International Dance Day Festival puts Makati on global cultural stage
American Ballet Theatre (ABT) Studio Company principal dancers Thomas Forster and Christine Shevchenko will kick off this year’s International Dance Day Festival as it returns for its third year on April 22 at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit Makati.
Aside from ballet, the five-day program will also feature folk dance, street dance and contemporary works that reflect the event’s “richness and diversity of the global dance community.”
On April 23, Bayanihan, The National Folk Dance Company, PNU Kislap Sining Dance Troupe, UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe and Sindaw Philippines Performing Arts Guild will take the center stage during the Folk Dance Gala to celebrate the vibrant Filipino culture through traditional movement and storytelling.
Joining them are UP Filipiniana, Kaloob Philippine Music and Dance Ministry, ALUN-ALUN DANCE CIRCLE with Marikina Dance Guild, Likhang Sining Dance Company (Batangas), Perpetual Sanlahi Pangkat Mananayaw and Sining Tanglawan ng San Jose Del Monte Performing Group.
The next day, the Street Dance Gala will be mounted, “bringing together some of the most dynamic crews and performers in the local scene,” including Unrlvd, W3, Mixed Nuts and Eleven 11.
On April 25, the Ballet Gala will be staged, where Ballet Manila Inc., Philippine Ballet Theater, Ballet Philippines, Alice Reyes Dance Philippines, Steps Dance Studio and the Association of Ballet Academies in the Philippines will render their performances.
The program will conclude on April 26 with the Contemporary Gala, featuring Hiraya, UP Dance Company, Galaw.Co Dance Theater, Benilde Experimental Dance, Airdance, Daloy Dance Company, The Project DP, Rhosam Prudenciado, FEU Dance Company and Dance Forum.
Apart from the creative performances, festivalgoers can also attend a special lecture-demonstration for public school students by ABT Studio Company artistic director Sascha Radetsky. The free school presentation, which offers a behind-the-scenes look at how a performance comes to life, will take place at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater at 2 p.m.
Christine Rocas, répétiteur of the Joffrey Ballet and Gerald Arpino Foundation, will stage and teach excerpts from two of Gerald Arpino’s renowned pieces, underscoring the International Dance Day Festival’s commitment to cultural exchange.
The festival is presented by Ayala Land, Make it Makati, Circuit Makati and the Samsung Performing Arts Theater, with additional partnership support from Ayala Corporation and Steps Dance Foundation.
Steps Dance Studio founder and director Sofia Zobel Elizalde stressed at the presscon how important it is that Filipinos get exposed to all kinds of dances from other parts of the world.
“I think our standards here in the Philippines are amazing, it’s very high. But I think it’s also very good for us to see what’s going on in other parts of the world, and I believe that international dancers also love to come here and see what we’re doing and so I feel that International Dance Day brings all dancers together,” she said.
“We learn from one another. We learn locally. We see international dancers, especially (the) choreography. I think some of our choreographers here would agree that it gives us a chance to be exposed to them. They also see what we’re doing and it’s just a beautiful exchange of dance, just coming together and being very close to one another and it’s a big learning for everybody and it gives young students also a chance to see international dance companies come here.”
“I mean, it’s a real treat,” she remarked. “I find that International Dance Day Fest is a very exciting week for people who love dance. I personally try and come every night and I love it.”
Ayala Land project development manager for Makati Misha Quimpo, on the other hand, expressed how thrilled she is to be hosting the event for another year, noting that it contributes to positioning Makati City as a leading cultural and lifestyle destination.
“We are excited to host yet another International Dance Day Festival and events like these are very important to us,” she remarked. “In Makati, we really pioneer change and events like this really do something not just to the community that’s here in Circuit but also to the artists and creatives participating in this.”
She recalled being an athlete in her younger years and having had the opportunity to train overseas, which she said “broadens one’s horizons when you experience a different culture and how things are done.”
“And it works two ways for the artists that participate in this dance fest. One, they meet people from other cultures. And at the same time, people from the other cultures meet us and see what local Filipino talent really is,” she added.
“We are not just karaoke people, but we really have a whole gamut of talents to showcase. And for Makati, this really helps us with that position that we are a venue and a space where change happens.”
Elizalde and Quimpo were joined by chief culture and arts officer of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Arts and Education Department and Philippine Folk Dance Society Ronnie Mirabuena; dance, artist, choreographer and founder of Myra Beltran’s Dance Forum Myra Beltran and Samsung Performing Arts Theater managing director and Circuit Makati arts and culture manager Chris Mohnani during the presscon.
Members of Hiraya Contemporary Dance Company, Ballet Manila Inc., Mixed Nuts and Sindaw Philippines Performing Arts Guild also gave a glimpse of what to expect from their performances at the forthcoming festival.
(Get your tickets now at Ticketworld).
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