Alice Reyes Returns as Ballet Philippines’ Artistic Director
Warning: Undefined array key "file" in /home/paul/domains/theaterfansmanila.com/public_html/wp-includes/media.php on line 1734
Coming full circle, Ballet Philippines’ founder, National Artist for Dance, Alice Reyes steps back into the company’s helm as Artistic Director starting this 48th season.
National Artist and Ballet Philippines Founder Alice Reyes – photo by Jojo Mamangun
“It is our great honor to welcome Alice back,” says BP President Margie Moran Floirendo. “She has generously given the company much support especially over the past few years. We felt that this was the perfect time for her to take on a more active role in the company’s overall planning and direction, particularly in leading us to our 50th season in 2019.”
“I am elated to be coming in at this most opportune time,” says Alice Reyes. “The company is two short years away from its golden anniversary, and so this is a fantastic chance to start drumming up the energy and keep it up even beyond the 50th season.”
Alice Reyes is the visionary founder of Ballet Philippines who propelled the company into a national arts institution we can all be proud of. In the Philippines, she established regular season concerts, professionalized dance as a career, and played a major role in the phenomenal development of dance in the country.
Alice Reyes, Ballet Philippines’ Founder and National Artist for Dance – photo by Jojo Mamangun
With a background in ballet, folk dancing and jazz, Reyes ventured into the challenging and exciting realm of modern dance. Through a grant from the John D. Rockefeller III Fund, she went through an extensive training period in the United States at the Colorado College under a Hanya Holm scholarship. She was subsequently awarded a grant from the Music Promotion Foundation of the Philippines, which enabled her to study further under leading exponents of the medium and earn a Master of Arts in Dance from the Sarah Lawrence College under its scholarship program.
Upon her return in 1969, she staged her first modern dance concert at the CCP. Its success made her decide to remain in the Philippines and develop the great potential of dance in the country. Since then, her outstanding performances on stage have provided artists an enriching example to emulate. The sheer diversity of her choreographic talent has produced highly acclaimed works ranging from the classics like “Cinderella” and “Romeo and Juliet”, to Filipino modern works like “Amada”, “Itim-Asu”, “Bayanihan Remembered”, “Mga Babae”, “Tales of the Manuvu”, and “Rama Hari”. Through her efforts, dance has become among the country’s respected careers and distinguished professions. The Filipino dancers have emerged as an indispensable part of our cultural heritage.
She served as Ballet Philippines’ Artistic Director for the company’s first 20 years. In June 20, 2014, Alice Reyes was declared National Artist for Dance by President Benigno S. Aquino III through Proclamation No. 807.
Paul Alexander Morales will be on sabbatical leave for the 48th season. He served as Ballet Philippines’ Artistic Director from 2009 to 2017.
Ballet Philippines (BP) is the flagship professional classical and contemporary dance company in the country. A resident company of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, it was founded in 1969 by Alice Reyes and Eddie Elejar. It is widely recognized today as a cornerstone of the contemporary Filipino identity. The Ballet Philippines Dance School continues to produce dancers of international caliber.
