An Eye-Opener to the Filipino Culture
Ballet Philippines’ to tour the UAE with dance pieces performed throughout the company’s 46-year old journey
Image Credit: Supplied
The award-winning Ballet Philippines
Abu Dhabi: The UAE will get a taste of Philippines rich ballet culture when Ballet Philippines, a contemporary dance company arrives here on a tour to highlight Filipino ballet.
The ballet company is being brought to the UAE as part of the Embassy of Philippines in Abu Dhabi’s effort to help transcend cultural boundaries and unveil a glimpse of Philippines’ rich culture to the UAE and the wider Middle East with the first show on Friday.
“This is our first cultural diplomacy project in the Middle East. We’ve always had the will to promote Philippines’ authentic culture and not just our workforce. Our dream was to show to the Middle East that we have our own culture too, which is especially rich in ballet,” Grace Relucio-Princesa, Philippine Ambassador to the UAE told Gulf News.
The tour in collaboration with the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), and titled ‘Master Pieces: Celebrating a Tapestry of Filipino Culture and Friendship’ will feature ballet shows that dancers have performed throughout the company’s 46-year old history.
Candice Adea, winner of the 2012 Helsinki International Ballet Competition, with Jean Marc of Ballet Philippines in Don Quixote.
Jean Cordero, a member of Ballet Philippines, said, “We are also trying to give the Filipinos residing in the UAE a taste of their own culture.”
The tour’s first stop will be in Dubai on Friday where they will showcase their skills at the Centrepoint Theatre and the following day at Abu Dhabi Theatre.
“It is the first time I am travelling to the Middle East and I look forward to performing in this part of the world. Some of the pieces that we will be showcasing include Farandole a neoclassical piece; Halik-The Kiss a retelling of the seminal novel Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not) by Jose Rizal, among others,” Rita Winder, a member of Ballet Philippines revealed.
The company will later tour Bahrain, Doha and Jordan.
— Maisoon Mubarak is a trainee at Gulf News