Alice Reyes Dance Philippines' 2023 Dance Season opens with Encantada, a sorrowful tale about a mountain goddess

Time to mark your calendars, everyone! This April, Alice Reyes Dance Philippines’ 2023 Dance Season begins on April 14.

As an Earth day tribute, ENCANTADA tells a sorrowful tale of the repercussions that come with man's destruction of nature.

A sovereign spirit awakened in the mountains, Encantada finds herself as an enemy of the friars after rescuing an oppressed rebel who stole a prized artifact from their cathedral.

The civil guards proceed to search for the thief and locate him in a sanctuary at the top of the mountains. They behead him and triumphantly return his decapitated head back to the friars.

This act of revenge angers Encantada’s devotees, pitting them into a war against the friars and resulting in their eventual death. Grief-stricken, Encantada sheds waves of tears, resulting in a flood that devastates the mountains and eventually sweeps away the friars and their cathedral as well.

The tale ends in a concept of forgiveness and rebirth, as Encantada appeals back to the spirits of nature and life springs back once more.

This will be directed and choreographed by National Artist for Dance Agnes Locsin, with music by Joey Ayala, libretto by Al Santos, and production design by National Artist Salvador Bernal.

Presented by the Metropolitan Theater and the Cultural Center of the Philippines, catch award-winning productions featuring artists from Alice Reyes Dance Philippines (ARDP) and the Professional Artist Support Program (PASP). — LA, GMA Integrated News