As National Artist for Dance Agnes Locsin prepares for the 41st summer showcase of her dance school July 14, she can’t help but look back on the years dance was taking a foothold in her native Davao City.
Indeed, she had trying times keeping the Locsin Dance Workshop (LDW) alive since it was founded by her mother, Carmen Locsin, in 1947.
It used to be that LDW was the only ballet school in Davao City with around 150 students every school year. “I started the summer workshop in 1982 and at that time, we would have 250 to 300 students. Those were the days.”
In the late 40s, her mother started teaching in the sala. the school has had several changes in location as the family grew. The name also changed. It used to be Locsin Ballet School, Locsin Ballet and Jazz School.” We stuck to Locsin Dance Workshop. During the schoolyear, we concentrated on classical ballet with a bit of modern dance. In the summer when a dance style is in demand, LDW taught classes in jazz, tap, modern dance, Hawaiian, slimnastics, aerobics, hip hop, ballroom, flamenco, voice, drama, art classes, among others.”
The dance maestra recalled the perilous pandemic months: “We were preparing for a March 21, 2020 school recital when it happened. Alden Lugnasin and Biag Gaongen flew in to help out with the recital. The day after they arrived, lockdown was enforced. We have no choice but to cancel the recital. Caught by lockdown in Davao were my teachers Monique Uy and Samantha Martin including Lugnasin and Gaongen. I followed what dance schools in Manila were doing and that is to go virtual. I rued that with online classes, teachers can still have a little income. I wanted to close the school but I was worried for my teachers.”
Locsin’s LDW had about 70 to 80 students before the pandemic. The school has twice that enrolment during summer. During the lockdown, enrollment drastically went down. They were left with 25 to 30 students in the beginning of the pandemic. She decided to give 70 to 80 per cent of the school’s online income to her teachers.
She thought of another domestic survival project.
“We opened Gigi’s Kitchen during the day to cover expenses of the house. The Kitchen served food from my Mom’s recipe.”
There was a lot of adjustments teaching dance during the pandemic. The online classes started May 2020 and ended September 2022.
It turned out she was the only one who cannot handle online classes. “Fortunately, Alden (Lugnasin) was here to handle the advance ballet class. Fortunately, I only had to teach pointe class once a week.”
But online classes have its drawback.
The teachers realized progress in students was so slow online.
“Without the touch of the teacher’s hands, it was difficult for the students to understand the needs of the proper way of executing the dance movements. But we have no choice. We had to make the most of what we could do teaching during the pandemic. We were fortunate to have Biag who took dance film courses as part of his MFA at the Ohio State University. Because of him, we were still able to be creative with our virtual recitals and showcases during the pandemic,”she related.
All throughout the pandemic, she learned to cope. “My teaching load has lessened and lessened. I have long wanted to retire but the school (LDW) still needs me, the school is turning 80 years old in 2027. In four years, I will think of retirement seriously.”
She is optimistic dance will thrive for the schools at least. “Our enrollment this summer has gone up! We have to turn down some enrollees. The change in the academic school year has also affected the summer enrollment. Hopefully, it will be better next year. The recitals feature mostly Filipino original dance narratives for children.”
For now, she is keen on preserving Filipino-inspired dances as she has always done. “No national title is needed to do what I have been doing and will keep on doing. Dance is my life.”
(The 41st Locsin Summer Showcase 2023 — Ang Sayaw ng Ibong Adarna at Iba Pa — will unfold on July 14, 15, 16, 2023 at the Locsin Dance Lanang, Mamay Road (near Damosa and Nikkei Jin Kai) in Davao City. It will feature all levels of classical ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop, Modern Dance and Tap.)