‘Puso ng Pasko’ Christmas Ballet Tours Luzon
Alice Reyes Dance Philippines (ARDP)’ full-length, all-Filipino Christmas ballet, Puso ng Pasko, is touring Luzon this holiday season.
Most recently staged in Manila at the Metropolitan Theater last December 1-2, the production also ran in Angeles City, Pampanga last December 7. The show will also run on December 13, 6pm at Diwa ng Tarlac, Bulwagan ng Kanlahi, Tarlac City and on December 15, 5pm at the Science City of Muñoz Gymnasium, Muñoz City, Nueva Ecija. All shows are free to the public.
The company is also set to perform excerpts at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit Makati on December 20 for Makati’s Hatid-Saya.
Puso ng Pasko tells the story of Lolo Val, now living abroad in New Jersey, as he recalls to his young granddaughter Angelita, the magical Christmases of his youth in Tres Reyes with his barkada. It features scenes of the Simbang Gabi, eating bibingka and puto bumbong, plazas decorated with big parols, and beautiful Christmas decorations. It also pays homage to the different fiestas across the Philippine islands, including The Belenisimo of Tarlac, The Pahiyas Festival of Lucban, The Higantes Festival of Rizal, Sayaw sa Bangko of Pangasinan, and the Pandang Gitab of Oriental Mindoro, as well as homages to traditions such as the Rigodon de Honor.
The ballet features Cayabyab’s musical arrangements of Filipino Christmas carols and choreography by a group of rising Filipino choreographers under the mentorship of Alice Reyes. It is contemporary dance fused with influences from traditional Filipino festivals.
The show is directed and choreographed by ARDP Artistic Director, Ronelson Yadao, who teams up with co-choreographers Erl Sorilla, Lester Reguindin, AL Abraham, John Ababon, Danilo Dayo, and Bonnie Guerrero. Also in the creative team are librettist Eljay Castro Deldoc, who worked with Yadao on the script and story with inputs from film director Carlos Siguion-Reyna, who directed the filmed sequences. They are joined by Ricardo Eric Cruz for production design and Barbara Tan-Tiongco for lighting design.
The ballet premiered at the CCP in 2022 before moving to the MET in the same month.
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