‘A Christmas Celebration’ Live Dance Performance at the CCP
The Cultural Center of the Philippines will open its curtains for a special live dance performance called A Christmas Celebration, on December 12, 2021 at 7pm with a matinee at 2pm. This will be one of the first live performances after theater productions were shut down for almost two years due to the pandemic.
The production will be a brand new restaging of Divertissement from Sleeping Beauty and Tuloy Ang Pasko: The 2020 Filipino Holiday Dance Celebration, presented by the Artists of the Cultural Center of the Philippines
As stated in the official press release, in cooperation with BP Alumni Association, the production will be the finale production for the Professional Dance Support Program (PDSP), a special program initiated by the CCP to support professional dance in the Philippines. This program likewise aims to arrest the probable deterioration of skills, techniques and performance excellence of the Filipino dancers, while providing them with continued artistic employment and discouraging their shift to other occupations due to absence or reduced opportunities in dance.
This special production will include selected dances from the classical ballet Sleeping Beauty and feature dances including the Garland Waltz, Little Red Riding Hood with The Wolf, Black Cat with Puss in Boots, Princess Florine and the Bluebird, The Jewel Fairies, and the Lilac Fairy.
The music was by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, and the restaged choreography by Victor Ursabia and Eugene Obille. The ballet also features the Grand Pas De Deux with Princess Aurora and her Prince, culminating in a grand finale with all of the performers sharing the stage.
The production stars Katrene San Miguel and Victor Maguad as Princess Aurora and Prince Désiré, Veronica Atienza as the Lilac Fairy, with Rissa Camaclang, Lester Reguindin, Stephanie Santiago, and Erl Sorilla as the Jewel Fairies. Nicole Barroso and John Ababon play Black Cat & Puss In Boots, while Sarah Alejandro and Kevin Cascaño play Red Riding Hood And The Wolf. Blue Bird Grand Pas De Deux puts the spotlight on Regine Magbitang and AL Abraham.
The Garland Waltz brings together Monica Gana, Earl John Arisola, Jessa Tangalin, Bonifacio Guerrero, Rissa Camaclang, Renzen Arboleda, Joanne Tangalin, Justine Orande, Karla Santos, Ace Polias, Gianna Hervas, Alexis Piel, Christianne Uy, and Danilo Dayo Jr.
Tuloy Ang Pasko is the all-original Filipino dance production that was created, filmed, and premiered online last 2020. Set against the backdrop of 70’s Manila and featuring well-loved Christmas carols, it tells the story of five old friends who reminisce, over Zoom, the Christmases of their youth. This production is a celebration of Filipino song and dance presented – for the first time live on stage.
The show features music composed by National Artist Ryan Cayabyab, National Artist Levi Celerio, Felipe de Leon, Juan Silos Jr., Serapio Ramos, Andrei Dionisio, and Jose Javier Reyes with musical arrangements by Cayabyab and choreography by Erl Sorilla, John Ababon, Lester John Reguindin, Bonifacio Guerrero, AL Abraham, and Ronelson Yadao.
Tuloy ang Pasko stars Nonoy Froilan, Liliane “Tats” Manahan, Imelda Tatad-Pagdanganan, Gener Caringal, Mario “Butch” Esperanza as the Five Old Friends while Earl John Arisola, Monica Gana, Jessa Tangalin, John Ababon, and Erl Sorilla portray younger versions of the characters.
The rest of the cast includes Sarah Alejandro, Katrene San Miguel, Veronica Atienza, Regina Magbitang, Stephanie Santiago, Nicole Barroso, Rissa Camaclang, Karla Santos, Joanne Tangalin, Gianna Hervas, Victor Maguad, Lester Reguindin, AL Abraham, Danilo Dayo Jr., Bonifacio Guerrero Jr., Ace Polias, Justine Orande, Alexis Piel, Renzen Arboleda, and Kevin Cascaño.
Tickets for the show are available at the Ticket World and the CCP Box Office. Prices are: Php300 (Balcony), Php500 (Orchestra Side), Php700 (Orchestra Center). For boxes (three sears per box): Php1,000 (Upper Box); Php1,800 (Lower Box), and Php2,400 (Parterre Box).
To ensure a safe theater experience, audiences are encouraged to read CCP’s new normal health protocol HERE.
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