View source for Ballet Philippines

{{Short description|Arts center in Metro Manila, Philippines}}
{{Multiple issues|{{more citations needed|date=March 2021}}{{advert|date=March 2021}}}}{{Infobox ballet company|name=Ballet Philippines|founded=1969|founder=[[Alice Reyes]]|venue=[[Tanghalang Pambansa]] <br/> [[Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex|Cultural Center of the Philippines]] <br/> Manila, Philippines|website=[https://www.ballet.ph/ www.ballet.ph]|official_school=CCP Dance School|artistic_director=Alice Reyes|previous_names=Cultural Center of the Philippines Dance Company}}
'''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,<ref name="The Ballet Company">Jacinto, J. 2007. The Ballet Company: A Philippine Experience Through Repertoire. MA Thesis. University of the Philippines.</ref> the company synthesizes diverse dance <ref name="Bong-2011" /> and movement forms into distinctively Filipino contemporary expressions. These include [[classical ballet]], [[avant-garde]] [[choreography (dance)|choreography]], traditional and modern dance, [[martial arts]], and aerial movements. {{citation needed|date=May 2016}}

As the resident dance company of the [[Cultural Center of the Philippines]],<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=http://culturalcenter.gov.ph/programs/ballet-philippines/ |title=Ballet Philippines |publisher=Cultural Center of the Philippines |access-date=2017-09-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170926143021/http://culturalcenter.gov.ph/programs/ballet-philippines/ |archive-date=2017-09-26 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="MikaFabella2016">{{cite news|url=http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/artandculture/571771/master-pieces-a-collage-of-hits-from-ballet-philippines-repertoire/story/ |title=Dance review: 'Master Pieces' a collage of hits from Ballet Philippines repertoire |last=Fabella |first=Mika |authorlink=Mika Fabella |work=GMA News Online |date=2016-06-29}}</ref> Ballet Philippines is the country's flagship company in ballet and contemporary dance.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ballet Philippines: a rare gem |url=https://bachtrack.com/article-ballet-philippines-november-2016 |access-date=2023-01-09 |website=bachtrack.com |language=en}}</ref> The company has been praised for its strong dance foundation and for the flexibility of style and exciting sense of [[theater]].<ref>Logarta, Michele T. (2000, May 29). The Story of Ballet Philippines. ''The Philippine Star''. Retrieved from: http://www.newsflash.org/2000/05/sb/sb001237.htm</ref>

Each year, outreach and educational programs introduce audiences to dance,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.philstar.com/good-news/2015/01/05/1409429/whealth-treats-orphans-ballet-philippines-presentation-cinderella |title=Whealth treats orphans to a Ballet Philippines presentation of Cinderella |work=The Philippine Star |date=2015-01-05}}</ref> music, and visual art. BP's official school is the '''CCP Dance School'''.

With over 400 works, Ballet Philippines' repertory is unparalleled in Asia,<ref name=":0" /> from full-length classical ballets and internationally recognized masterworks to indigenous works of Filipino folklore and social issues.<ref name=":0" />

==History==
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 invited a number of foreign teachers and performers 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).<ref name="Times2014">{{cite news|url=http://www.manilatimes.net/mother-philippine-contemporary-dance/117712/ |title=The mother of Philippine contemporary dance |work=The Manila Times |date=2014-08-09}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Times2014"/> This later evolved into CCP Dance Company, which eventually became Ballet Philippines.<ref name="Times2014"/>

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 of 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==
*[[Alice Reyes]], National Artist for Dance<ref name="Proclamation no. 807">By the president of the Philippines. ""Proclamation no. 807""</ref> (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)
*Alice Reyes (2017-2020)
*Mikhail "Misha" Martynyuk (2020-Present)

==Notable alumni==
*{{Interlanguage link multi|Candice Adea|nl}}
*Jean Marc Cordero

==See also==
*[[Georgette Sanchez]]

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="Bong-2011">{{cite web|url=http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/insideOpinion.htm?f=2011/august/15/bongaustero.isx&d=2011/august/15 |title=A splendid production |last=Bong |first=Austero |work=Manila Standard Today |date=2011-08-15 |quote=... Ballet Philippines’ restaging of ''Encantada'', [[Agnes Locsin]]’s dance masterpiece. ...showcasing various local myths, traditions, and rituals. ... In ''Encantada'', Agnes Locsin fused together classical ballet techniques with stylized Filipino ethnic movements.}}</ref>
}}

==External links==
*{{Official website|name=Ballet Philippines}}

{{Ballet companies}}
{{Cultural Center of the Philippines}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:1969 establishments in the Philippines]]
[[Category:Arts organizations established in 1969]]
[[Category:Ballet companies in the Philippines]]
[[Category:Culture in Manila]]
[[Category:Organizations based in Manila]]