Ballet Manila guests in DFA event at National Museum
Company artist Rissa May Camaclang does a solo part in front of a glass sculpture by Ramon Orlina.
Photos by Dale Pagkalinawan/ DPGK Photography
Ballet Manila marked another milestone when it was invited by the Department of Foreign Affairs Office of Asian and Pacific Affairs (DFA-ASPAC) to perform at its event at the National Museum of Natural History on December 10.
Ballet Manila performs Agnes Locsin’s Sayaw sa Pamlang at the DFA event.
It was the first time that Ballet Manila had graced a DFA event, which served as the ASPAC’s thanksgiving and year-end reception for the gathering of diplomats from Asian and Pacific countries.
Ballet Manila artistic director Lisa Macuja-Elizalde made a brief introduction of the company and the piece that they would perform, Agnes Locsin’s Sayaw sa Pamlang.
The choreography is among the most popular pieces in the BM repertoire, which is inspired by the Maranao dance, the singkil.
It was also the first time that a dance group was performing in the National Museum of Natural History which was opened to the public earlier this year.
ASPAC wanted to showcase Filipino artistic talent in the classical arts, set against the backdrop of the museum’s majestic architectural design.
Inspired by the singkil, Sayaw sa Pamlang is one of the staples in the Ballet Manila repertoire.
“We at ASPAC see no better way of presenting Filipino talent, artistry, and ingenuity to our guest diplomats from the various resident and diplomatic missions of the Asian and Pacific countries,” said Assistant Secretary Meynardo Montealegre who hosted the night’s event.
Among the officials who attended the event were: Ernesto C. Abella, undersecretary,
Office of the Undersecretary for Strategic Communications and Research; Atty. Theresa Dizon-De Vega, chief coordinator and OIC, Office of the Undersecretary for Administration; and Rhenita B. Rodriguez, director, Office of Asian and Pacific Affairs.
National Museum assistant director Ana P. Labrador gave brief remarks welcoming the delegates to the newest NM facility to open.
Montealegre said that BM’s initial guesting would hopefully lead to other collaborations.
“I hope this undertaking with Ballet Manila would open further doors to cooperative events of this nature in the future, under the larger cultural diplomacy program of the DFA and our foreign service posts, in our shared desire to promote awareness of the Philippines’ rich reservoir of talent to the international community,” said Montealegre.
Precise movements characterize Sayaw sa Pamlang.