Ballet Manila scholars, dancer bring home bronze medals from Asian Grand Prix
Representing the Philippines and the Lisa Macuja School of Ballet: (from left) Loraine Gaile Jarlega, John Stanley Alamer, Juan Angelo De Leon, Shamira Drapete, Sixto Dones, Noah Esplana, Germaine Dawal, Ainslea Esplana, Nina Arabela Nuñez and Julianne Keiko Bañez.
Two Ballet Manila scholars and a company artist – representing the Lisa Macuja School of Ballet (LMSB) – scored bronze medals from the Asian Grand Prix International Ballet Competition (AGP) held December 12 to 17 in Bangkok, Thailand.
Scholars Juan Angelo De Leon and John Stanley Alamer received their medals in the Junior A division and Junior B division, respectively, while company artist Noah Esplana earned the bronze in the Senior division. Esplana was also recognized with an Excellence in Contemporary Dance for Twilight, choreographed by Martin Lawrance, Ballet Manila’s guest choreographer.
The three bronze medalists also received cash prizes from AGP organizers and sponsors.
For their classical piece, De Leon and Alamer both danced the Franz Variation from Coppelia. Esplana danced the Prince Siegfried of Swan Lake.
The Lisa Macuja School of Ballet’s delegation, headed by Romeo Peralta (left) and Eileen Lopez (right), celebrates after Noah Esplana, Juan Angelo De Leon, Stanley Alamer, Shamira Drapete and Germaine Dawal win medals and citations at the Asian Grand Prix in Bangkok.
It was the first time that the AGP was held on site since the pandemic hit in 2020. In the past two years, video competitions were held in place of the usual live competition.
Meanwhile, scholar Germaine Dawal was named 5th placer and LMSB student Shamira Drapete 8th placer in the Junior B division. Dawal danced the Harlequin Variation from Harlequinade and Drapete the Lise Variation from La Fille Mal Gardee.
LMSB was also represented by scholar Sixto Dones (Junior B), and students Ainslea Esplana (Junior B), Nina Arabela Nuñez (Performance B) and Julianne Keiko Bañez (Performance B) – all of whom qualified to go to Bangkok after placing in the AGP Manila regional competition last September.
Ballet Manila apprentice Loraine Gaile Jarlega, who had aced the regionals with a gold in Junior B, was unable to compete due to an injury but remained in Bangkok to support her fellow LMSB students.
The LMSB’s Bangkok delegation was headed by Ballet Manila co-artistic associate Eileen Lopez and principal dancer Romeo Peralta. The competitors were also coached by co-artistic associate Gerardo Francisco Jr. and LMSB assistant to the directress Sofia Sangco-Peralta.
This year’s AGP Final Jury was composed of: Garry Trinder, director of the New Zealand School of Dance, who was also jury president; Robert Mills, instructor at the Australian Ballet School; and Hazel Sabas, rehearsal director at Sacramento Ballet.
Judging of AGP competitors was based on live performances of competition pieces and participation in classes which were conducted or observed by jurors.
The Asian Grand Prix final competition was held at the Aksra Theater in Bangkok, Thailand.