Beauty and a Beast

This post comes on the heels of the blockbuster Beauty & the Beast live-action version now playing in cinemas. I saw the beloved animated original in 1991 and was riveted by the theme and treatment of the movie. At the time, the animation was a cinematic achievement over the previous Disney cartoon film, and the original music, even more memorable. But what really blew me away was Belle, who was portrayed as not just beautiful (as all fairy tale princesses are) but also brooding, independent, strong-willed, smarter than the men, and...a bibliophile!

Fast-forward to 2017. Emma Watson is perfectly cast as Belle alongside a supporting cast of British acting stalwarts. Watson, really brings the character to life physically and gives credibility to the role. She is after all, the actress who planted "subversive feminist literature" all over the New York City subway and is a vocal Trump critic.

Belle and Emma. Emma and Belle seem almost identical and, for me, are both an ideal that ballerinas should aspire to. To be a Princess who is beautiful, strong and smart all at once. 

"My ballerinas are not frail," says Teacher Vic. For emphasis, he places Daniella's gym bag on her back while she planks. "I teach them to move logically and instinctively. Our exercises at the barre and in centre are designed to train both their minds and bodies to work together. Often, exercises are repeated until it is committed to memory, and so that the body knows what muscles to correctly recruit for one movement or more."

getting strong with waist belts during releve

In the VGUD Studio, where the teaching style is constantly innovative, evolving and motivational, ballet students are given a bit of the "royal treatment" by Teacher Vic, who crowns the girls with garlands to make them "feel the part".  This may seem like fun at first for the girls, until he starts putting plastic coasters on their elbows to balance while their arms are in second.

"I encourage them to feel like princesses," Teacher Vic says. "When they are exhausted by their entrechats, I tell them to say: I am tired but still beautiful!"

The girls are super smart too, if the combinations at the barre and in centre are any indication.  Teacher Vic seldom demonstrates but always adjusts, and it's amazing how the girls can comprehend instructions in a foreign language so quickly. 

In essence, the VGUD syllabus-if I may call it that-molds female dancers to be both Beauty and a Beast. In practice, I see it clearly in their petit/grand allegros, more so in their adagios, which are teeming with arabesques, attitudes, promenades and pirouettes. Without regular, deliberate and focused training...the adagio will be reduced to an unpleasant spectacle for the audience, with the dancer struggling to keep her balance and possibly getting injured in the long-term.

The beautiful Lily Macatangay (center, foreground) in Beast mode.

Let's Hear It For the Boy!

This is Elroi, who is five-years old. Today, he became the school’s first, and youngest, danseur and is the newest member of the Creative Ballet class.

The studio was really buzzing when he walked in with his family, who was in complete attendance-Dad, Mom and older brother were clearly supportive of Elroi’s passion for ballet. He appeared in the requisite white shirt, black tights and black ballet shoes this morning. (In the afternoon, he will be shooting hoops with his big brother at the community basketball court.)

In traditionally patriarchal societies, you might say that it is uncommon to observe encouragement and even approval of this kind. “Think of ballet, and you think of pointe shoes, tutus and pirouettes,” says one CNN report. Male ballet dancers are stereotyped as “feminine, dainty, fragile” in an earlier study. And then there is the heartbreaking story of Palestinian Ahmad Joudeh, who faced death threats for teaching dance in Syria where ballet is taboo for boys. His life changes dramatically though, after he was filmed dancing in the ancient Roman ruins of Palmyra where in January this year, the terrorist group Isis had executed teachers, civilians and soldiers. Dutch National Ballet artistic director, Ted Brandsen, who saw the documentary on Joudeh, helped fund his travel to Netherlands where he is now studying dance.

“Dancing in the Palmyra theatre was my way to fight Isis. It was my way to tell them: you can kill people, but you can’t keep me from dancing. It was a dangerous thing to do, we couldn’t stay there longer than one hour, and it was 50C (122F) in the sun. But I did it because I knew I would never have the chance again. And I was right. Isis have destroyed the theatre now. I cried for two days when I heard the news,” said Joudeh of his dance of defiance.

Few are liberal-minded and smart enough to see that ballet is actually more demanding, more rigorous than a lot of sports out there and requires the discipline, dedication and long hours of a PhD education.

Male ballet dancers not only possess the athleticism and physicality to lift and assist ballerinas, they have the power and strength to spring high while turning and twisting in mid-air (all this time seeming effortless), and are expected to be graceful dance partners as well.

A Ballet Education has a more humourous take in its “Manly Ballet” post which lists the top  misconceptions about male ballet dancers. Here’s a few:

While skateboarders do 720s using momentum V-force, men in ballet do it from a static position.

While track athletes jump hurdles that stand 42”, ballet dancers are clearing more air while looking relaxed.

While football boasts the manliest sport, they are still basically wearing tights.

While soccer players are drilling for foot speed, ballet dancers are drilling for foot speed in exact positions.

While regular guys are at the gym lifting weights, male ballet dancers are lifting women for eight hours without grunting and straining their necks.

While baseball players are coordinating catches, male ballet dancers are coordinating catching women.

Let’s get serious for a moment here. For me, the greatest strength a danseur has is the courage to be vulnerable when dancing. And Jacquelyn Bernard said it best in her article, “The Male Dancer: Exploring, Identifying, and Breaking Down Stereotypes.”

“A male dancer has a specific talent that requires more than just his physical being; it requires his emotional being, too. Unlike many athletes who can express their feeling sthrough various forms of physical activity, a male dancer may use his body to express his feelings onstage, making him vulnerable to the world. He shows his heart and soul in his movements, which is a beautiful and rare talent in the dance community,” writes Bernard.

Kudos to the exclusive London Boys Ballet School, founded in 2014. It challenges stereotypes of male ballet dancers and champions ballet for boys by focusing on strength, skill and power. Bravo! Ivan Putrov for his “Men in Motion”,  a male dance project which tracks the evolution of male dancing over the century in a show which boasts a cast of international danseurs performing 100 dances in 100 minutes (raw footage below).

Teacher Vic downplays all the brouhaha over ballet and men. But given all the developments in ballet, where males are concerned, you could tell Teacher Vic has big plans for Elroi.

So, let’s hear it for the boy! Let’s give Elroi a hand (of support)!

"Jete!"

They squealed one by one: "Jete!" Holding up pom-poms in the air, Alpha, Fran and Mia hopped over the hoola hoops on the floor. Each one brimming with glee as they waited their turn. This is another one of Teacher Vic's many tricks up his sleeve for his Creative Ballet class, which is known as, although starkly unique from,  "Baby Ballet" classes in other studios.

"Young children learn better in a playful environment," he says. In my view, this is almost identical to the Maria Montessori method which claims that the mind is most absorbent when  concepts are taught during play.

Look closely at Alpha's picture above and you will find that the elements of the jete, are executed. There is obviously the plie and transfer of weight from one foot to the other during the ballet leap.

By using fun props such as pom-poms, fairy wings and wands, tiaras and garlands, the kids readily buy into "ballet" and learn how to plie, turn, tendu and jete while pretending to be princesses.

Alpha begging to have another go at a jete.

Alpha holding up her skirt and walking like a princess.

Princess Aurora, Cinderella, Odette and Odile are classical ballet roles based from fantasy. Teacher Vic asserts, "Why not start the role-playing early?" 

I wished Bella and even I had learned ballet this way! I remember myself at six years old, fighting to keep my balance in centre, struggling to reach the barre and behave while trying to comprehend my teacher's French. 

Here's a link to the VGUDS Summer Intensive which includes Creative Ballet classes for children five years old and above.

A Visit from Giselle

They were waiting for her to come through the door. Their anticipation increasing by the minute. Today was the day former Philippine Ballet Theatre soloist and Ballet Philippines principal dancer Katherine Sanchez-Trofeo was teaching the M&P class.

Teacher Kit, as she is fondly known, lives nearby and has joined the girls in their classes at least twice before the school's field trip to Swan Lake. So the girls knew that she might pick on their bad habits. She had chided Bella previously at the barre about her sagging shoulders, for example, so today my daughter was prepared to pull her shoulders up and back and to remember to land squarely on fifth during her jumps.

To shake off nerves, the class began stretching while waiting. But Teacher Kit wasn't prompt. She was 10 minutes early! Immediately warm and friendly, she re-acquainted herself with the girls then went straight to business after and got her music ready. She used a different playlist than Teacher Vic's-which threw the girls off momentarily but they quickly recovered and seemed to be challenged by the faster tempo and different routine. I could actually see smiles on their faces as she gave off the instructions in French, as if the combinations tickled their minds and awakened their ballet muscles.

Kit was at once kind yet coercing, and I could tell that the girls were willing to up their game and be at their best. Today's substitute teacher made her name as Esmeralda, Kitri, Nikiya, Odette/Odile, Cio-Cio San, Swanilda, Wendy, Maria Clara, Sita, Aurora and most recently, as Giselle. 

Not only is Teacher Kit a seasoned performer, she is also an experienced teacher having taught at her own studio and as a guest teacher in schools like the CCP Dance School and Steps. Additionally, Kit brings specialized knowledge and expertise as a certified Pilates instructor and since retiring from ballet, has found a thriving career as a strength and conditioning coach to athletes and professional dancers. The parents who were there that evening couldn't stop gushing about how fortunate their daughters had been at having Kit clinically assess and adjust their arabesque lines, and teach them how to properly access their battement and their passe turnout, and improve their spine alignment.

Teacher Kit also dissected their Variations and brought fresh insight on the girls' performance. She humorously pointed out how their arms needed to be softer, more expressive, and less "robotic' (which is a product of focusing on their legwork and forgetting the arms in the process). 

It was clever how she let the class line up in front of the mirror, and do the "Bluebird" variation, sans the legs, and voila! their arms took on the grace of a princess!

The night was rich with "a-ha!" moments, and the girls really looked sharp by the end of the class. Teacher Kit's visit, of course, would not have been possible without Teacher Vic's long-standing relationship and connection to Kit and other ballet luminaries and all the top ballet companies.

With a smile and a curtsey, the class is done! No one even noticed that they had gone overtime. 

A field trip to Swan Lake

(March 4, 2017, 6:00 pm)

As my daughter and I made our way up the red, carpeted steps leading to the lobby of the CCP Main Theatre, she tugged at my sleeve and smiled at me, excitement written all over her face. Tonight was important for her, for she was watching Candice Adea, who was dancing as Odette/Odile and who was partnered by the Russian-trained American danseur, Joseph Phillips as Prince Siegfried. The couple were flown in to lead Ballet Philippines' re-staging of Swan Lake.

Apart from what she already knows about Candice - the first Filipina Gold Medalist (senior division) at the 2012 Helsinki International Ballet Competition and Silver Medalist (senior division) at the 2010 USA International Ballet Competition (recognized as the Olympics of Ballet) - to 11-year old Bella, Candice is also the beloved protégé of her very own teacher, Victor Gamosa Ursabia.

So in Bella's eyes, Candice is not only the most accomplished Filipino ballerina, she is also the embodiment of a successful protégé under Teacher Vic's Mentor & Protégé program. Teacher Vic's and Candice's journey claiming the top prizes in international ballet tilts is well-known in ballet circles, and deserves its own post later. For now, it exemplifies and underscores the importance of good ballet foundation, training, hard work, dedication, even a sense of daring, and mutual trust between teacher and student in order to qualify to the semis and eventually win the finals.

At Bella's ballet school, Victor Gamosa Ursabia Dance Studio (VGUDS), the Mentor & Protégé class is sought-after by serious ballet students, to say the least. In it, is a handful of CCP-based ballerinas, a number of them preparing for competitions or applying for professional scholarships overseas. There are also those who have bolted from their former ballet schools in search of the "right teacer". The class is for advanced students, who take a full class with barre and centre work, then get to dance a classical variation of their choice which Teacher Vic critiques and polishes when necessary. The group is growing, as word gets around that Ballet Master/Choreographer and Competition Coach Victor Ursabia has just opened a ballet school near his home in Marikina.

Below is a picture taken that night after the show, this is Candice and Teacher Vic.

My Bella ballerina with Candice. "Glad to have finally met her," said Odette. 

Bella and her Mentor, Victor Gamosa Ursabia.

That's us with the amazing Victor Maguad, who played Prince Siegfried to Jemima Reyes as Odile/Odette. All Filipino leads for Swan Lake--Candice,Victor, Jemima and Denise Parungao, who also alternated as Odile/Odette are protégés of Teacher Vic as well. That clearly says plenty about his M&P program!

So with our tickets autographed and our pictures taken, the evening is complete and Bella goes home happy and eager to get back to ballet class and start her Summer Intensive at VGUDS!