Growing up, my childhood friends and I would gather in one of the shaded areas in the neighborhood not just to play, but to dance. We would “choreograph” simple movements for the latest dance song craze back then.
Looking back, I’m quite amazed at how democratic our whole process was. Everyone could suggest songs, or the best steps that everyone could easily follow, or the different formations we could do that would best showcase each other’s dance skills. We would refine the choreography as we tried to complete the whole dance performance.
I remember dancing to “Macarena” and “Tootsie Roll” one summer day; then “Raggamuffin Girl” and “Oh Carol” on another. In one fiesta, we performed “Dying Inside to Hold You” and “Always.” Holiday performances would mean any songs that have a Christmas theme.
Those were the days. I wonder when did we ever stop dancing with so much fun, with great abandon. To dance without a care, without embarrassment, and just pure joy at the moment.
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While I might not be able to dance as I used to, I still enjoy watching a good dance performance. It doesn’t matter what the genre is, there is something about dance that just pulls you in.
And apparently, there’s a science to it. A study published in Acta Psychologica examined the emotional and aesthetic experience when people watch dance. Based on the study, the participants “perceived the dancers’ emotions as more intense than their own.” Interestingly, the participants reacted positively to rounded movements, while they elicited negative emotions with edgier movements.
“What we like when we see a dance is not necessarily beautiful – but especially honest and authentic. The beauty expressed in the movements of the dancers does not come from the perfection of the movements, but from the quality of the expressive intention in the movement,” said Julia Christensen, the corresponding author of the study.
I guess this is the reason audiences can relate more to some dances more than others. The perceived kinesthetic empathy, as scientists call it, or the “ability to experience empathy merely by observing the movements of another human being.”
In ballet, there are so many characters that the audience can relate to and sympathize with. But the most curious one, perhaps, is Don Quixote.
You see, when you watch the ballet named after the nobleman from La Mancha, Don Quixote doesn’t really dance; he mimes for the most part. And yet, his presence sets the stage and illuminates the love story between the innkeeper’s daughter Kitri and the town barber Basilio.
Try to ponder on this when you watch Ballet Manila’s Don Quixote on May 27, 8:00 p.m., and May 28, 5:00 p.m., at the Aliw Theater in Pasay City.
As a tradition, Ballet Manila makes sure that they perform one classic ballet for their season. For its 25th season, they will perform Don Quixote for practical reasons. It doesn’t require a full corps de ballet – something that Ballet Manila might not have due to the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The challenges that Ballet Manila has faced these past years have proven our grit and resilience in the face of adversity, which I believe is relatable with Don Quixote’s burning passion, the love for adventure, and challenges to prove oneself. We see this as an opportunity to showcase the depth of talent in our company,” said BM artistic director Lisa Macuja Elizalde.
Taking the titular roles are American danseur and a rising star of San Francisco Ballet Esteban Hernandez and BM’s principal dancer Jasmine Pia Dames.
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If ballet is not your thing, you might want to catch Indak Pilipinas: Mga Tradisyon at Interpretasyon, the biggest folkloric dance festival that gathers the best Filipino folk dance groups, slated on May 19 and 20, 7:00 p.m., with 2:00 p.m. matinee on Saturday, at Metropolitan Theater Manila.
The bi-annual dance event perpetuates the promotion and preservation of the country’s diverse dance traditions and heritage and highlights the best dance pieces choreographed and staged by Philippine National Artists for Dance and other respected personalities in the dance community.
Featured dance groups are Bayanihan, The National Folk Dance Company, Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group, Philippine Barangay Folk Dance Troupe, Kaloob, Music and Dance Ministry, SINDAW Philippines Performing Arts Guild, Kalilayan Folkloric Group, Sining Palawan Dance Troupe, and Irong-Irong Dance Company.
The school/university-based dance groups are Bulacan State University Lahing Kayumanggi Dance Troupe, Centro Escolar University Folk Dance Troupe, Lyceum of the Philippines University Lahing Batangan Dance Troupe, Philippine Normal University Kislap Sining Dance Troupe, Rizal Technological University Kultura Rizalia Dance Troupe, Technological University of the Philippines Kalinangan Dance Troupe, University of the East Silangan Dance Troupe, and University of Santo Tomas Salinggawi Dance Troupe.