It is so wonderful to watch twirls, pirouettes, and fluid movements, as the music, the dance and the dancer become one onstage. Imagine my surprise when I found out three of the ballet dancers I was watching at the auditorium of the Overseas Family School in Singapore were only six years old! They were Mia Gwyneth Dumayas, Jelany Paguio and Nicole Paredes. Remember how clumsy most of us moved at the age of six? But these kids were such graceful little swans!
There are a lot of amazing things about the Halili-Cruz School of Ballet (HCSB). HCSB recently represented the Philippines at the 8th Asia Pacific Dance Competition held in Singapore. The competition is an annual event sponsored by the Commonwealth Society of Teachers of Dancing. HCSB, which sent 72 dancers this year and registered its sixth grand slam finish by winning 65 awards: five Perpetual trophies (out of the available seven), 23 gold, nine silver, and eight bronze trophies, as well as 19 gold medals. More than 500 dancers from Thailand, Malaysia, China, Australia, Japan, Singapore and the Philippines took part in this year’s tilt. HCSB was also given the title of "The Most Outstanding Ballet School in Asia Pacific." The guests of honor at the awarding ceremony were Philippine Ambassador to Singapore Belen Anota and consul general Lumen Isleta.
"You know it’s a good sign when even foreigners were cheering for the Filipinos," enthused HCSB artistic director Shirley Halili-Cruz. "They were so impressed and amazed with the relaxed rendition of the dances. They even accorded our students with a standing ovation."
I also learned that several ballet organizations backed out when they learned that HCSB dancers were competing again this year. Other rivals have reportedly copied the designs of the costumes worn by the Filipino dancers last year.
Halili-Cruz has lots of things to be proud of. The school – led by its artistic director, along with ballet teachers Grace Garalde-Perez, Anna Tuazon-Balmadrid and Anna Kathrina Halili-Cruz – and the Quezon City Ballet performing group have successfully represented the Philippines in various international competitions and festivals in Beijing, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, Brunei, and New York.
In the Singapore competitions held last July 22 and 23, even rival teachers couldn’t help but show their admiration for the Filipino dancers. Halili-Cruz recalled, "The Thai teacher told me, ‘The faces of your dancers show that they love what they’re doing.’ The Japanese teacher said, ‘Wonderful dancers, beautiful costumes.’ And Australian organizer Debbie Tilley remarked, ‘Excellent performance, good choreography, great Filipinos.’"
The adjudicator, the competition organizers, and members of the audience were so impressed with the costumes that they even went up to the Filipino dancers to take photos of the lovely outfits designed by Shirley herself.
"Our students were also admired and respected for their discipline, which is very important for ballet dancers," Halili-Cruz said.
And as the result of the discipline and dedication of the students and teachers of HCSB to the art of ballet, they garnered 90 percent of the trophies and medals at stake in this year’s competition.
Halili-Cruz concluded, "The achievement of the school is an achievement of the country. I have always believed in the great reservoir of talent that Filipinos have. I see participation in international festivals, competitions, and workshops as good opportunities to develop the confidence and skills of our dancers. We at the school are convinced that learning is more effective when it is complemented with exposure, real-life experiences, and interaction with artists from other countries. We want to transform raw young talents into excellent artists, confident in themselves and in what they have learned through the years."
The HCSB artistic director was in effect saying that ballet could very well teach Filipinos not just about pirouettes and twirls but also about life itself.