Arts & Culture (12/02/20)
Ballet Philippines on video
DURING these extraordinary times, Ballet Philippines’ passion burns bright to keep dance and the arts alive. So its members have created videos meant to “uplift spirits, enliven dreams, and be a source of inspiration and hope. Together we continue to keep dancing with our collaborators, supporters, and like-minded artists.” The videos include Chessplay, danced to a Piano and String Quartet in A minor Allegro by Gustav Mahler, choreographed by Marcelino Libao for Ballet Philippines, and performed and filmed at the SDA Theater of the College of Saint Benilde. Another is Tara, Sayaw Tayo, performed to Camile Saint-Saens’ Dance Macabre, with choreography by Mikhail Martynyuk, and Brothers, with choreography by Joseph Philips. More dance videos can be viewed at ballet.ph.
West Gallery opens four exhibits
THE WEST Gallery will be opening four exhibits — three solo exhibits, and one group shtow — on Dec. 3, all will be on view until Jan. 2, 2021. They are Argie Bandoy’s “Snake Charmer”; Buen Abrigo’s “Fleet in Being”; Mike Crisostomo’s “The 2022 Experience”; and the group show “A. Play B. Work C.__” featuring the works of Bad Student, Gino Bueza, Beejay Esber, Veronica Peralejo, Miguel Puyat, Christina Quisumbing Ramilo, Julio San Jose, Carina Santos, Pam-Yan Santos, Isabel Santos, Yasmin Sison, Nicole Tee, and Jemima Yabes. Visitors are welcomed to the gallery by appointment only. Call 3411-0336.
Ofelia Gelvezon-Tequi virtual exhibition
LAST February, the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ (CCP) Visual Arts and Museum Division opened the exhibition “Allegories and Realities: Ofelia Gelvezon-Tequi In Retrospect” at the Bulwagang Juan Luna, Pasilyo Juan Luna, Pasilyo Guillermo Tolentino, and Library & Archives. The retrospective exhibition brought together over 200 works by the artist, including pieces from over 20 institutional and private collections, and was curated by Ma. Victoria Herrera. The artworks in the exhibit spanned Gelvezon-Tequi’s over five decades as an artist, with her early paintings and prints from her time as a student in the late 1960s, to her numerous and highly-varied series of prints in the ‘70s, to her paintings on silk in the ‘80s, to her Philippine Works and Days series of paintings in the ‘90s, to her more recent still life paintings and mixed media works, among others. “Allegories and Realities” remained open until the CCP closed its doors to the public on March 13 due to the wide lockdown. Now the public can see the exhibit again, this time through the virtual exhibition of “Allegories and Realities: Ofelia Gelvezon-Tequi In Retrospect.” The virtual exhibit allows guests to walk through the entire exhibition and view all the artworks exhibited in the various galleries. To enter the exhibition, go to bit.ly/allegoriesandrealitiesonline. The virtual exhibit is housed within the CCP Collections website. The CCP Collections is an online catalogue of the center’s material effects consolidated from its various archives. Aside from the exhibit, the CCP Collections currently showcases a sundry of folios and catalogues from the CCP Library and Archives. Items from both selections are made available to download for free. To visit the website, visit https://collections.culturalcenter.gov.ph/.
Creative masterclass for online learning
A FREE and public creative masterclass and panel discussion on creative online learning and homeschooling, to be facilitated by ACTS Manila Artistic Director Chelo Borromeo-Gemina, ACBA, will be held on Dec. 2 via Zoom. The live session will engage the participating parents in in-depth conversations on how they can build a quality homeschool learning environment and journey for their children, especially today that physical schools are disrupted by the pandemic. The talk is open to parents, teachers, and students. It will be conducted via Zoom on Dec. 2, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. The event will provide a Filipino Sign Language (FSL) interpretation. Interested attendees may register through this link: https://bit.ly/LiveED04. The dialogue is hosted by the Hub of Innovation for Inclusion of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde in partnership with Power Mac Center.
Children’s workbook for a cause
WITH the advent of virtual learning in the new normal, parents and children are coping by exploring other activities that will soften the effects of stress and fatigue of online learning. SiningSaya, the SiningSaysay Exhibit Children’s Workbook is an activity book that contains fun and challenging activities for children that will deepen their knowledge of Philippine history and culture. The workbook — a supplement to Gateway Gallery’s “SiningSaysay: Philippine History in Art” exhibit at Araneta City — tells the past of the Filipino through images and tasks. It also contains the images of the paintings of SiningSaysay made by UP artists led by National Artists BenCab and Abdulmari Imao. The 24-page workbook was created for children and teens. It is a project of the J. Amado Araneta Foundation, curated by Gateway Gallery, and designed and printed by Adarna House. The workbook sells for P200, and the purchase will support the victims of Typhoon Ulysses through Operation R.E.A.C.H. (Relief Efforts of Araneta City to Help). The promotional offer runs until Dec. 4. To inquire or get a copy, visit the Gateway Gallery website www.gatewaygallery.aranetacity.com, or send a message on Facebook GatewayGalleryPH, or visit the Gateway Gallery kiosk at the Gateway Mall Activity Center, Monday to Friday, 2 to 5 p.m.