My favorite Filipino dancers

Dance, Dances, Danced. Unfortunately, dance is something I can only conjugate. But to actually dance? I can’t even do that to save my life.

Dancing came to mind recently when I was invited to the press launch of Glow at the Powerdance Studio in Shangri-la mall. Glow is actually the first black light theater presentation in the Philippines.

Black light theatre–so I learned in the press conference–began in the Czech Republic in the early ’60s. It is presented by using ultraviolet or "black lights" on actors who are dressed in black –with their costumes illuminated by a creative interplay of lights and colors that glow in the dark.

Glow will be presented at the Onstage Theater in Greenbelt on Dec. 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, and 30 at 7:30 p.m. This dance show will follow an interesting story about a caterpillar named Glow and its adventures on earth.

Glow is directed by the famous choreographer Douglas who also conceptualized the story of this dance presentation.

With Douglas behind this production, Glow should be exciting to watch. A recipient of numerous awards in dance, he is regarded as one of the most important choreographers in the country today.

Directing for stage and television, I’ve already heard stories about Douglas being so strict and exacting. Well, this is to be expected from a great talent like him.

Since his standards are so high, I became curious enough to ask him for his list of 10 best dancers of all time in the local dance scene.

Here is his list: Nida Blanca, Nestor de Villa, Lito Calzado, Lally and Telly Aldeguer, Alice Reyes, Nonoy Frolan, Joy Coronel, Tony Fabella and Maniya Barredo.

* * *

Since we are talking about dance, I thought I might as well give my own list of favorite Filipino dancers – in spite of my little knowledge in this field.

(But hey, at least I would know how to appreciate a good terpsichorean act if I see one.)

I wish I coud put in my list the name of National Artist for Dance Francisca-Reyes-Aquino,expect that I never got to see any of her performances. Neither did I get to see Leonor Orosa Goguinco dance at her prime. And yes, I am sticking to those in mainstream entertainment because I am more familiar with them and their works. Here is my list:

Nida Blanca – I guess no one will dare argue that among our screen actresses, the late Nida Blanca was the best dancer among them. Born to dance (and act– and how great she was too in this field), she could still be dancing up a storm to this day had she not been brutally killed on that sad November day more than two years ago.

Nestor de Villa – If there was a Nida, then there’s a Nestor. Together, they made up the best dancing pair ever on the big screen and, later, on TV. Oh, how they lit up the screen in those LVN movies and in the ’60s, during the opening segment of The Nida-Nestor Show in the old ABS-CBN.

Pancho Magalona – A great actor and a good singer, the late Pancho Magalona was also excellent as a dancer–especially with his favorite dancing partner Tita Duran, who, of course, later became his wife and mother of his many kids, among them, Francis Magalona.

In the case of Tita Duran, although she too was a good dancer, she was very shy and would perform her dance routines only in a closed studio set with nobody else watching, except for those involved in production.

Shirley Gorospe – She was the best dancer in the Premiere lot and along with her late husband, Zaldy Zshornack, had a legion of movie fans, who watched their films because of their dance routines on the big screen.

Vilma Santos – Coquettish on stage and on the dance floor, she flirts while dancing and this is what makes her a fantastic dancer. Her dance routines in the variety show Vilma will remain etched forever in the hearts and minds of most TV viewers.

One production number of Vilma stands out in my memory bank, however. This was in the summer of 1985 – when her show was still called V.I.P. in the now-defunt BBC-2. She had just won the third of her eight Gawad Urian the night before and was still on Cloud 9 and just floated on her feet while dancing to Madonna’s Like a Virgin.

Alma Moreno – She may have been called derisively the tanga queen at the peak of her Loveli-Ness days, but you can’t deny the fact that among our local dancing actresses, she is the one who dances with so much soul and passion. She dances not only with her body, but with her face and , yes, even her eyes, which speak as she performs her dance routines.

Maricel Soriano – Back in her teenage years, she was often billed as the heiress apparent to Nida’s throne and rightfully so. Maricel is so light on her feet and is quick at picking up dance steps. Versatile in the acting department, she too can be versatile at dancing. She can turn serious in one number and comical in the next. This only proves what an outstanding dancer she really is.

Amanda Page – There was a time when year after year, she would be performing in all the awards presentation. There were two good reasons why she was in demand for these occasions. 1) She was undeniably a good dancer who enjoys dancing to the hilt. She was also versatile. In the Star Awards, she could do jazzy numbers and in the Urian, which used to observe the Filipiniana motif, she could be made to perform maglalatik. 2) She learns her dance steps fast and shows up during rehearsals on time–with nary a complaint in spite of some light accidents (she used to do really acrobatic stuff on stage) along the way. Now that she is back in the US, we miss her come awards season.

Chalene Gonzales – Extremely tall. It’s suprising that she’s never awkward when she dances. On the contrary, every inch of the frame (is she 5’9" or taller?) has so much grace while dancing - whether a modern dance or the Caviteña, which she did one time for the Urian.

Marvin Agustin – Very easy on his feet, Marvin Agustin is also flirtatious while dancing on stage. And you can see in his eyes that he enjoys dancing and this helps a lot in his craft.