By CHARMAINE DEOGRACIAS
USHERING the celebration of the country’s Independence day, a young ballet company will present a tribute to the everyday heroes.
“Duyan ng Magiting,” by ACTS School for the Performing Arts will veer away from the usual tribute to the heroes in Philippine history. Rather, it will showcase the little acts of greatness of everyday heroes from all walks of life.
“Every pirouette will try to inspire greatness among Filipinos and every arabesque aimed at instilling hope for the country,” says one of the choreographers for performance at the Little Theater of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, on June 9, Sunday at 6:30pm.
ACTS Manila is an affiliation of ballet schools based in ACTS School for the Performing Arts in Alabang. It is developing young talents to be an ensemble of ballet dancers who can evangelize through dance in malls, churches, schools and outreach engagements. Their mission is “to transform society for God one dancer at a time.”
With a Vaganova-method of training infused with modern ballet, the “gospel dancers” of ACTS Manila will fouetté jeté (a ballet step to whip-throw) a big word – “social transformation.
The Vaganova-syllabus which ACTS Manila’s ballet school teaches is a dance method that involves the whole body in every movement, with equal attention paid to the upper body, legs and feet that increases consciousness of the body thus creating a harmony of movement and greater expressive range.
“Duyan ng Magiting” is a collaboration of six choreographers Herbert Alvarez, Jun Saagundo, Zyda Baaya, Pia Paderes, Melvin Dela Cruz and Jayson Austria. Directing is Chelo Gemina, a full scholar of CCP’s 1977 summer dance workshop.
Partnering to put this show together for the benefit of scholars of the Acts School for the Performing Arts, is Pastor Roy Carandang of the Lord’s Christian Circle church, better known as the “Magdalo Pastor.”
Carandang helped the military officers and soldiers who rebelled against Gloria Arroyo in July 2003 in what is known as the ”Oakwood mutiny” endure the eight years in detention through regular spiritual sessions.