"We have always dreamed of having the Australian Conservatoire of Ballet (ACB) schools come together in a festival and this is finally coming true. Not only will we see the ACB Philippine ballet schools together but also ACB Australian dancers as well," says ballerina and author of the Australian Conservatoire of Ballet Assessment Program Christine Walsh, A.M., who arrived in the country recently with Filipino partner Ricardo Ella, also a dancer himself.
Walsh studied the Vaganova method and fashioned it to become the 12-level ACB assessment program. It has been in the Philippines for 20 years now, with hundreds of Filipino dancers submitting to annual assessment exams by an Australian examiner.
ACB Philippines is headed by Vella Damian, ACB fellow and one of the pillars of Philippine dance. Among some 50 member directors, four have been conferred the title of "associate": Nina Anonas, Chelo Gemina, Pam Bondoc, and Lillibeth Santos. Recently, Nina Anonas was also conferred the title of "Examiner," after having trained in Australia.
The celebration in the Philippines kicked off with an intensive two-day ballet workshop on July 16-17 held at the De La Salle College of Saint Benilde, an ACB partner. International guest teachers included Simon Crowther, Irina Sapozhnikova, Joseph Philips, and Christine Walsh herself.
A grand performance followed on July 19, at the CCP Main Theater, featuring carefully-selected dances from participating schools and excerpts from "The Nutcracker" ballet choreographed by Walsh. Participating Philippine Directors were Abigail Alvia, Nina Anonas, Venus Basas, Pam Bondoc, Mirella Clarete, Ianne Damian, Vella Damian, Elinor Dioko, Cherish Garcia, Chelo Gemina, Brezhnev Larlar, Melanie Motus, Pamela Ramos, Araceli Root, Katrina Santos, Lillibeth Santos, and Maritoni Tordesillas.