Ballet Manila and Zhongli Youth Ballet strengthen ties anew
Ballet Manila’s partnership with Taiwan’s Zhongli Youth Ballet continues to strengthen as co-artistic director Osias Barroso was invited by the Taipei-based school to hold more classes with its students in the last week of January.
Apart from classes with students of various ages, Barroso also had coaching sessions with young dancers who previously won in the Asian Grand Prix and will compete again this year, as well as with those set to participate in other ballet competitions.
Ballet Manila co-artistic director Osias Barroso gives pointers to Zhongli Youth Ballet students who will participate in competitions.
“The motivation of these kids is remarkable. The discipline instilled by Maggie Chen is something else,” said Barroso, who was given an assistant for this year’s classes to help translate and work with the kids.
Zhongli Youth Ballet will again send students to Ballet Manila’s Summer Intensive in April and May, just as it did last year. The participants were able to perform in Tuloy ang Saya-wan, a fundraiser for ballet scholarships held last July. Several students who came to Manila also trained for the Asian Grand Prix International Ballet Competition that was later held in Hong Kong.
Last August, Barroso headed a delegation of Ballet Manila dancers – Joshua Enciso, Shaira Comeros, Alvin Dictado, Rafael Perez and Brian Sevilla – that performed excerpts from Giselle, Sleeping Beauty and Raymonda, for the Zhongli Youth Ballet’s school recital.
Zhongli’s Maggie Chen said their efforts to regularly bring in a teacher from Ballet Manila and also to send students to Manila are meant to further widen the student’s exposure to the Vaganova training method that BM espouses.
The school uses elements of Vaganova, RAD (Royal Academy of Dancing) and Taiwanese style in its curriculum.
Barroso first conducted a workshop for Zhongli Youth Ballet in 2018.
Conducting classes once more at Zhongli Youth Ballet, Osias Barroso praises its students for being highly motivated and disciplined.
