I HAVE always been fascinated by airdance. I believe it’s a double effort to achieve. Once I told my chiropractor that I wanted to learn pole dancing and airdance. Without batting an eyelash, he told me: “Luci, I might not be able to bring you back together.” So that relegates my desire to just appreciation.
Airdance Philippines, the country’s premier and pioneering company in Contemporary Dance and Aerial Arts, and the country’s representative to various international dance events, together with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), is celebrating its 15th anniversary with a performance and workshop tour all over the country entitled “Body of Work.”
Apart from its visible involvement in local commercial and corporate productions, Airdance has represented the country in various international dance events, including World Expo in Japan 2005, (E)motion Dance on Screen Festival in Indonesia 2005, 7th Asia Arts Festival in China 2005, Japan-Asean Dance Project that toured Southeast Asia in 2013, the M1 Contact Contemporary Dance Festival 2014 and2015 in Singapore, and the recently-concluded World Dance Alliance-Asia Pacific Congress held in Seoul, Korea.
To kickoff this anniversary tour, Airdance Philippines chose Talisay City to be their first stop. They conducted two free workshops last September 18 and 19. The first workshop was for P.E. teachers and local choreographers and the second one was for students in Talisay City. It is the goal of Airdance Philippines to foster awareness and to bring dance arts closer to the people. The free workshops aim to bring the knowledge and techniques of the art accessible to students, choreographers, and teachers since formal training can be a bit expensive, thus inaccessible to many. They hope to inspire aspiring dancers to pursue their interest in the art and the profession.
For their “Body of Work” performance in Talisay held at the plaza on September 19, Airdance Phils performed nine acts namely, “Adarna Opening” choreographed by Ava Maureen Villanueva Ong; “Onus,” by Jed Amihan; “Walk with Me,” by Ava Villanueva; “Dy-Ad,” by RhosamPrudencio Jr.; “Hikbi,” by Jethro Pioquinto; “Deliverance,” by Avel Bautista; and “Lighting Talks,” by Ava Maureen Villanueva Ong.
“A Solo for Isaac,” was a guest performance by Dance Pull School of Performing Arts, choreographed by Xiao Mitchao and performed by Rench Isaac Soriano,
Jed Amihan, Mia Carmela Cabalfin, Nicole Primero, Chantal Primero, Carlo Valderama, Christopher Chan, Carlos Deriada Jr., Marvin Peralta, Karmela Gaile Cortez, and Jennica Anne Tavares were the members of Airdance Company who performed and conducted free workshops in Talisay City and Bacolod City.
The Office of the City Mayor, under the leadership of Mayor Neil E. Lizares III, together with the Sangguniang Panlungsod Committee on Youth Development and the Talisay City Local School Board hosted the event.