled from folk dances. The peculiar coyness of the Filipina female of that period shines through, as does the male's gentle gallantry. Hands and arms are forever communicating as the male and female dancers seem to be playing ritualistic games of shy love. In 1968, Anthony Morli wrote, "Deriving inspira- tion from the polkas, marches, and waltzes of Julio Nakpil, evocative of the last years of the 19th century in Manila, Julie Borromeo designed an abstract roman- tic ballet blanc, fusing native dance idioms with ballet steps and spectacular lifts to a not unhappy blend of the two styles. The ensemble work contrasted well with the several pas de deux." • B.E.S. Villaruz

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ARTISTS

ABOITIZ, MARIBEL b. Manila ca 1940. Dancer. Her parents are Dr and Mrs Jose Aboitiz. She trained in ballet with Kaethe Hauser, Luva Adameit, Remedios de Oteyza, Anita Kane, and Ricardo Cassell. She also took classes with Alexandra Danilova, Michael Maule, Leon Danelian, and Lew Christensen. Abroad she trained with Olga Preobrajenska, Felia Doubrovska, Anatole Oboukoff, Pierre Vladimiroff, Boris Kniaseff, Jarijs Plucis, Edward Caton, Mesdames Nora Kiss and Rosanne. With Eddie Elejar, she per- formed in Madrid, Barcelona, Hong Kong, and Zurich with the Juan Tena company. She also performed in Manila in the full-evening productions of Giselle, 1961, and Swan Lake, 1962. She danced in the Philippine premiere of "The Shades" Act of La Bayadere in 1961. In the grand pas de deux, she danced contrasting roles, as the elegant Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty and as the fiery Kitri in Don Quixote. During her brief dancing career in Manila, Aboitiz was considered to be a dancer of great flair and attrac- tion. After her marriage, she retired and has since lived in Spain. • B.E.S. Villaruz

ACUNA, RUPERT DE LOS SANTOS b. Manila 15 Jun 1951. Dancer, costume, set designer. His par- ents are dancer Alita de los Santos and Emiliano Acuna. He graduated with a degree in interior design from the University of the Philippines College of Horne Economics in 1975. He trained in ballet with Vella Damian and Eric Cruz whose Dance Concert Company (DCC) he later led as premier danseur. He also trained with William Morgan, and with guest teachers Jean Deroc, Tina Santos, Gary Wahl, and Mannie Rowe. He performed with DCC in Guam, and with Dance Theater Philippines, of which he was a frequent guest, in London, Aberdeen, and Hong Kong. He danced in several productions, including Le Corsaire, Don Quixote, Paquita, Swan Lake, and La Bayadere, and in Eric Cruz's ballets as Don Jose in Carmen, Jason in Medea, Conde de Luna in La Gitana, and Armand Duval in Camille. He also danced feature roles in Remedios de Oteyza-Eric Cruz's Haunted Ballroom, and in Spartacus and Panaginip (Dream). He has teamed up with many leading ballerinas, including Vella Damian, Felicitas Layag-Radaic, Irene Sabas,

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ADAMEIT, LUVA (Lubov Adameit) aka Madame Adameit b. 27 Sept 1895 d. 7 Jan 1948. Dancer, teacher, choreographer. She was a Polish woman who first came to the Philippines in 1922 as a member of Anna Pavlova's company. She settled in Manila in 1927, and with her manager-impresario G. Leibovitz and pianist Ivan Sitnik, she set up the Cosmopolitan Ballet and Dancing School on Pennsylvania street, San Marcelino in Manila. She also taught ballet at the Phi- lippine Women's University. Adameit trained the first generation of Philippine ballet teachers and choreographers, including Leonor Orosa-Goquingco, Remedios de Oteyza, Rosalia Merino-Santos, Inday Gaston-Manosa, Joji Felix- Velarde, Chloe Cruz-Romulo, and Pacita Madrigal- Warns. One of them, Fely Franquelli, made a name abroad as a professional solo artist in the 1930s. Also among her pupils were Mitos Sison, Cecile Yulo, Mita Pardo de Tavera, Helen McMicking, and the Perfecto sisters. She taught many international character dances, then very much a part of ballet theater presentations. Annually she took a theme-a nature motif or a geo- graphical focus, like the fad for pseudo-orientalism-- for her recitals. Later this approach was followed by her pupils in their own school recitals. She also initiated the balletic stylization of Filipino dances, presenting dances in maria clara and regional costumes, as in Planting Rice and Carifwsa. Aside from venues like the Manila Grand Opera House, the Metropolitan Theater was a center of her annual recitals before WWil. During her retirement, she was cared for by one of her faithful pupils, Esperanza Santos, aunt to dancer and teacher Edgar Valdez. • B.E.S. Villaruz

AIKO, JESS (Jesus Ramon Ayco) d. 2. May 1981. Choreographer, painter, director. Aiko designed for dance and drama presentations, and choreographed dances in Bacolod, iloilo, and Cebu. He was involved in the Kayumanggi Folk Dance Troupe from the 1950s through the 1960s, the Negros Occidental Dance Troupe (NODT) in the 1970s, and in the Kaanyag Pilipinas Dance Company, formerly the West Negros College Dance Company, in the 1980s. As artistic director of the NODT, he worked with dance directors Elsie Yelo-Enriquez and Virgie Gallespen. Under his direction, they strung together Philippine folk dances into theatrical wholes, like The Lost Earring, and Fiesta which included another original treatment of Alejandro Races' story, ''The Cock- fight." In 1965, he staged Scintilla that fused Philippine folklore, stories, music, and choreography, and in 1966, the dance drama Igpat sang Bulawan (Glow of Gold), about the barter of Negros and Panay that antedated the Dularawan-Gintong Salakot (Drama-Tableau-Golden Salakot) in Manila. He was also involved with Visayan theater groups in plays and musicals. He staged Oklahoma in Bacolod, Sound of Music and Carousel in iloilo, and The King and I in Cebu. He produced and directed Medea and Oscar Wilde's Salome, among others. He also designed for most of the dance productions of Bacolod' s choreog- rapher Lydia Madarang-Gaston, and for the first Asian tour of the Barangay Folk Dance Troupe in the 1960s. Aiko was one of Bacolod's leading painters. Noted for his drip technique, he exhibited nationally, at the Philippine Art Gallery and the Solidaridad Galleries in Manila, among others. He also observed the art and theater scenes in Europe and Asia. • B.E.S. Villaruz

ALCORIZA, }AMIN Active 1950-1960. Dancer, choreographer. He trained with Remedios de Oteyza and danced in her productions as well as those of Paul Szilard and Trudl Dubsky-Zipper. Noted for his "Bluebird" in Sleeping Beauty, he was acknowledged as a ballet virtuoso in the 1950s. In association withAl Quinn, Jack Jacinto, Arturo Zamora, Rally Calvo, Chito Feliciano, and Shirley Santos- Lang, he was a member of the Modernaires. The group danced mostly his choreographies for television, stage shows, and charity shows. He also choreographed for the movies with Sampaguita Pictures. He was chosen to dance as the male attendant to the princess in Singkil, for Steve Parker's Philippine Festival in Las Vegas in 1961. Staying on in the United States, he continued to dance for the Philippine Dance Company of New York and other groups, and later turned to book designing. • B.E.S. Villaruz

ALEJANDRO

ALEJANDRO, REYNALDO GAMBOA aka Ronnie Alejandro b. Manila 11 Oct 1944. Dancer, choreog- rapher, essayist. His parents are Jacinto Alejandro and Arsenia Gamboa. He graduated with a bachelor of arts from Ateneo de Manila University in 1963, and earned a master of arts in library science from the University of the Philippines (UP). Then he left for further studies in the United States in 1969. He has performed, choreographed, and taught throughout the Philippines. He had a stint with Fili- pinescas in 1964. He won awards for best choreogra- phy in the Philippine National Songfests of 1967 and 1968, and was resident choreographer of Philippine Educational Theater Association Kalinangan Ensemble. In New York, Alejandro became artistic director choreographer of the Philippine Dance Company, 1969-1981; founder-artistic director-choreographer of Reynaldo Alejandro Dance Theater, 1974-1981, and 1991 to the present; and, at various times, choreog- rapher for the All Nations Dance Company, founder of Dance Pantomime Theater of the Philippines, artistic director of Pagsamba Dance Ensemble, and co-founder and choreographer of the Asian New Dance Coalition. Among his works are, with Roberto Caballero, The Legend of Sarimanok for Hariraya Dance Company, Sisa, and Kay Selya (To Celia). Abroad, he has done Sayaw Silangan (Dances of the East) series I-VI, 1975-1980, and the Bagong Salta (The Immigrant) dance series, 1980-1981. He is the author of Sayaw Silangan, 1972, and Philippine Dance: Mainstreams and Crosscurrents, 1978. Alejandro has served in the council of advisers for foreign countries of the Congress of Research in Dance. He contributes to the International Dance En- cyclopedia and to various journals in the United States on dance and theater. He is a member of the board of the Dance Perspectives Foundation, New York. He has also authored several books on Asian cooking and on restaurants. Fellowships and awards include the Asia Founda- tion fellowship in dance, 1969; the Creative Artists Public Service Fellowship in choreography, 1974; Ten Outstanding Young Men or TOYM, 1974; COR- MOSEA grant, 1975; Outstanding Filipino Overseas Award in Arts, Manila, 1978; Distinguished Service Award, New York Jaycees, 1978; and a New York Council on the Arts grant, 1979. He was named one of the Outstanding Young Men in America in 1980, and cited in Who's Who in the East, 1986, and Who's Who of Emerging Leaders in America, 1987. He is the reci- pient of the Parangal ng Lahi-Medal of Excellence and a citation as outstanding UP alumnus, both in 1987. • B.E.S. Villaruz

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ARANDEZ, PROSPERIDAD MIJARES b. Kalibo, Aklan 1 Jan 1924. Dancer, teacher. Born to Cornelio Arandez and Francisca Mijares, both of Capiz, she showed interest in dancing while still in elementary school. She learned to dance the pukol, tinikling (Capiz version), cariitosa, and escotis from the old folk. She finished her elementary teacher's course at the Philippine Normal College in 1947. She obtained a certificate in physical education from the National Col- lege of Physical Education (NCPE) in 1955, a bachelor of science in education from the Centro Escolar Uni- versity in 1956, and an master of arts in education from the University of the Philippines (UP) in 1978 on a UP-Bureau of Public Schools scholarship. Arandez rose from being an elementary school teacher to become supervisor and chief of the elementary physical education services of the Division

of City Schools of Manila. Through the division's Teachers Dance Group, she helped promote apprecia- tion for Philippine dances in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Laguna, Rizal, and Baguio City. She is currently working on a series of books on physical education, health, and music for secondary schools. She retired from the government service in 1989, and now teaches at the NCPE. Arandez has been very active in the Philippine Folk Dance Society, which she served as secretary, vice-president, and president. Continually involved in the group's national workshops, she has documented dances, and conducted lectures and seminars. She was the first chairperson of the National Committee on Dance of the Presidential (now National) Commission on Culture and the Arts in 1987. She is also the Philip- pine representative to the Council of Representatives of the International Association of Physical Education and Sports for Girls and Women. Arandez has received numerous awards and grants, among them the Teacher of the Year Award from the Manila Division of City Schools, and observation grants to Japan, Germany, and the United States. • B.E.S. Villaruz

ARANETA CoLISEUM DANCE GROUP Founded in 1959, the group made its debut on 4 May 1960. It was a dream of businessman J. Amado Araneta who envisioned the group to serve as an exchange program for professional folk dancers. After a month of auditions, it was organized by Corazon Generoso- liligo with 50 members, with principal dancers from the Barangay Folk Dance Troupe, Bayanihan Philip- pine Dance Company, and Far Eastern University, and University of the East dance groups. In its inaugural show, highly applauded were The Muslim, a suite of Mindanao dances, "Kuntao Silat," "Pangalay," "Tiruray," and "Kapiil sa Munsala," and the finale, the "Planting Rice Suite." In the second production with the Zugspitz Artisten, a company of 20 German acrobats, the group danced a Bavarian folk dance together with a suite of Spanish-influenced dances, staged arena style. This format was continued in Pageant of World Beauties with Binasuan, Bali-Hai and Show Business. The group later veered toward dances in Western theme and style. When Generoso- liiigo moved to Davao, the Coliseum staged dances with other director-choreographers on a contractual basis. After a while, dancers were just hired on call- until 1966. • C.G. liiigo

ARNALDO-REYES

ARNALDO-REYES, }OSEFA b. Iloilo City 19 Apr 1932. Dancer, teacher. Arnaldo-Reyes is the daughter of Ramon Arnalda, a congressman, and Josefa Ava- ricio. She is married to Benjamin Reyes (Benny Villa- nueva) and has a son, Andre Reyes, who is a principal dancer of the San Francisco Ballet. At age five, she trained in piano with Tuding del Rosario, mother of pianist Nena del Rosario-Villanueva. In 1955, she re- ceived a degree in music, major in piano, from St Scholastica's College. While in college, she also stu- died ballet at the Manila Ballet Academy. She danced in several ballets by Ricardo and Roberta Cassell. After graduation, she moved to Davao where she taught piano at the Immaculate Conception College and ballet at the Philippines Women's University. Back in Manila in 1956, she married Reyes and together they opened a school and formed a performing group which went on provincial tours, and appeared regularly on the televi- sion show Caltex Star Caravan. In 1961, she and her husband moved to San Fran- cisco, California where they taught at the San Francis- co Conservatory of Ballet and Theater Arts; danced principal parts in San Francisco Ballet Celeste, the school's performing arm; and became members of the San Francisco Opera Ballet and of the San Francisco Ballet. She danced in the works of Lew Christensen and Carlos Carvajal, and was principal dancer and co-artistic director of Santa Clara Ballet. In between her performances, she studied in New York at the American Ballet Theater School, Robert Jaffrey's American Ballet Center, David Howard's Dance Center, the Darvash Ballet School, and the In- ternational School in Jackson, Mississippi. She also studied under teachers such as Natalia Dudinskaya, Konstantin Sergeyev, Sophia Golovkina, Dina Bjorn, and Kirsten Ralov. She also took up graduate studies at the San Francisco State University and San Carlos State University, and studied theater arts in San Jose. Among her major roles are the principal parts in The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Giselle, Coppelia, and Pas de Quatre. Also in her repertoire are the grand pas de deux from Don Quixote and Swan Lake. She has choreographed Amadeus and co- choreographed in the Santa Clara Ballet productions of The Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty, and Giselle. • B.E.S. Villaruz

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ARTISTS

BALCENA, JOSE BORRO b. Loctugan, Capiz 19 Dec 1926. Dancer, teacher. He was born to Pedro Balcena and Ana Borro. He is married to Consolacion Alovera with whom he has two daughters. He finished his elementary and high school in Roxas City, then went to the Far Eastern University and the National College of Physical Education. In 1967, he received a University of the Philippines Bureau of Public Schools scholarship. Rising through the ranks in public educa- tion, he is now the physical education and school sports supervisor in the Division of Roxas City, De- partment of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS) Region VI. An industrious researcher on Visayan dances, Balcena has found 19 dances in Roxas City and Capiz alone. The timawa, one of the most popular, is in- cluded in Francisca Reyes-Aquino's Philippine Folk Dances, the sixth volume. The others in the same series are pukol (Vol III); escotis and tinolabong (Vol V); and binhi, dagit-dagit, and saad (Vol VI). He has also contributed dances to the annual folk dance work- shops of the Philippine Folk Dance Society, the Folk Arts Theater, and the Cultural Center of the Philip- pines. These are: palominta coquitaiia, habanera capiceiia, hoy alibangbang, and pahid, 1985; pamurong-surong and despedida, 1986; pitik ming- aw, 1987; beneracion, 1990; and cuchara capiceiia and karansa, 1991. As director and choreographer of the Kasadyahan Teachers Dance Group, Balcena also participates in the cultural projects of the Rotary Club of Roxas City and in the Halaran Festival of Capiz, held every December. For his efforts to promote Philippine dances, he has been honored with the Datu Puti Award, the DECS Region VI Award (for his researches and co-authorship of Bulawanon nga Panublion, one of the Bayan Muna series), and the Halaran Award of Capiz. • P.M. Arandez

BALLET ARTS STUDIO DANCE GROUP A performing arm of the Ballet Arts Studio that was run by Sony Lopez-Gonzalez and Joji Felix-Velarde, later solely by Lopez-Gonzalez, in the early 1960s. It had associations until 1964 with the Manila Metropolitan Opera and Ballet Association, and with the Ballet Phi- lippines.

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BALLET FEDERATION OF THE PHILIPPINES (BFP) Immediately after the success of the First National Ballet Festival in March 1976, co-chaired by Vella Damian and Basilio Esteban S. Villaruz, the heads and dancers of the participating groups formed the federation and elected their officers, with Eddie Elejar as president. The annual festival continued until1978 and grew to include regional participation. Full-length ballets in- cluded Giselle with Maniya Barreda and Burton Taylor, 1977; Coppelia with Irene Sabas!Josette Salang and Benjie Toledo/Luther Perez; Cinderella (William Morgan-Serge Prokofiev) with Tina Santos and Gary Wahl, both in 1978; and La Fille Mal Gardee (Fernand Nault-P.L. Hertel) with Maniya Barreda and Joseph Carman, 1979. It also produced Filipino Choreographic Concepts in 1978, featuring original works by Eric Cruz, Antonio Fabella, and Eddie Elejar. The BFP published until 1979 the bimonthly Sayaw Silangan that started as a newsletter and was edited by Villaruz. It also launched Reynaldo Alejandro's book Philippine Dance: Mainstream and Crosscurrents in 1978. With the German Cultural Center, British Council, and US embassy, it presented visiting artists and held seminars and exhibitions in the provinces. The seminars were conducted by Jean Deroc, Tina Santos, Gary Wahl, Florrie Sinclair, Benjamin Reyes, and Josefa Arnaldo-Reyes. The federation has formally recognized the achievements and contributions to Philippine dance of Luva Adameit, Ricardo Cassell, Anita Kane, Leonor Orosa-Goquingco, Remedios de Oteyza, Trudl Dubsky-Zipper, Manolo Rosado, Fe Sala-Villarica, Paul Szilard, Ruben Nieto, and Rosalia Merino-Santos. Within its short period of existence, BFP unified attention and efforts for the promotion of ballet in the Philippines. Its membership and their participation were national in scope. It was supported by the Folk Arts Theater and the Philippine National Bank. It dis- banded in 1980. • B.E.S. Villaruz