Thursday, October 18, 2007 Magsaysay: Like manna By Jo Magsaysay Whatever
Feeling like I do, like a zombie, having been doped by a massive dose of pain killers to assuage the ferocious attack of nerves in the lumbar region, radiating, tingling, creepy-crawling and piercing down my leg, I welcome a press release from Balletcenter like manna from heaven. An answered prayer.
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“Tito Nico is back and Elizabeth is finally here,” greeted coartistic director Nicolas Pacana of Balletcenter Cebu and visiting Atlanta Festival Ballet dancer Elizabeth Ferguson last Saturday.
Anticipation has been in the air waiting for artistic director Pacana’s return to Cebu. Accompanying him is one of Atlanta Festival Ballet’s up and coming dancer Elizabeth Ferguson.
Co-artistic director Gregory Aaron arrived in late August to begin setting the choreography for Balletcenter Cebu’s upcoming performance of Beauty and the Beast. The original ballet, choreographed by Nicolas, had been performed by the Altanta Festival Ballet and toured throughout the southeast United States since 1997.
Nicolas will be dancing his signature role as the Beast while guest artist Elizabeth will be portraying Beauty.
Elizabeth has danced with the Atlanta Festival Ballet for five years. She progressed through the ranks and excelled in her technique since early on; she was given featured roles. Last season, she was cast in the principal role of Clara in Aaron’s production of The Nutcracker. Both Nicolas and Aaron agreed to invite Elizabeth to guest dance in the Philippines.
All of 15 years, Elizabeth, of Peruvian ancestry, comes from a family of seven children and is currently a sophomore in high school. She is thrilled to be in Cebu and is well on her way of making friends here.
A cultural exchange is in the offing, according to Aaron, by bringing dancers from Cebu to perform at the Atlanta Festival Ballet productions and vice-versa. “It is our goal, now we are making it happen.”
Show details: Nov. 24, Saturday, and Nov. 25, Sunday, at 6:30 p.m. It will be held at Cinema 1 at Ayala Center Cebu (Theater for the Performing Arts). Please call Balletcenter for more details (232-2958).
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Can’t resist my input: “Garbo sa Sugbo awardee” Nicolas “Nico/Nikkie” Pacana is indeed our pride. Like the magical Disney cartoon Beauty and the Beast, this ballet, choreographed entirely by Nico and originally performed by the Atlanta Ballet Company, should capture the hearts of all those who have ever loved a beast and discovered a prince within which is a whole lot better than loving a prince who turned out to be a beast.
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The performance of 15-year-old Elizabeth of Atlanta Ballet Company should be a thrilling bonus; and the exciting prospect of watching the little boys and girls, exhaustingly and lovingly trained by the co-artistic director Aaron who is himself quite a princely fellow, should make Beauty and the Beast the best Christmas gift ever given to Cebu by Balletcenter.
