Noranians have a reason to celebrate

Superstar Nora Aunor’s fans (this writer included) will have a grand reason to celebrate as she performs in a one-night concert dubbed as Through The Years on April 25 at the Folk Arts Theater.

A multi-media artist, Nora is the quintessential Filipino artist who continues to excel in music, film, stage and the concert scene. Her numerous sold-out concerts here and abroad are testaments to her enduring power and magic.

"Through The Years is a reunion concert I am staging for friends and fans who have given me their unconditional love and support," says Nora.

The show’s producers say the concert would be an evening of nostalgia and musical celebration as the legendary superstar takes her fans down memory lane with her classic hits. Vignettes and images from her films will be shown as she interprets her most memorable movie theme songs.

Nora will also give a special tribute to friends, co-workers and industry stalwarts who have passed away such as Lino Brocka, Charito Solis, Inday Badiday, Joe Salazar, Rolando Tinio and Ishmael Bernal.

What sets this concert apart from her previous shows is the superstar’s never-ending quest to reinvent herself by exploring other musical genres. Included in her repertoire are hits by Jennifer Lopez, Cher, Beyonce and Whitney Houston. With choreography by Geleen Eugenio, Nora’s production numbers will up the ante of the concert. To add glitter to the show, international singer Keith Martin will have a duet with the superstar. Masculados, Tita Glow, Yul Servo, Teri Onor and other surprise guests will also perform in this once-in-a-lifetime concert.

"Last year, I had Gold as my birthday concert at the Araneta Coliseum. This year, since I will be celebrating my birthday in the US, this concert will serve as my advance birthday celebration," Nora says. The superstar will perform with Kuh Ledesma in a concert series in the US from May to June.

Norie Sayo, the concert’s overall director and Nora’s manager, collaborates with Mel Villena as musical arranger and Noel Ferrer as scriptwriter. Produced by Ace Entertainment, Through The Years is a free concert.

(For free tickets, you may call Sonia (722-0254), Albert (0917-8367428), Vonnel (0919-5607472), Marlon (0920-5414019) and Nestor (0922-3070219).

Cheerleading Camp Exhibit

The First National Cheerleading Camp culminates its week-long activities with the First National Cheerleading Camp Exhibition and Awarding today (April 23) at Podium.

Headed by NBA cheerleaders Jason Bass and Giselle Fabricante of the New Jersey Nets and NBA’s Fan Patrol, the First National Cheerleading Camp is the brainchild of Eventus, an events management and production firm that specializes in sporting events.

Says Eventus president Joe Guerrero, "Organizing a camp with NBA cheerleaders has been a life-long dream. I think this is a wonderful opportunity for Filipino amateur and aspiring cheerleaders to learn from some of the best cheerleaders in the world. I know we have a good chance to compete in international competitions and this is just what we need to up the ante."

Joe is one of the pioneers of partner-stunting at De La Salle University and has the distinction of performing the first one-on-one partner lift during a UAAP game. He was also stunt coach of the Assumption Hard Court when they won the Johnson & Johnson Cheerleading Competition in 1998.

Over 200 grade school, high school and college students from Poveda, Assumption, La Salle, UP and Ateneo have registered for the Cheerleading Camp, and will be joining exciting classes such as Basic Safety, Basic Dance, Basic Stunting, Advanced Dance, Advanced Stunting, Transitional Stunting, Team Building, Leadership and Motivation, Confidence and Attitude Projection and Crowd Control. Students will get the chance to learn, have fun and develop skills in cheerleading under topnotch NBA cheerleaders Jason Bass and Giselle Fabricante.

Jason Bass began his cheerleading career 10 years ago and is currently a member of the World Cup Open Team, Wild Stars. He was recruited by the NBA as cheerleader for the New Jersey Nets and has traveled to Milan, Tokyo, Mexico, Paris and Barcelona to showcase the kind of hard court entertainment rarely witnessed by basketball fans.

Cheerleading has been part of Giselle Fabricante’s life for the past 15 years. During her four-year stay at Rutgers University, she was voted Rookie of the Year on her first year and elected team captain on her last. As member of Fox Patrol, she entertained New Jersey Net fans from 2002 to 2003 and is currently working at NBA Entertainment where she manages and choreographs the NBA Fan Patrol (sometimes she performs with them), an interactive cheer/dance group that performs in national and international NBA events.

A milestone in the Philippine cheerleading circuit, the First National Cheerleading Camp promises to fan widespread enthusiasm for the highly-exciting sport of cheerleading – an opportunity any aspiring cheerleader must not dare miss!