ALICE REYES

mother of Philippine
modern dance
Born in 1942 into a musical family—her mother
Adoracion was a noted voice teacher.

Her father Ricardo was once called Mr. Philippine Folk

Dancer.

She toured early on with her father, and trained at a

young age with Rosalia Merino while studying at
Maryknoll College, and later with Leonor Goquingco
(National Artist for Dance) and Ricardo Cassell at the
Philippine Women’s University.
Way before she started the company that was to become
Ballet Philippines, she had started contributing to the
household by dancing and creating dances for the stage
and television.
She was in the original Bayanihan Dance Company world
tour that performed in Brussels and on Broadway in New
York.
She was also part of an international show in Las Vegas.
She finished her Master’s degree at the Sarah Lawrence
College in Bronxville, New York, and trained under Bessie
Schonberg, among others.
She had a teaching position set for her in the United
States, had she not vacationed in Manila and saw the
new Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) theater
and its then empty programming.

She organized her peers—then some of the best

dancers in Manila—and proposed to present a modern
dance concert at CCP. The concert was a hit, and Ballet
Philippines was born.
She called the CCP her home for 20 years, crafting a
formula and work ethic that remains legendary to realize
her dream of creating a professional, world-class Filipino
dance company.

Her remarkable energy shone through in her roles and

creations—as “Amada,” “Itim-Asu,” Sisa, the bride in
“Songs of the Wayfarer.”

These were landmarks in sculpting a new space for the

Filipino dancer.
As she delved into bigger stories and more diverse,
cosmopolitan directions, her eloquence as a
choreographer grew.

She ignited the stage with Filipino ballets in a distinct

Filipino modern dance style while pushing classical ballet
standards.

Years later we can still marvel and enjoy her “Bungkos

Suite,” “Carmen,” “Carmina Burana,” “Romeo and Juliet,”
“Rama Hari,” “Cinderella”—all nuanced with Filipino
culture, gesture and grace.
While some of her early works have been lost due to the lack of
proper recording in the early years, her decision to establish a
repertory dance company ensured that most of the company’s
works are preserved through a person-to-person transmission via
timely revivals of the classic works.

With her fellow pioneers, she inaugurated the country’s first

subscription seasons for dance.

She led acclaimed local and international tours that introduced

classical and modern dance to the farthest provinces and put the
Philippines on the world dance map.
She presented the first major summer dance workshop in
Manila and developed a yearlong program for professional
dance.

With her dedicated efforts, she created and personally

supervised for 20 years what is now renowned as Southeast
Asia’s longest-running professional dance company, counting 46
years of dance.

With cofounders Eddie Elejar and Tony Fabella, she balanced

modern dance and the pursuit of a classical ballet technique.
She invited collaborators who became future advocates of
dance—writers, composers, designers and actors who joined her
in creating a uniquely Filipino body of work.

These include fellow National Artists Bienvenido Lumbera,

Rolando Tinio, Lucrecia Kasilag, Ramon Santos, Francisco
Feliciano and Salvador Bernal.

With Bernal as chief designer and Reyes as director, Ballet

Philippines created a legacy of Filipino dance classics that can still
be enjoyed today.
After 20 years of leadership, Reyes left Ballet Philippines
with a new generation of dancer-champions at its helm,
as she started a new life in the United States with her
family.

By then, she had become a living legend.

All artistic directors after her know they will be

measured in some way against the original visionary’s
exacting standards.
At the Gabi ng Parangal following her conferment as National
Artist, Reyes was feted by a grateful dance community.
Forty-six years after that modern dance concert in 1970, her
legacy is invaluable: a tradition of excellence and innovation that
has brought to center stage the strength and grace of the
Filipino dancer and dance-maker.
Manila is now one of the few cities in the world to support
three full-time professional ballet companies.
Dance in the Philippines has truly gone a long way—thanks to
the pioneering dancer, choreographer, director and producer
Alice Reyes.