Alice Reyes

Last updated
Alice Garcia Reyes
Born
Alice Garcia Reyes

(1942-10-14) October 14, 1942 (age 81)
Manila, Philippines
Citizenship
Occupation(s)Filipino choreographer, dancer, teacher, director, producer
Years active1969–1989
Spouses
Dick Upton
​
(divorced)​
Ted van Doorn
​
(m. 1982)​
Parent(s)Ricardo Reyes
Adoracion Garcia
Awards National Artist of the Philippines.svg Order of National Artists of the Philippines

Alice Garcia Reyes (born October 14, 1942) [1] [2] is a Filipina dancer, choreographer, teacher, director and producer. The founder (together with Eddie Elejar) of Ballet Philippines, she received since June 20, 2014 from the Philippine President Benigno Aquino III the highest award in the Arts, National Artist of the Philippines. [3] She was chiefly responsible in popularizing contemporary dance with the Alice Reyes Dance Company which staged the first modern dance concert at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Main Theater in February 1970. It was this company that later became Ballet Philippines. She is best known for "Bungkos Suite", "Carmen", "Carmina Burana", "Romeo and Juliet", "Rama Hari", "Cinderella", "Amada", "Itim-Asu", and "Tales of the Manuvu"—all nuanced with Filipino culture, gesture and grace.

Contents

Early life and education

Reyes was born on October 14, 1942. At a very young age, Reyes took up lessons in classical ballet under Rosalia Merino while studying at Maryknoll College where she completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Foreign Services.

Soon after, she took post-graduate studies at Ateneo de Manila University. She further trained under the guidance of Leonor Orosa Goquingco and Ricardo Casell of the Philippine Women's University (PWU).

In addition, she took up folk dance at the Bayanihan Philippine National Folk Dance Company. Thinking of deepening her professional studies, she went to America and enrolled in formal courses in modern dance and jazz.

In New York, she took the opportunity to take more formal studies at Sarah Lawrence College in Westchester County, New York. [4] [2]

First marriage and divorce

Reyes was once married to Dick Upton, the current treasurer of Ballet Philippines, but they got separated in 1982. Upton later came out as gay and married his partner Elmer. [5]

Retirement

Reyes retired from Ballet Philippines in 1985 but still served as its artistic director until 1989. Her decision was motivated mainly by her desire to live with her second husband Ted Van Doorn and their family in California. She started using her married name, Alicia Van Doorn when credited for her artistic efforts during this time. She resumed using her maiden name after officially becoming a National Artist. [6]

After Reyes left, Ballet Philippines went through a string of artistic directors, most notably Paul Alexander Morales, who served for more than 8 years, and Alan Hineline, a choreographer and dancer who was born in Franklin, Ohio but is now based in New York. Hineline also served as chief operating officer of Ballet Philippines, overseeing a complete rebranding of the organization.

Return to Ballet Philippines

In 2017, Reyes was brought back on as the artistic director of Ballet Philippines (BP), just in time for the company’s 50th year anniversary. Her permanent residence was still in the US so she flew in and out of the Philippines for her occupation as artistic director.

BP exit and controversy

On February 6, 2020 the board of trustees of BP concluded a months-long search for a new artistic director and decided to go with renowned Russian ballet dancer Mikhail "Misha" Martynyuk. He was favored by the BP board over a handful of other candidates, including two who were personally endorsed by Reyes herself. These were Adam Sage, an American who had danced with BP in the late 1970's and came back as associate artistic director in 2017, and Ronelson Yadao, a dancer and choreographer who was being groomed by Reyes as the next associate artistic director for Sage. The two were not able to make it on the day of their interviews with BP for the artistic director position because of prior commitments and were denied to reschedule.

Reyes learned of Martynyuk's appointment after the BP board issued a circular and shared Martynyuk's credentials on an internal bulletin board. At this time, Reyes wrote to the board, congratulating the search committee on their decision. She added that she was looking forward to meeting her successor.

As news of Martynyuk's appointment and Reyes's subsequent replacement came out, along with the notion that it caught her off guard, various individuals expressed disapproval online and called for the appointment to be revoked. Reyes insists that she does not personally use social media so all views related to the topic expressed online have only been relayed to her through other mediums.

Reyes is scheduled to officially step down from her post as artistic director on March 31, 2020. This is a month earlier than the expiration date of the contract that she originally signed when she returned to the role back in 2018. [7]

Aftermath

Although Reyes had agreed to leave her artistic director post in April 2020 years prior, she has expressed disappointment at the turn of events that saw the introduction of a new artistic director before her departure. [8]

Major works

{https://ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/culture-profile/national-artists-of-the-philippines/alice-reyes/}

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margie Moran</span> Filipina beauty queen, model, and peace advocate

Maria Margarita Roxas Moran-Floirendo, professionally known as Margie Moran, is a Filipino beauty queen, actress and peace advocate who was the president of Ballet Philippines and is the chairperson of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. She is best known for winning the second Miss Universe crown for the Philippines as Miss Universe 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cultural Center of the Philippines</span> Philippines state corporation

The Cultural Center of the Philippines Foundation, Inc. is a government-owned and controlled corporation established to preserve, develop and promote arts and culture in the Philippines. The CCP was established through Executive Order No. 30 s. 1966 by President Ferdinand Marcos. Although an independent institution of the Philippine government, it receives an annual subsidy and is placed under the National Commission for Culture and the Arts for purposes of policy coordination. The CCP is headed by an 11-member Board of Trustees, currently headed by Chairperson Margarita Moran-Floirendo. Its current president is Arsenio Lizaso.

Ballet Philippines (BP) is a ballet company in the Philippines founded in 1969 by Alice Reyes with the support of Eddie Elejar and the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Proficient in both ballet and modern dance, the company synthesizes diverse dance and movement forms into distinctively Filipino contemporary expressions. These include classical ballet, avant-garde choreography, traditional and modern dance, martial arts, and aerial movements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Singkil</span> Philippine folk dance

Singkil is a folk dance of the Philippines that has its origins in the Maranao people of Lake Lanao, a Mindanao Muslim ethnolinguistic group. The dance is widely recognized today as the royal dance of a prince and a princess weaving in and out of crisscrossed bamboo poles clapped in syncopated rhythm. While the man manipulates a sword and shield, the woman gracefully twirls a pair of fans. The dance takes its name from the belled accessory worn on the ankles of the Maranao princess. A kulintang and agung ensemble always accompanies the dance. Singkil has evolved over time, with significant reinterpretations and changes introduced by the Bayanihan folk dance group, such as the incorporation of the elements from the Darangen epic, particularly the episodes involving Prince Bantugan and Princess Gandingan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leonor Orosa-Goquingco</span> Filipina dancer (1917–2005)

Leonor Orosa Goquingco was a Filipino national artist in creative dance, who was also known for breaking tradition within dance. She played the piano, drew art, designed scenery and costumes, sculpted, acted, directed, danced and choreographed. Her pen name was Cristina Luna and she was known as Trailblazer, Mother of Philippine Theater Dance and Dean of Filipino Performing Arts Critics. She died on July 15, 2005, of cardiac arrest following a cerebro-vascular accident at the age of 87.

James Kudelka, OC, is a Canadian choreographer, dancer, and director. He was the artistic director of the National Ballet of Canada from 1996 to 2005, now serving as the National Ballet's artist in residence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisa Macuja-Elizalde</span> Filipino prima ballerina (born 1964)

Lisa Teresita Pacheco Macuja-Elizalde is a Filipino prima ballerina. In 1984, she became the first foreign soloist to ever join the Kirov Ballet. In the Philippines, she is the Artistic Director and CEO of Ballet Manila and was the Vice-Chairman of the Philippine UNESCO National Commission. She was also the Commissioner of the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women. Macuja-Elizalde is also Directress and faculty member of the Lisa Macuja School of Ballet – a training center for ballet professionals who are steeped in the Russian Vaganova method. She is also the founder of Project Ballet Futures (PBF) - an internationally recognized community scholarship program that provides training and performance opportunities for deserving public school students.

The Philippines is home to several folk dances such as Tinikling, Pandanggo, Cariñosa, and Subli. Dance has integrated itself in Philippine society over the course of many years and is imbedded in Philippine culture.

Georgina Johanna Garcia Sanchez is a ballerina from the Philippines. From 1995 to 2002 she was a company dancer of the ballet company, Ballet Philippines. She was invited by European choreographer and director Nicolas Musin to join the Abcdancecompany in St. Potten, Austria where she has been featured since 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucrecia Roces Kasilag</span> Filipino composer and pianist

Lucrecia Roces Kasilag was a Filipino composer and pianist. She is particularly known for incorporating indigenous Filipino instruments into orchestral productions.

Ani ng Dangal or "Harvest of Honors" is an organizational award given by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, an agency under the Office of the President of the Republic of the Philippines. It is an annual event in the Philippines celebrated as a highlight and concluding rite of the Philippine Arts Festival.

Feliciano Dilo "Lito" Calzado was a Filipino actor, director, and choreographer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Celeste Legaspi</span> Filipina singer and actress

Celeste Kalugdan LegaspiGallardo is a Filipino singer, actress, film and theatre producer, and an advocate for artists' rights. Her singles and albums reached gold or platinum status during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. She is the daughter of National Artist for Visual Arts César Legaspi. She has been one of the founders of the following artist organizations: Organisasyon ng Pilipinong Mang-aawit (OPM), Culturtain Musicat Theater Productions, Performers' Rights Society of the Philippines, and the OPM Archive. She is married to Nonoy Gallardo, an advertising director and one of the premier Original Pilipino Music composers.

Andrea Elizabeth Eugenio Torres is a Filipino actress, singer, host, dancer and commercial model. She is currently an exclusive contract artist of GMA Network. She is best known for her roles as Diane San Luis-Makadatu in Legal Wives, Venus Torralba-de Jesus in Alyas Robin Hood, Cecilia Peron-Altamonte and Olga Villavicer in Sana ay Ikaw na Nga, Elaine Reyes / Juliet Santos and Jasmine "Jas" Santos-De Villa in The Better Woman, Annasandra "Anna" Vergara in Ang Lihim ni Annasandra, Luisa in The Millionaire's Wife and Narcisa "Sisa" in Maria Clara at Ibarra.

Francisca Reyes-Aquino was a Filipino folk dancer and academic noted for her research on Philippine folk dance. She is a recipient of the Republic Award of Merit and the Ramon Magsaysay Award and is a designated National Artist of the Philippines for Dance.

Kularts is a San Francisco, California,-based non-profit organization founded in 1985. It presents contemporary and tribal Filipino arts. Its mission is to expand the understanding of American Filipino culture, through sponsoring productions and presentations in the United States. Through its programs of performances, visual arts, community dialogues, and festivals, the organization hopes to advance the spirit and integrity of ancestral Filipino art and cultures.

Catalina Guillen Feleo-Gervasutti, better known as Ina Feleo, is a Filipino actress, figure skater, dancer, and writer. She rose to fame for playing the main antagonist role as Odessa in romantic-horror-drama on GMA Network, Hanggang Makita Kang Muli.

Josephine Carmen Imutan Barredo, known professionally as Maniya Barredo, is a Filipina ballet dancer and instructor. She is best known as the first and only Prima ballerina of the Philippines, an honor that was declared in 1978.

Lucrecia Faustino Reyes-Urtula was a Filipino choreographer, theater director, teacher, author and researcher on ethnic dance. She was the founding director of the Bayanihan Philippine National Folk Dance Company and was named National Artist of the Philippines for dance in 1988.

Agnes Dakudao Locsin is a Filipino dance choreographer who is recognized as a National Artist of the Philippines.

References

  1. ↑ Medina, Marielle (14 October 2016). "DID YOU KNOW: National Artist Alice Reyes". Inquirer.net. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  2. 1 2 Morales, Paul Alexander (30 April 2016). "A legacy of Filipino dance". Inquirer Lifestyle. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  3. ↑ "A Proclamation Declaring Alice Reyes as National Artist for Dance". Daily Serving of Legal Matters. 25 June 2014. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  4. ↑ Marcelo, Sam L. (25 June 2014). "BusinessWorld - Start small but start well: Alice Reyes and Ballet Philippines". bworldonline.com. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  5. ↑ Sumayao, Marco (1 Aug 2019). "The Villain and The Hero: Inside the Storied Life of National Artist for Dance Alice Reyes". esquiremag.ph. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  6. ↑ Cañares-Yamsuan, Cathy (7 Aug 2017). "Alice Reyes, back at Ballet Philippines, reintroduces company classics to 'a new audience'". inquirer.net. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  7. ↑ Enriquez, Marge (16 Feb 2020). "What went wrong in Ballet Philippines?". lifestyle.inquirer.net. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  8. ↑ Sioson San Juan, Thelma (1 Mar 2020). "Alice Reyes: 'I'm not the clingy type'". inquirer.net. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.