Puso ng Pasko: Filipino Christmas ballet set to Ryan Cayabyab's music to be staged in CCP
Alice Reyes Dance Philippines (ARDP), the dance company founded by the eponymous National Artist, is set to stage the country's first full-length production for Christmas—in collaboration with National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab.
Puso ng Pasko—to be held on Dec. 2 to 4 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) in Pasay—revolves around Lolo Val, an overseas Filipino living in California. Lolo Val shares with his apo Angelita how he celebrated Christmas with his barkada back in the Philippines during the '70s.
It takes off from the ARDP's Tuloy ng Pasko production in 2021, which was conceptualized during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Puso ng Pasko, conceptualized by ARDP Artistic Director Ronelson Yadao, will showcase the Simbang Gabi, bibingka, puto bumbong, and higanteng parols—set to Cayabyab's music, performed by the San Miguel Philharmonic Orchestra and the San Miguel Master Chorale. It will also highlight different fiestas across the country.
Yadao, Erl Sorilla, John Ababon, AL Abraham, Dan Dayo, Bonnie Guerrero, and Lester Reguindin serve as choreographers. Their recent outing was during the Premieres and Encores—the 75th anniversary of the Philippines and France's diplomatic ties—last Oct. 28 and 29.
Other brains behind the production include Eric Cruz, production designer; Barbara Tan-Tiongco, lighting designer and technical director; Eljay Castro Deldoc, scriptwriter and co-librettist; and Carlos Siguion-Reyna, director for film.
It will also feature budding dancers from the ARDP School, the Philippine High School for the Arts, as well as fellows of the Cultural Center of the Philippines's Professional Artist Support Program. Their repertoire consists of a fusion of the classical and contemporary, including ballet, hiphop, and jazz.
Puso ng Pasko is among the CCP's final productions this year before closing up shop from Jan. 1, 2023, to March 15, 2025, for renovation and retrofitting.
"We close a chapter and look forward to the beginning of a new one," the ARDP said in a statement.
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Those who wish to catch Puso ng Pasko on Dec. 2 (8 p.m.), Dec. 3 (3 p.m., 8 p.m.), and Dec. 4 (3 p.m., 8 p.m.) may contact the following entities:
Bonnie Guerrero
Viber: 09154122152
Mobile: +639175506997, +639999545922
CCP Box Office
Landline: 88323704