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Soaring high in tutus: Kids learn dance at Ballet Philippines


Ballet is largely perceived as an art form that only the upper class can afford to either study or appreciate, but Ballet Philippines wants to change that.

BP, a resident company of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, wants to bring ballet into the lives of people from varying backgrounds, providing opportunities to those who are passionate about dancing but may not have the means to pursue it.

At the BP Dance School at the CCP last week, there were classes for regular students, classes for Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA) scholars, and Baby Ballet for children 7 years old and younger.

 
 
 
 
 
 

 

For people who still think that ballet class is only for rich little girls prancing in tutus, a visit to CCP might offer a new perspective: one that shows young people from all walks of life—some in ballet slippers, some in pointe shoes, others barefoot—learning ballet techniques. The training hones their mental and physical skills and pushes their bodies to cope with the hard work that comes with making art. Above all, they are learning that ballet is an opportunity for self-expression through their body movements. — BM, GMA News

The CCP Summer Dance Workshop—an annual 7-week intensive training programwill be held from April 4 to May 22.

Students from the age of 4 to pre-professional and professional levels, as well as adult beginners, can take courses in Classical Ballet, Modern & Contemporary Dance, and Hip Hop.

Students attend a minimum of 3 classes a week to as many as 5 classes a week, including workshop rehearsals for its culminating performances at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater) on May 21 and 22.

The workshop also includes a weekly lecture series where students have the opportunity to interact with artists of different fields.

Scholarship auditions for the workshop are scheduled on March 19 at 11:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. and on April 5, 2016 (for provincial applicants only) at 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. Scholars are given wide access to intensive dance training, aside from paying discounted fees. These scholarships are supported through donations made to the Noordin Jumalon Scholarship Program.

The Ballet Philippines Dance School is at the following venues:
BPDS-CCP:  Ground Floor, Cultural Center of the Philippines, CCP Complex, Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City (832-3689)

BPDS-Aura: 6th Floor, Unit 602B, SM Aura Premier, 26th Street Corner McKinley Parkway Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City
(531-4436)