An evening of dance, past and present

Christine Javier-Samonte’s passion for dance has given rise to Ballet Academy’s first production, A Majestic Evening…Then and Now on March 31 at the Ayala Cinema 1 (Onstage) at 6 p.m. The show mixes traditional classical ballet performances, including the much-anticipated Aurora’s Wedding which is Act III of Sleeping Beauty with guest artists from Ballet Manila’s finest: Meghan Javier Samonte, classically trained in the Vaganova Russian Technique with an extensive professional resume that includes training not only with Ballet Manila but also formerly at the Svetlana Stanova Ballet Art in Dallas, Texas, with professional performances with Ballet Arlington and Ballet Concerto in the Western Suite and Ballet Americana. As Princess Aurora in Sleeping Beauty, she is partnered by a Ballet Manila danseur, Chris Manlupas as Prince Florimund.

"We are trying to form Cebu’s first young ballet company here," says Javier-Samonte whose impressive lifelong dance career spans more than 30 years of ballet here and abroad. "Although my main thrust is classical ballet, I am trying to make it interesting and relevant to today’s generation." Thus along with the Ballet Manila artists, Ballet Academy of Cebu students will be performing a Children’s Ballet Suite with Song and Dance, Hip Hop Moves, and Swan Kids, wherein kids mimic the movements of swans from the classical ballet, Swan Lake.

"We are not trying to do a complete Sleeping Beauty performance," she says. "What we are doing is we are taking a beautiful excerpt which is the entire Act III of Sleeping Beauty, Aurora’s Wedding, which allows the kids to participate in the fairy tale story in a novel and interesting way."

"In part 1, we are introducing a special dance, A Contrast—a dance that mixes hip hop, jazz and classical ballet all in one. The young generation will be interested in this because it is quite similar to what we see in the movies. It really is a recognized dance movement nowadays and is a great starting point for those who want to go seriously into dance but need to be able to express themselves in some way. The classical ballet pieces of long ago have survived the test of time; however, they are no longer enough to satisfy the cravings of the students for the art of dance. This production is staged for a younger audience, to broaden their understanding of what dance really is and what it has evolved into."

After founding Ballet Academy in August 2002, Christine Javier-Samonte has been dedicated to teaching a lifetime of technical skills acquired here and the USA to a new generation of artists. "My dream is to found a Cebu Youth Ballet Company and to create something that we can be proud of which can uplift the performing arts in our locality, develop talent and show it to a broader audience," she says.

Tickets for the show can be purchased at the gate of Ayala Cinema 1. For inquiries and reservations, you may call Lotlot Lawas of Ballet Academy of Cebu at 255-4079 or telefax 346-7349.