Thursday, September 28, 2006 Magsaysay: Defying gravity By Jo Magsaysay Whatever
Too short. Too dark. Too Asian. Each time he applied for work, any chance at all to show off his talent, he was turned down. Sometimes sympathetically. Other times arrogantly. But every time, one frustration after another.
*****
Nicolas Pacaña refused to be turned off. He had come all the way from the Philippines, from Cebu on a scholarship granted by Balletcenter of Fe Sala Villarica who saw great potential in this 15-year-old boy. I have special affinity with "Nikki" having assisted him in the preparation of his travel documents when his mom, the former vibrant stage actress Eva de Villa brought this shy, gangling teenager to the travel office. Nikki made his professional debut after his scholarship studying with Patricia Stander in the Honolulu City Ballet. But then, Hawaii was just another island after all, so Nicolas flexed his muscles and flapped his wings all the way to the mainland. It was a long and arduous flight beset with disappointments until 1976 when a small window opened for him when he joined Boston Ballet as a soloist and quickly rose to the rank of principal dancer. The rest, as they say, is history. Nicolas Pacaña became recognized as one among the finest classical danseurs, heralded as the Filipino Baryshnikov, the only Cebuano to achieve international acclaim.
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The premier danseur had performed with the Boston Ballet on a 12-week tour of China, the Middle East and Europe with the legendary Rudolf Nuryev winning critical acclaim as Albrecht in Giselle. He joined the Atlanta Ballet in 1982 as Principal Dancer, becoming well known for his interpretation in The Sleeping Beauty. Lead roles in Balanchine ballets established him as premier danseur for the Atlanta Ballet for 11 years during which audiences were both charmed and fascinated with is technical and artistic talents. In 1987 he was called to replace an injured Mikhail Baryshnikov in the Don Quixote Pas de Deux with only four hours notice. He returned to the Philippines to perform with the Philippine Ballet Theatre at the Cultural Center in 1985. Again in 1993 he traveled to the Philippines to teach and choreograph in his home country. When he returned to America, he was named co-artistic director of the Atlanta Festival Ballet School in Georgia where he has been prolific in developing stunning new ballets. His Paganini was chosen to close the Gala at the Southeastern Regional Ballet Association Conference, reaping stunning reviews.
*****
A co-artistic director of Atlanta Festival Ballet Company and Atlanta Festival Ballet School is Gregory Aaron, a multi-faceted talent to perform, teach, produce and choreograph a variety of works developing not only his distinctive artistic style but also his exceptional ability to prepare, produce outstanding ballet performers bringing the highest caliber in classical ballet to audiences. The good-looking Aaron, with the cutest cleft chin and golden blond hair is an "army brat", often referred to children of military officers. Born in Oregon of a USAF father and artistic mother, young Gregory began his ballet training under Susan Francis, one of the Southwest's leading choreographers and later studied under the founding director of Ballet El Paso at the University of Texas, Ingeborg Hauser. He was awarded a stipend scholarship to study at the Houston Ballet Company then joined the Hartford Ballet as apprentice and soon became company member. He was invited to join Boston Ballet and later asked to become a member of the Oregon Ballet Theatre and featured as the Nutcracker Prince. He toured Europe dancing in the company of Rudolph Nureyev of the Boston Ballet. In 2001, he was invited to teach, dance and choreograph for Balletcenter Cebu in The Little Mermaid, toured Dumaguete and performed at Silliman University. Invited by Girlie Royeca to stage and perform in Davao and in 2005 returned to the Philippines to stage his latest ballet The Jungle Book. His primary energies are directed towards choreography and artistic development, overseeing his staff members. His students in the Atlanta Festival Ballet School have been accepted to or have received scholarships in major ballet programs and schools. An inspiring teacher, Aaron has fueled partnerships with school systems due to his innovative teaching and directing.
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A pas de deux of sorts for this dynamic dancing duo. Gregory Aaron and Nicolas Pacaña have been appointed as co-artistic directors of Balletcenter, Cebu by Fe Sala Villarica. Having recently uprooted herself and grown wings, the much-loved founder of the Balletcenter has taken flight soaring off to the glorious heights of culture in Europe. Ever the culture-vulture, the quintessential artist will be haunting operas, concerts, theaters, lecture halls, art galleries…whatever, wherever, whenever she needs to refresh her spirit so that she comes home someday, she will have quenched her thirst for arts and culture, her soul would have been enriched and fulfilled.
*****
Over the past 17 years, Gregory Aaron and Nicolas Pacaña have built and operated Atlanta Festival Ballet which incorporates training programs got both the dance appreciation student with the serious dancers. Students of Balletcenter, Cebu will not only receive excellent dance training but will also develop poise, confidence, character and physical competence while learning the exciting yet demanding art forms of classical ballet.
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Following in the distinguished tradition of Fe Sala Villarica’s Balletcenter, Cebu, the co-artistic directors have designed a program that includes unique training and performance opportunities for students from age three to adults. They hope to bring a vibrant new ballet production in Cebu in celebration of the 55th anniversary of Balletcenter. There will be summer training programs, nationwide training programs. They can provide the right programs that each student needs. The possibilities are limitless as Balletcenter, Cebu reaches out for the dancer within us all.
*****
I don’t know if Sue Gray is a dancer, but deep down I do know she is one crazy lover of the arts, right down to the very core of her being which makes her the most unique patroness of the arts above all. She is a trustee of the Balletcenter,the Philippine Peace Philharmonic, the Arts Council. She climbs walls, straddles them to get the best camera angle, she lugs a heavy flowering plant on stage, she helps hoist a baby grand piano to a truck, the crimson polish of her shapely fingernails get chipped off from frenzied dialing on the phone to contact art patrons, she houses and feeds guest performers, chauffer them to and from rehearsals, she signs checks, lines up patrons and gives what no other patroness of the arts will do: give of herself, her time, and effort and her love. There she was getting together some of her media friends to meet Nicolas Pacaña and Gregory Aaron who are her houseguests until they can find some place they can rent, and there we all were nibbling sushi and tempura at Rai Rai Ken next door to Balletcenter, made over in blushing pink, pretty pink, rosy pink. A marvelous color for a rosy future of Balletcenter coming up roses!
