For ballet artists, Alice Reyes has become a prominent figure in the sacred art through the years. Having been conferred as the National Artist for Dance by former President Benigno Aquino III in 2016, the Miriam College alumna has since sought to share the beauty of dance through her own dance company, Alice Reyes Dance Philippines. She has also been a trailblazer through her programs with the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) in bringing the art of ballet to different regions of the country. We sat down with Alice Reyes to hear her thoughts about the current state of the art of dance.
How has the local dance culture changed over the years?
It’s a totally different world. Primarily, because of this (smartphones). When I started, there were still rotary phones. Everybody had to wait for either the movies, dancers, guest artists, opera singers, and theater actors to come and perform here. But because of this (smartphones), everybody has access to whatever they want to watch. That exposure has been a gamechanger.
How’s the dancing scene now?
Before Covid-19, when we were still dancing at the CCP, we were pushing for live performances. Make it a date at the ballet! We were able to arrange (things) with hotels and restaurants… It’s a whole evening. Young people were coming dressed in suits and nice evening dresses. We also started to offer wine because the traffic was so bad, “Come at five o’clock and have a glass of wine!” Then Covid changed all of our lives. Now the CCP is closed (for renovations) and it’s going on longer than expected. We are temporarily housed here at the Metropolitan Theater. There are lots of new theaters. Many of them are designed for musical theater, which is a smaller area and smaller stage. The prosceniums are differently configured and dance is unusual in that we need space. We need a bounced floor so we can jump and not hurt our knees and backs. Because many of our old productions were designed for the CCP, which has tremendous fly and wings, mahirap i-transfer (it’s difficult to transfer) just to any theater. It’s a learning process for us now, which is always good. You learn new things.
Does this smaller type of setting give a more intimate experience?
One of the things we like to do is to invite people to open rehearsals. You come and watch how dancers work, how dancers practice, and so forth. In this studio, one-third the size of the rehearsal hall at the CCP, when the dancer jumps, he practically lands on your lap. It’s harder na kulang ang space (It’s harder since there is less space) but for the people who are there, you really feel the energy, the dynamic momentum of all the dancers. There’s that excitement. We would hope for a bigger studio, although we’re very happy we have the studio. Nakaka-inggit (you get envious) sometimes when you see big studios that have high windows and sunlight.
How do you feel about the current crowds at dance shows?
Oh my God, they’re very enthusiastic, especially the students! I think there’s a tremendous need for more productions to reach out to students. We just did a tour in Visayas, we went to Dumaguete at Siliman University to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Luce Theater. Next to the CCP, that’s best theater in the whole Philippines. We also went to Bacolod where Congressman Kiko Benitez, who is now the director general of TESDA, got over 800 to 1,000 students from all over the different cities surrounding Bacolod into the La Salle University gymnasium. They built a stage and the reaction was tremendous. I just came from Ballet Manila’s Florante at Laura, they also had students because it was a matinee and you could feel the excitement there. The kids were shouting and clapping. It was nice.
Music has also changed throughout the years, has this affected the dance culture as well?
Definitely. The presence of K-pop has started waves all over. Filipinos have naturally (always) been so musical. We like to sing, we like to dance, we like to just go at it. For years, all over the world when you traveled, it was always a Filipino band. It’s a little bit alarming that now it’s K-pop and that’s the difference between a government-funded artistic and cultural thrust to sell the country. I’ve always been very vocal about wanting more government focus on setting aside funds for arts and culture in this country. There are so many talented Filipinos.
How do you feel about the attention the government is giving the arts and culture now?
*Sarcastically* They are? Where? Tell me. There have been local government units in various places like Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, (that) has always had mayors there. (Mayor Nestor) Alvarez, who for years, had a regular relationship with the CCP. Everybody at the CCP knew Mayor Nestor Alvarez and he knew everybody in the art world because he had established this relationship. We have gone to Tarlac, Pampanga, with Gov. Susan Yap and we’re working with Antique, thanks to Sen. Loren Legarda. We have been talking with various mayors and governors in our effort to wake up this awareness. We’re hoping very much that this will become part of the educational, artistic, and cultural thrust of this government.
Who has inspired you, someone you feel helped bring you to where you are today?
There are few. I’m very fortunate to have come from a musical family. I was born into a very musical family, which helped me. I was also exposed to wonderful companies like the Bayanihan. I was always inspired, besides my mother, by Lucrecia Kasilag, the composer who was also the president of the CCP. We worked with her and some of my best pieces were to her compositions. Because my parents were in the musical world, I was very familiar with composers like Lucio San Pedro. I was always inspired by Bea Zobel because she was a lady of the level of society who always had her heart and mind on helping the less blessed. That was always something that inspired me to always keep my feet and head on the ground. There are many who are not able to take classes whom we should reach out to, and that’s what we’re trying to do with the Alice Reyes Dance Company.
Alice Reyes is set to celebrate her homecoming by staging a performance of the first all-Filipino Christmas ballet Puso ng Pasko during the Miriam College Christmas Bazaar on Dec. 17 and 18 at Miriam College along Katipunan Ave. in Quezon City.