OWA Medy Garcia was a lover of dance and food. During their time, ballet classes were really very expensive and although she enjoyed her years of training in ballet, eventually she had to stop.
But her love for dance lived on. She choreographed dances for family and friends while she eventually pursued her other love, food.
As a mother, she was very hands on in taking care of her children while working at her father's restaurant Roli's, which she owned and successfully developed as one of the well-loved restaurants in Bacolod, most specifically famous for its napoleones. This is what Gianne Garcia Sanchez Sanson has to say about her Lola.
She said: “Because Owa and her husband, the late Engineer Ramiro Garcia Sr., were able to send her daughters to ballet class, my mother, Janette Garcia-Sanchez, went on to pursue professional dancing as a member of the Hariraya Dance Company. She opened her dance school, with a lot of help from Owa Medy, on July 9, 1971. Now on our 45th year, my mom's school is being run by my sister Georgette Sanchez-Vargas and myself.”
“Both of us, trained under the tutelage of our mom till we graduated from high school. Georgette went on to become soloist of Ballet Phiippines and eventually, danced professionally in Europe for about 10 years. I went to train with the CCP Dance School as a scholar of its mother company Ballet Philippines. After college graduation, I came back to manage and teach at my mom's school now known as The Garcia-Sanchez School of Dance.”
Gianne recently had the privilege to be invited by "THE" Agnes Locsin, to teach street jazz at the Locsin Dance Workshop in Davao.
Gianne added: “Being invited by a multi-awarded dance legend was truly an honor! Teaching her students while she watched made me sweat triple time but it was truly worth the trip."
Agnes Locsin is an internationally acclaimed choreographer. She is the daughter of professional dancer Carmen Dakudao Locsin, whose father happens to the brother of Gianne’s Owa Medy.
Agnes, who is based in Davao, is now the owner and director of her mother’s studio the Locsin Dance Workshop, now on its 69th year. She often invites guest artists and teachers to work with their talented students.
This year, Teacher Annette Cruz-Mariano, a former Company member of Ballet Philippines and now handles the dance school of the company based in De La Salle Zobel, is the guest teacher of the Locsin Dance Workshop, teaching classical ballet and modern ballet.
How did Teacher Agnes come to know about Gianne? Gianne said: “I was a teacher at the CMAP National Dance Workshop here in Bacolod and Tita Agnes saw the video of my class. She took interest in my work and immediately invited me to give a workshop to her students. It was nerve-wrecking to have a dance icon studying my moves, but it was truly a privilege to teach dancers, teachers and choreographers from all around the country.
As a word of affirmation her Tita Agnes said that “we should do this again in the future.” Gianne was elated when her students enjoyed her class immensely and she loved the choreography that I taught her students. They will hold their workshop recital this June in Davao.
Gianne ended our interview with a mission: “Our Owa Medy was not able to pursue dancing because of how expensive it was, now it is really our advocacy to teach dance for free, to our scholars, and to the youth of Puluy-an, also founded by Owa Medy.”