Putting their best toes forward
August 20, 2004 | 12:00am
As expected, the second day of the Asia Pacific Dance Competition was as exciting as the day before. But it was another long, grueling day for teachers Shirley Halili-Cruz, Anna Kathrina Cruz, Anna Lissa Tuazon-Balmadrid and Grace Garalde-Perez working double time at final rehearsals on a rainy Sunday morning.
I arrived at the venue late afternoon just in time to see the girls trooping to their dressing room at the school basement. Just like the day before, the room was filled with tension, but this time it was coming not from the participants. I could tell how nervous the mothers were for their children. During the final hours till the competition proper, the anxious mothers helped to fix the girls’ makeup while making sure that the costumes fitted right and the headdresses would not fall off their heads. Meanwhile, teachers Anna Kathrina, Anna Lissa and Grace did the final touches on the girls’ looks. While the parents and teachers looked on nervously, the children were all beaming with pride, ready to captivate their audience with their dances. Before their performance for the night I was able to squeeze in a little chat with some of the girls and got to know a little bit of the persons behind those beautiful costumes.
I first sat down with Merry Joyce de la Torre, who said that ballet teaches her discipline and respect. At the same time, ballet helped her develop good posture. She admires Teacher Shirley’s commitment to teaching ballet.
Finina Muñoz likes a lot of things about ballet. She says that ballet teaches her to be graceful while allowing her to meet new friends and engage in thrilling activities. Also, she gets to spend time with Teacher Shirley who she says, never fails to make her laugh. Meanwhile, Kaila Arce-Ignacio discovered ballet through some of her friends. She thinks that learning ballet with HCSB is best because of the various performances they give throughout the year, which allows her to meet more friends.
Zenda Laqui believes she developed her self-confidence while dancing in front of other people. She says that learning ballet with Teacher Shirley helped her develop self-discipline. For next year’s competition, Zenda is determined to do duos and solos.
Janine Baldonado says she learned a lot of things from ballet, surrounded as she is by great mentors. Best of all, she’s given the opportunity to hone her craft and become a professional dancer. She also enjoys the limelight, like being seen on TV.
Looking forward to performing next year, Jennifer Degollado says she simply enjoys dancing ballet. She likes the challenge that comes with it as well. From dancing ballet, she’s learned discipline and time management. From Teacher Shirley, the best lesson she learned was that in any competition, gaining experience is much better than getting an award.
Louie Regino notes that ballet has taught her self-discipline while instilling patience in her. Knowing she has given her all for this year’s competition is enough to give her joy.
Denise Sales says that ballet has enhanced her ability to dance and believes that ballet is "a way to a woman’s heart" as it is virtually every young girl’s dream. But with the glory (or gain) inevitably comes the pain her dancing feet has endured through the years!
Jessica Milner has been fascinated with ballet since she was in Grade 1. She fell in love with the way ballerinas moved their arms and immediately decided to try it. She thinks ballet is special because of the flowing movements, the pointed toes and the beauty of the dance. Although she admits the pointe shoes can cause one a lot of pain, her passion for ballet has kept her literally on her toes. Christine Lansang says ballet is so much fun. For Christine, what makes ballet special is that it allows one to convey his/her emotions onstage.
Regina Magbitang has loved ballet longer than she can remember. She enjoys learning ballet with Teacher Shirley because she makes it fun. From her she’s learned obedience, self-discipline as well as swiftness in movement.
Cheka Cabreza enjoys the challenge that comes with dancing ballet. What attracted her to ballet were its techniques. She believes she has developed discipline and poise through ballet. Cheka enjoys the personalized attention she gets from Teacher Shirley despite the many students in her class.
Lourdes "Penny" Estrada says that ballet takes her worries away. As for the pain, she says that the feeling after a successful performance makes it all worth it. She loves learning ballet with Shirley Cruz because she is a very considerate teacher, letting her students stop if the movements become quite painful. The 14-year-old Penny has found a great friend in Teacher Shirley who’s always there to give her advice when she most needs it.
As I wished the girls good luck, I made my way up to the auditorium of the Overseas Family School. I was lucky to get a good seat beside Teacher Shirley herself. As everyone settled into their seats, the second day of the competition began.
The day’s first category was for groups under 13, both for classical and neo and national dances. Of the seven contestants for this category, two entries for the classical and another for the neo and national came from the Halili-Cruz School of Ballet (HCSB). First up was HCSB’s "Waltz." The girls looked adorably whimsical in their pink dresses. Meanwhile, the girls who danced "Intermezzo" wore sparkling dresses adorned with a single rose. "Elan" proved to be another delightful fan dance as the girls looked astonishing in yellow and purple. A very known Filipino dance, "Magtanim ay Di Biro" was the final performance from HCSB for the said category. Wearing Filipiniana costumes, the girls danced gracefully with their bilao as the "infected" audience accompanied the girls’ performance with a rhythmic clap.
The next category was the neo-classical solo under 15 and in it, five HCSB dancers competed against each other. First onstage was Rachel de Guzman whose dance was entitled "Anywhere Is." She wore a long flowing dress of white and pink and captivated the audience with her swan-like movements. Next was another graceful performance by Jessica Milner entitled "Canon." She wore a delightful white-lavender dress. The third was quite a dramatic performance by Denise Sales called "Sana," where Denise wore an equally dramatic dress in royal purple and dark green. Fourth was Martina Manalo with "Ornica Flow," captivating the audience with such fluid movements while wearing a light blue bodysuit. Providing the finale for the said category was the ever-smiling Lourdes Estrada with "Enya." For this dance, Lourdes wore a flowing yellow dress and effortless grace on stage.
Another exciting category followed immediately. This time it was for ensemble under 10. Three of the five performances for the said categories belonged to HCSB. The first was "Princess Waltz" where the girls looked enchanting in their long fairy-like dresses. The third to perform were cute and playful HCSB girls doing "Rhythmic Ballerina" in white and aqua blue dresses. Another dazzling performance from HCSB for this category was one appropriately titled "Dazzling Gems" as the girls’ multicolored dresses made them an amusing sight onstage. Personally, I thought they were like little colorful butterflies.
As much as I enjoyed the ensemble category, I could not wait to see the next one, the classical solo under 13, where five of the six dancers were Shirley’s students. Merry Joyce de la Torre was up first, looking dazzling in pink for her performance "Fairy." An equally stunning Janine Baldonado appeared next in a blue dress for her "Princess Florine." Denise de Leon performed third with her delightful number called "Jazz Polka." Meanwhile, Patty Pineda looked amusing in her green dress as she performed "Classical Suite #2." Last to perform for the said category was Regine Magbitang who captivated her audience with her amazing pirouettes for her dance "Les Sylphes."
The next category was for national and neo ballet. HCSB had one group for each of the said subcategories. The first to be performed was HCSB’s "Pandango." The girls combined gentleness and grace as they balanced the glasses in their hands. The next performance from HCSB was entitled "Pas Classique," where the girls presented a well-synchronized dance very gracefully.
The category for duos and trios open followed where two of the four numbers were from HCSB. The trio of Gladys Baybayan, Nikki Vera Cruz and Christine Lansang exhibited delicate elegance with their "Des Fonatique" while wearing long orange dresses adorned with intricate touches of gold. Equally magnificent was Cheka Cabreza and Maan de Guzman’s "Balanchine’s Emerald Variation," where they romantically dance in synchronized movements.
The demi character solo under 15 and open category that followed turned out to be quite delightful. First was a very funny and amusing Lourdes Estrada doing "Pussy Cat." Lourdes displayed versatile facial expressions and was as playful as any cat could be. Next was an enchanting Martina Manalo doing "Arabian." Another HCSB student in the said category was the adorable Ann Go with her "Little Red Riding Hood." I especially liked the part when she hurriedly walked backwards as roses were falling out of her hands one by one. Her facial expressions spoke a thousand words.
Another solo category followed. Only this time, it was a national solo for under 15 where all four competitors were from HCSB. First on the list was Lia Mazo with "Sayaw sa Payong," where she wore a Filipiniana dress in pink and white. Following Lia was Rachel de Guzman who did a Filipino dance pride, "Tinikling." Assisted by some of her friends, Rachel wove in and out of the bamboo poles without missing a beat or hurting her feet. An adorable performance by Jessica Milner followed. Jessica charmed the audience with her castanets clicking to the music of "Lahota." Last to perform was Denise Sales with "Katulaan sa Salakot," where Denise looked amazing in a long colorful dress.
The next category was performed only by two HCSB groups. This was the ensemble open. The first group’s dance was entitled "Pakita Variation." Here, the girls showed effortless synchronization while looking delightful in their romantic red dresses. The second performance was titled "Czardas" from Swan Lake. Here, the girls showed impressive synchronized pirouettes throughout the dance.
The classical solo under 15 category was yet another category where the only competitors were HCSB students. First came the adorable Rachel de Guzman looking every bit like a "Sugar Plum Fairy." She left the audience in awe as she perfectly exhibited continuous pirouettes in a circular motion. Next was another impressive performance from Jessica Milner for "Gold from Jewels of Sleeping Beauty." Everybody thought Jessica was a scene-stealer in her red-gold dress. Performing third was the amusing Kathleen Sy in a lavender dress with hints of green. Her piece was titled "Cupid" and she looked enchantingly playful. Starting the second half of the performance was Jennifer Degollado who did a delightful "Pizzicato." Next up was Martina Manalo who looked splendid in a colorful flowing dress while doing "Fairy from Sleeping Beauty." Performing last for this category was the ever-cheerful Lourdes Estrada with "Merlitons." She looked like she was just having fun as she amazed her audience with her perfect pirouettes.
The next category where HCSB competed was another solo. This time, it was the neo classical solo open. Opening this set was Christine Lansang, who wore a Peter Pan-inspired dress while displaying great facial expressions all throughout. Next was Cheka Cabreza with "Panunumpa," where Cheka showed an impressive series of pirouettes at the beginning of the dance. Another wonderful performance was turned in by Gladys Baybayan with "Only If." If only we could all look amazing in that light yellow fairy-tale-inspired dress! Performing sixth in this category was Nikki Vera Cruz who gracefully glided around the stage.
The final performance of HCSB for this year’s competition was in the groups open category for modern and jazz titled "To the Maks." In striking black and gold outfits, the girls gave all they’ve got in terms of synchronization and rather complicated movements. Applause reverberated across the auditorium.
The girls’ hard work was amply rewarded. From the previous day’s performances, HCSB bagged quite a number of awards. For the groups under 16 modern and jazz category, the performance "Images" won second place while "Aniwana" got an honorable mention medal. Eya’s Navarro’s "Fan Dance" won first place in the classical solo under 9 category. Ann Go and Regine Magbitang claimed the silver trophy in the duos and trios under 10 and under 13 category while Janine Baldonado and Merry Joyce de la Torre received a silver trophy. Going home with gold trophies were Eya Navarro and Janine Baldonado for the demi character solo under 9 and under 12 respectively. In the ensemble under 12, the "Classical Suite #1" performance got a bronze trophy while the "Valse" group got an honorable mention medal. For the groups under 10 ballet and national, the "Chinese Dance" got the gold trophy while "Little Waltz" took the silver trophy and the "Itik-Itik" received an honorable mention medal. Meanwhile, "Bulaklakan" and "Cariñosa" tied for the silver trophy for the groups under 16 national/tap category. On the other hand, Merry Joyce de la Torre was presented with the gold trophy for the neo classical and modern solo under 12 category. For the ensemble under 15, the "Classical Suite # 3" received an honorable mention medal. In the national solo open, Cheka Cabreza won the bronze trophy while Gladys Baybayan and Nikki Vera Cruz each received an honorable mention medal. For the duos and trios under 16, the trio of Jennifer Degolado, Jessica Milner and Kathleen Sy got the gold trophy. Rachel de Guzman, Lourdes Estrada and Martina Manalo got the silver trophy while the duo of Yvette Perez and Denise Sales was awarded the honorable mention award. In the girl’s classical solo open, Maan de Guzman got the silver trophy while Christine Lansang and Elizabeth Zeng tied for the silver trophy and Cheka Cabreza received the honorable mention award.
The girls reaped as much success on the second day of the competition. HCSB took home the gold and perpetual trophies for their performance "Elan" in the groups under 13, classical and neo and national category. They shared this award with the Singapore Chinese Girls’ School. Meanwhile, "Magtanim" got the silver trophy while there was another tie for the honorable mention award between "Annen Polka" and "Waltz." Rachel de Guzman grabbed the gold trophy in the neo classical solo under 15 category while Martina Manalo and Lourdes Estrada romped off with the silver trophy and honorable mention medal, respectively. "Dazzling Gems" grabbed an honorable mention medal. For the classical solo under 13 performances, Merry Joyce de la Torre got the gold trophy, Regine Magbitang took the bronze trophy and Janine Baldonado won the honorable mention medal. HCSB took home another gold trophy for "Pas Classique." In the duos and trios open, Cheka Cabreza and Maan de Guzman received an honorable mention medal. Lourdes Estrada’s amusing performance won her a much-deserved gold trophy for the demi character solo under 15 and open. In this category as well, Martina Manalo won the silver trophy while Ann Go received an honorable mention medal. Rachel de Guzman likewise won the gold trophy in the national solo under 15 while Jessica Milner and Lia Mazo got the silver trophy and the honorable mention medal, respectively. Both "Czardas" and "Paquita" in the ensemble open received the gold trophy. In the classical solo under 15 open, Jennifer Degollado, Rachel de Guzman and Martina Manalo won the gold trophy, silver trophy and honorable mention medal, respectively. Also, Maan de Guzman won the honorable mention award in the neo classical open while the "To the Maks" performance won the silver trophy.
That adds up to a total of 67 trophies won by HCSB at this year’s Asia Pacific Dance Competition. On top of this, HCSB won the aggregate trophy, which they shared with dancer Qu Huan. HCSB also received a special award for having the largest delegation of 72 dancers.
But this did not end the girls’ Singapore sojourn. Early morning the next day, the girls paid a courtesy call on the Philippine Embassy in Singapore and obliged embassy people with another amazing performance. Then the girls headed to the spectacular Sentosa Island where they spent the afternoon having their pictures taken – and having fun as most girls their age like to do.
Indeed, from here, things can only get better for Teacher Shirley and her marvelous dancers. I can see that in their eyes that seem to dance with joy.
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