When there is joy, there is Dance!

CEBU, Philippines - Dance is always an important part of any occasion. Whether it is a simple get together, a formal function or a festival, dance is always present.

This is the reason behind the establishment of the Steps Dance Project.

Sofia Zobel Elizalde, director of the Steps Dance Studio, in a message, said that the Steps Dance Project, was borne our of numerous encounters over the years, with more and more people looking for something that will take their events and parties straight out of the conventional into the exceptional, and they have found it in dance.”

Ms. Elizalde is a former company member and soloist of Ballet Philippines. She is a registered teacher of the Royal Academy of Dance and is the Teachers’ Representative of the RAD Teachers’ Assocation of the Philippines. She also sits at the board of directors of Ballet Philippines.

The Steps Dance Project is a dance management group that handles dance-performance requirements of premier events in the country. The group is composed of top-caliber performers – professional dancers and top dance scholars of the Steps Scholarship Foundation – who ensure high quality performances. Aside from providing quality performances to events, the project also provides talented Filipino artists exposure and support.

The performers train at the Steps Dance Studio, one of the most innovative and creative dance studios in the country. Founded by Elizalde in 1994, the studio boasts of state-of-the-art facilities and highly trained instructors and follows the ballet program of the Royal Academy of Dance. The studio is designed to create an ideal learning environment and aims to be the best and most versatile dance establishments in the Philippines.

To reach out to young and talented Filipinos who love to dance but cannot afford training, Elizalde founded the Steps Scholarship Foundation in 2007 to give assistance to gifted Filipino dancers who want to have serious training in dance. The foundation has opened doors for many students to be accepted in professional local and international dance companies.

To showcase the talents of its scholars and to celebrate the school’s 16th year, the Steps has teamed up with Ayala Malls for the production of a one hour Christmas ballet concert that will feature the Steps scholars.

Steps scholars will perform at the Ayala Center Cebu on November 27 and 28 at 2pm and 5pm at the Activity Center. The performance will include Pinoy Christmas, choreographed by Steps dance project manager and in-house choreographer James Laforteza, and excerpts of The Nutcracker Ballet restaged by guest choreographer Jeffrey Espejo. (THE FREEMAN)