<B>Ballet troupe not ready to hang up dancing shoes</B><P>By MARGE C. ENRIQUEZ for The Philippine Daily Inquirer <P> <BR> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>AFTER 15 seasons, the Philippine Ballet Theater faces the same predicament —inadequate corps de ballet and strong and tall male dancers, budget deficit and a dwindling audience. To a dance reviewer, the warhorse repertoire has become as tiresome as the flaccid footwork, spiky arms, crooked knees and wobbly balances of the ensemble, show after show. <P>Yet, despite these setbacks, PBT continues to move on. It shows Filipino resiliency and determination at their best.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P><BR><A HREF="http://www.inquirer.net/lif/2001/jul/09/lif_2-1.htm" TARGET=_blank><B>more...</B></A><BR>

Ballet dancers from Manila delight Taipei crowds
By Nancy T. Lu for The China Post

Sylphlike Filipino dancers trained in classical ballet had big crowds riveted on the open-air stage in front of the Chung Shan Hall in Taipei for two afternoons in a row.
The organizers of the Taipei Arts Festival this year had invited the Philippine Ballet Theater to stage a program in tandem with the Cuban a cappella group called Vocal Sampling in the open air on Saturday and Sunday.

Gener Caringal's "Vinta" — the opening piece — was inspired by the colorful sailboats familiar to many tourists in Zamboanga and Sulu in the largely Muslim Mindanao of the Philippines. The stripes and geometric patterns in vivid hues are a sight to behold when the vintas sail out in the Philippine waters.

Dancers on point gracefully played with an abbreviated version of the tubelike garment called malong and identified with the Muslim women in the Philippines. They dramatically unfurled at one point yards and yards of colorful fabrics to recreate a dazzling Philippine seascape.

In a way, the ballet choreography suggested the Muslim suite of a Philippine folk dance repertoire.

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