Cover Candice Adea in a 2017 performance of ‘Amada’, which will be restaged by ARDP with Aldea reprising the titular role on April 4 to 5 (Photo: Jojo Mamangun)
Candice Adea in a 2017 performance of ‘Amada’, which will be restaged by ARDP with Aldea reprising the titular role on April 4 to 5 (Photo: Jojo Mamangun)
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Alice Reyes Dance Philippines (ARDP) is showcasing its company’s versatility, utmost discipline, and alluring grace through a repertoire comprising works of renowned choreographers
As it enters its fourth performance season, the Alice Reyes Dance Philippines (ARDP) restages one of its founder’s remarkable works, alongside other pieces in its well of repertoire to continue its commitment to elevating Philippine dance.
Ranging from classical ballet and neoclassical to modern and contemporary works, ARDP’s lineup for its upcoming show Pagdiriwang: Sayaw Alay sa Sining, on April 4 and 5 at the Globe Auditorium, Maybank Performing Arts Theater, promises audiences an unforgettable evening of dance and profound appreciate to this sensuous art form’s rigorous process.
Read more: Dancing Again: National Artist Alice Reyes talks about her new company
Above A scene from the 2017 performance of ‘Amada’ , featuring Candice Adea and Ronelson Yadao (Photo: Justin Alonte)
A scene from the 2017 performance of ‘Amada’ , featuring Candice Adea and Ronelson Yadao (Photo: Justin Alonte)
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Headlining the production’s programme is Amada, a masterful modern work in Filipino dance by National Artists Alice Reyes and Lucrecia Kasilag, with set and costume design by National Artist Salvador Bernal, and inspired by the short story Summer Solstice by National Artist Nick Joaquin.
Premiered in 1970, the dance adaptation of Summer Solstice features Don Rafael and Doña Amada, an aristocratic Catholic couple in Manila during the 19th Century. Their traditional, authoritative, and male-dominated relationship is suddenly shaken when it is touched by the Tadtarin, a ritual during the summer solstice in which women suddenly reign supreme while dark frenzied ceremonies celebrate death and resurrection.
Exploring the complexities of a scorned woman seeking validation and affection, Amada is a powerful, emotionally-charged piece. In the titular role is Candice Adea, a multi-awarded performer who earned first place in the Senior Women’s Division at the 2012 Helsinki International Ballet Competition, among many accolades here and abroad. Formerly the principal dancer of Ballet Philippines, soloist of Hong Kong Ballet, and soloist of the West Australian Ballet, she has portrayed lead roles in classical pieces like Swan Lake, Don Quixote, La Bayadère, and some contemporary pieces like Who Cares? and Light and Shadow, among others. Followers of Adea’s career might not want to miss her reprise of the role of Amada as this production commences her swan song.
Read more: Alice Reyes Dance Philippines’ restaging of ‘Carmina Burana’ was of epic proportions
Above A scene from ‘Songs of a Wayfarer’ (Photo: Justin Alonte)
A scene from ‘Songs of a Wayfarer’ (Photo: Justin Alonte)
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ARDP will also be performing Norman Walker’s romantic tragedy Songs of a Wayfarer, a modern dance interpretation of Gustav Mahler’s music. Premiered in 1973, this piece is the second major work of the renowned American director-choreographer for the CCP Dance Company.
Also on the lineup is master dancer-choreographer Denisa Reyes’s 1984 contemporary piece Muybridge/Frames, with set and costume design by Bernal. Inspired by the sequential photographic study of movements by famous photographer Eadweard Muybridge, this abstract ballet piece features dancers demonstrating through a series of poses like in a moving picture show.
Above A scene from Denisa Reyes’s ‘Muybridge/Frames’ (Photo: Louise Hagedorn)
A scene from Denisa Reyes’s ‘Muybridge/Frames’ (Photo: Louise Hagedorn)
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Dance enthusiasts are also up for a treat as ARDP will be performing some favourites like Moon (1994) by Taiwan-born performer-choreographer-educator Kun-Yang Lin, Nocturne (2013) by acclaimed dancer-teacher-choreographer Carlo Pacis, and Glinka’s Valse (2020) by prolific principal dancer and choreographer Adam Sage.
Meanwhile, ARDP is world premiering renowned Filipino dancer and choreographer Augustus ‘Bam’ Damian III’s newest work C’est La Cie. This neo-classical piece set in René Aubry’s music, is a captivating exploration into Damian’s neo-classical style vocabulary. Specifically designed for ARDP, the piece highlights the company’s technical prowess, artistry, and explosive energy.
A scene from Kun-Yang Lin’s ‘Moon’ (Photo: Justin Alonte)
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Proudly showcasing the range of styles that Filipino dancers can perform, ARDP’s repertoire is a brief masterclass on Philippine artistry and the physical demands of dance.
“We have classes that span eight hours every day, in person,” says ARDP founder Alice Reyes during the press preview of the upcoming production. “Dancers cannot take too much time off. There’s a tremendous demand on the physical body,” she continues.
The urgency for dancers to perform complicated pieces while they still can was also a consideration of the ARDP in producing mixed-bill productions. Having shows like Pagdiriwang, the company was able to provide opportunities for its members to portray beautiful roles of varying styles.
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For the past four seasons the ARDP has actively performed, not only in Metro Manila but in many other parts of the country, restaging pieces from its wealth of Filipino dance repertoire has provided the company the opportunity to restore almost lost choreography masterpieces. Relying on archival footage, photographs, and muscle memory of past performers due to the lack of preserved Labanotation, they were able to bring to new generations of theatregoers classics such as Encantada, Rama Hari, Carmina Burana, among many others.
This they continue to this day and part of the company’s commitment—to breathe life anew into the beloved dances commissioned for and premiered by Filipino dancers throughout the decades under the tutelage of Alice Reyes, fellow National Artist Agnes Locsin, and others like Edna Vida, Denisa Reyes, Nonoy Froilan, and many more.
ARDP’s Pagdiriwang: Sayaw Alay sa Sining will have shows on April 4 and 5, at 2pm and 7.30pm, at the Globe Auditorium, Maybank Performing Arts Theater, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. For tickets, visit ticketworld.com.ph.
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Before assuming the Art and Culture Editor position, Franz has always had a penchant for visual and performing arts. He is passionate about exploring and writing about the local cultural scene and rediscovering the country’s storied past and rich heritage. Besides working on this luxury lifestyle magazine, Franz is an avid book reader, local traveller, museum-goer, chorister, and community theatre playwright.
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Franz earned a degree in Journalism from the University of Santo Tomas. He writes about local visual and performing artists and their craft; drinks wines, liquors, and spirits and talks about the creativity of their respective winemakers and master blenders; tries to learn more about business and investments; respects the tradition and artistry that go behind the making of watches and jewellery; and appreciates the genius of architecture and creative design.
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