King Louis XIV of France

Louis XIV, the King of France from 1643 to 1715, was a ballet enthusiast from a young age. In fact his
birth was celebrated with the Ballet de la Felicite in 1639. As a young boy, he was strongly supported
and encouraged by the court, particularly by Italian-born Cardinal Mazarin, to take part in the
ballets. He made his debut at age 13 in the "Ballet de Cassandre" in 1651. Two years later in 1653,
the teenage king starred as Apollo, the sun god, in The Ballet of the Night or in French, Le Ballet de la
Nuit. His influence on the art form and its influence on him became apparent. His fancy golden
costume was not soon forgotten, and his famous performance led to his nickname, the Sun King. In
the ballet, he banishes the night terrors as he rise as sun at dawn. His courtiers were forced to
worship him like a god through choreography. They were made clear of the glory of King Louis XIV
and that he had absolute authority both on and off the dance floor. The ballets that young King Louis
performed in were not as strenuous as the ballet that is familiar today. The form of entertainment
was actually called ballets dentres. This refers to the small divisions, or entries, that the ballets
were broken up into. For example, Le Ballet de la Nuit, comprised over forty of such entries, which
were divided in to four vigils or parts. The whole spectacle lasted 12 hours.
Throughout his reign, Louis XIV worked with many influential people in his court dances. He worked
alongside poet Isaac de Benserade, as well as designers Torelli, Vigarani and Henry de Gissey, which
made fashion and dance closely interlinked. Possibly his greatest contribution to the French court
was bringing composer/dancer Jean-Baptiste Lully. Louis supported and encouraged performances
in his court as well as the development of ballet throughout France. Louis XIV was trained by Pierre
Beauchamp. The King demonstrated his belief in strong technique when he founded the Acadmie
Royale de Danse in 1661 and made Beauchamp leading ballet master. King Louis XIVs and Frances
attempt to keep French ballet standards high was only encouraged further when in 1672 a dance
school was attached to the Acadmie Royale de Musique. Lead by Jean-Baptiste Lully, this dancing
group is known today as The Paris Opera Ballet.
The king was very exacting in his behavior towards his dancing. In fact, he made it a daily practice to
have a ballet lesson every day after his morning riding lesson. As the French people watched and
took note of what their leader was doing, dancing became an essential accomplishment for every
gentleman. Clearly ballet became a way of life for those who were around King Louis XIV. If one
looked at the culture of seventeenth-century France, one saw a reflection of an organized ballet that
was choreographed beautifully, costumed appropriately, and performed with perfect precision.
Louis XIV retired from ballet in 1670.

Acadmie Royale de Danse

The Acadmie Royale de Danse, founded by letters patent on the initiative of King Louis XIV of
France in March 1661, was the first dance institution established in the Western world. It was an
association of thirteen dancing experts whose purpose according to the preamble of the King's
letters was "to restore the art of dancing to its original perfection and to improve it as much as
possible". The group was intended to codify court and character dances and to certify dance
teachers by examination, but since no archives of the organization have been found, it has not been
possible to evaluate in detail its activities and accomplishments. The Acadmie Royale de Musique,
originally founded in 1669 as the Acadmie d'Opra, was a closely related opera and ballet company
, and although the two institutions never merged , members of the dance academy were also
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associated with the opera. Along with many other royal institutions, the dance academy ceased to
exist at the time of the overthrow of the monarchy in 1789, but the opera and ballet company
survived and today is known as the Opra National de Paris.

Anna Pavlova
Anna Pavlova was born on January 31, 1881, in St. Petersburg, Russia, the daughter of Lyubov
Feodorovna, a washerwoman. Her father's identity is not known. When Anna was very small, her
mother married reserve soldier Matvey Pavlov, who died when Anna was two years old. She and her
mother were very poor, and they spent the summers with Anna's grandmother. According to
Pavlova, she wanted to be a dancer from the age of eight, when she attended a performance of The
Sleeping Beauty at the Maryinsky Theatre. Two years later she was accepted as a student at St.
Petersburg's Imperial Ballet School. This school for classical dancers offered its students lifelong
material protection; the czar (the ruler of Russia) Alexander III (18451894) was its main supporter.
In return, the school demanded complete physical dedication.
Although the young Pavlova was considered frail and not exactly beautiful, she was nevertheless
very supple (able to bend and twist with ease and grace). Her talents impressed ballet master Marius
Petipa, who was to become her favorite teacher. Pavlova also learned from other famous Maryinsky
teachers and choreographers (those who create and arrange dance performances) such as Christian
Johanssen, Pavel Gerdt, and Enrico Cecchetti, who provided her with a classical foundation based on
ballet tradition. Pavlova made her company debut at the Maryinsky in September 1899. Competition
among dancers was intense, but Anna Pavlova soon attracted attention with the poetic and
expressive quality of her performances.
Pavlova died in The Hague, Netherlands, on January 22, 1931. She had performed constantly until
her death; her final words were to ask for her Swan costume to be prepared and, finally, "Play that
last measure softly."

The Ballet Russe Company

The Ballets Russes was noted for the high s tandard of its dancers, most of whom had been
classically trained at the great Imperial schools in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Their high technical
standards contributed a great deal to the company's success in Paris, where dance technique had
declined markedly since the 1830s.
Principal female dancers included: Anna Pavlova, Tamara Karsavina, Olga Spessivtseva, Mathilde
Kschessinska, Ida Rubinstein, Bronislava Nijinska, Lydia Lopokova, Diana Gould and Alicia Markova,
among others; many earned international renown with the company.
The Ballets Russes was even more remarkable for raising the status of the male dancer, largely
ignored by choreographers and ballet audiences since the early 19th century. Among the male
dancers were Michel Fokine, Serge Lifar, Lonide Massine, Anton Dolin, George Balanchine, Valentin
Zeglovsky, Theodore Kosloff, Adolph Bolm, and the legendary Vaslav Nijinsky, considered the most
popular and talented dancer in the company's history.

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After the Russian Revolution of 1917, in later years, younger dancers were taken from those trained
in Paris by former Imperial dancers, within the large community of Russian exiles.

Bayanihan Dance Company

The Bayanihan Philippine National Folk Dance Company is the oldest dance company in the
Philippines. A multi-awarded company, both nationally and internationally, Guillermo Gomez Rivera
has called it the "depository of almost all Filipino dances, dress and songs."
The company was founded in 1957 by Helena Z. Benitez and debuted May 27, 1958 at Expo '58, the
Brussels World Fair responding to the request of then President Ramon Magsaysay. Since then they
have made at least 14 major tours to Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, US and the Middle East. It has
performed in 6 continents, 66 counties and 700 cities worldwide. They perform folk dances from
throughout the Philippines and from other countries. The group takes its name from the Filipino
word bayanihan which means working together for a common good.
In appreciation and recognition of their pioneering efforts and international success in the realm of
Filipino dance, the people of the Philippines through the 10th Congress enacted R. A. 8626 declaring
the Bayanihan Philippine Dance Company as The Philippines National Folk Dance Company.

Francisca Reyes Aquino

Francisca Aquino was born on March 9, 1899 in Lolomboy, Bocaue, Bulacan to Filipe Reyes and
Juliana Santos Reyes and the eldest among three children. In 1934, Francisca married Professor
Ramon P. Tolentino, Jr., then Assistant Director of the Department of Physical Education but after
four and half years of a close personal and professional partnership,her husband died in 1939.
In 1947, she married Serafin Aquino, secretary-treasurer of the Philippine Amateur Athletic
Federation, an enthusiastic collaborator in presentation of his wife's work. That same year, Frances
Reyes Aquino became the superintendent of Physical Education, Bureau of Public Schools. She was
awarded a Doctor of Sciences degree in Physical Education, Honoris Causa, from Boston University
and, in 1959, a Doctor of Humanities, Honoris Causa, from Far Eastern University.
She was named National Artist for her contributions in dance in 1973, the very first woman to
receive a National Artist Award. She traveled the Philippines to observe and record dances and
formed various dance troupes, including the Filipiniana Dance Troupe. She also organized the
Filipiniana Folk Dance Troupe which performed for servicemen as a part of the United States Army
Special Services for seven months in 1945.
In 1949, Dr. Reyes Aquino founded the Philippine Folk Dance Society to bring together physical
education students, teachers, administrators and individuals interested in folk dancing.
Dr. Reyes Aquino received the "Philippine Republic Award of Merit" for her untiring efforts in
collecting, compiling, and propagating folk dances, and for her outstanding contribution to the
advancement of Filipino culture in the field of dance. Other awards include the Cultural Award,
UNESCO of the Philippines; the Rizal Pro-Patria Award; certificate of merit Bulacan Teachers
Association; the Ramn Magsaysay Award, and an award for outstanding alumna, College of
Education, University of the Philippines.

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Aquino was the author of Philippine Folk Dances and Games, which focused on studying native
Philippine dances. Her efforts led to the popularization of Philippine folk dances. She was a recipient
of the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award for government service in 1962.

Leonor Orosa Goquingco

She is the second child of pioneer physicians Sixto Orosa and Sevedna Luna, and the elder sister of
critic Rosalinda Orosa. She is married to Benjamin Goquingco. They have three children, two of
whom-Rachelle and Regina-are both dancers.
Her early ballet training was under Lilia Lopez, Epifania Rodriguez, and Luva Adameit. She took
professional and teacher's courses at the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, coming under the tutelage of
Ifilda Butsova, Thalia Mara, Anatole Vilzak, and Madame Ludmilla. National Artist in Dance Francisca
Reyes-Aquino was also once her mentor.
In 1934, at the age of 17, she started her major dance experiments and, in 1939, was the only dancer
on the First Cultural Mission to Japan. That same year, she produced Circling the Globe, and a year
later, Dance Panorama. In 1940 she created The Elements, the first ballet choreographed by a
Filipino to commissioned music, and Sports, featuring cheerleaders, a tennis match, and a basketball
game. A year later, she choreographed the first Philippine folkloric ballet, Trend: Return to the
Native.
After World War II, she organized the Philippine Ballet where she brought to life Maria Clara, the
leper, Sisa, Elias, and Salome-all characters in Rizal 's novel Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not). In 1958
she founded the Filipinesca Dance Company.
Orosa-Goquingco was inclined not only to classical ballet but also to Indian and Spanish, as well as
modern, dance. She is noted for her courage in breaking traditions in dance despite public
indifference. Her other important works include Vinta!, Morolandia (choreographed in 1938),
Festival in Maguindanao (depicting a Muslim royal wedding), Eons Ago: The Creation (depicting
Philippine legends of the creation of the world and of the first man and woman), Filipinescas:
Philippine Life, Legend, and Lore in Dance, and Miner's Song. Inevitably her innovations
revolutionized the folk dances. The Bird and the Planters is the first weaving together of the various
rice-planting sequences, climaxed by a new version of the tinikling where the dancer personifies the
tikling bird. It was the first to utilize bamboo poles to catch the bird, the first to use a double-time
finale and breathtakingly rapid turns while the dancer hops in and out of the bamboo poles. OrosaGoquingco's Tribal, about the death of a warrior, is the first dance composition in the Mountain
Province-dance style. Other works along the same line are "Ang Antipos" (The Flagellant), " Salubong
", (Meeting), "Pabasa" (Reading of the Pasyon)--all dance sequences celebrating Philippine lenten
practices. Philippine games such as palo sebo, sipa, and juego de anillo were depicted in Easter
Sunday Fiesta. Orosa-Goquingco is also remembered for her transmutation into dance theater of the
cockfight, the asalto, and the fiestas.
Additionally, under her own name and pen name (Cristina Luna), she has been published by the
Philippine Cultural Foundation and Philippine periodicals, by Arts of Asia (Hong Kong), Enciclopedia
dello Spettacolo (Rome, Italy), and Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians. She is the author of a
history of Philippine dance, Dances of the Emerald Isles 1980, and of the popular one-act play, Her
Son, Jose Rizal.
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Orosa-Goquingco has received numerous awards, among them the Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan
Award, 1961; the Rizal Centennial Award, 1962; Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan award and
Republic Cultural Heritage Award, 1964; Presidential Award of Merit, 1970; Tandang Sora Award,
1975; and the Columbia University Alumni Association Award, 1975.

Fe Sala Villarica
Founder, Ballet Center in Cebu, and organized the Queen City Junior Ballet Company. Founder,
TeatroFolklorico Ballet Center West in San Diego, California,USA
Fe Sala-Villarica was born to a Filipino-Spanish family in Barcelona, Spain. She grew up in Cebu:
earned a degree in commerce and graduated summa cum laude from St. Escolasticas College
Manila, did graduate work in accounting at Sto. Tomas University, Manila and trained in production
arts at New York University and hunter College in New York. She holds a Masters Degree in
Literature at the University of San Carlos, Cebu.
Her lifelong passion, however, is dance. She studied ballet in Cebu with Mara Selheim, a Russian
migr, then took lessons with Anita Kane in Manila. She also trained at the National Academy of
Ballet, John Barker School, and Royal Academy of Dancing, all in New York. In 1990, she attended a
teachers workshop at the Vaganova Choreographic Institute in Leningrad, and several other
workshops in U.S. and Canada.

Maniya Barredo
Maniya Barredo is Josephine Carmen Imutan Barredo, also known as Honey Barredo. She is a prima
ballerina, a coach, and a teacher. She was born in Manila on 19 November 1951. As a dancer and
trainor, she was distinctly well-defined by various critics. She was noted on her music's visible
manifestations by John Unterecker; a beautiful, a real find and has the makings of a great ballerina
by Clive Barnes; a superb artist, who could favorably compare with the greatest, the rest of the
world has to offer by National Artist Leonor Orosa-Goquingco; and the country's first prima ballerina
assoluta by Felecitas Layag-Radaic. She danced and created roles in the ballets both in the
Philippines and abroad including "The Legend of the Sarimanok", "Difficult Years", "Swan Lake",
"Cinderella", "Ali Baba", "The Sleeping Beauty", and "Romeo and Juliet".
She was also a recipient of numerous awards.
Gawad CCP sa Sining in 1992
the Bruna P. Seril Advancement of Philippine Culture Award, New York in 1988
TOYM Award 1987
Atlanta Pacesetter
Is listed in the Who's Who from 1980, Who's Who in the World of Women in 1983, Who's Who in
Music, USA in 1984
Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan Award, 1978
JDR III Fund grant, Aliw award in 1977

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Franklin Mariano Bobadilla

Franklin Mariano Bobadilla was born in Manila on 1 July 1950. As trained in ballet and in modern
dance, he entered the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Dance School and joined the CCP
Dance Company. He guested with Hariraya Ballet, Dance Theater Philippines and Movement Men
(Movement Manila). He also danced for a year with the Heidelberg Ballet in Germany and six years
with the Scapino Ballet in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. He also performed with Petit Ballet Theatre
in Amsterdam and with the Hermia Park Ballet School in Zaandam. His performances as lead dancer
include Alice Reyes' The Emperor's New Clothes , rock opera ballet Tommy and Dugso , and the
Chinese Tea Dance in the Manila and Amsterdam productions of the Nutcracker.

Lisa Macuja-Elizalde
Lisa Teresita Pacheco Macuja-Elizalde (born October 3, 1964) is a Prima Ballerina. In 1984, she
became the first Filipina prima ballerina, and first foreign soloist to ever join the Kirov Ballet. In the
Philippines, she is the Artistic Director of Ballet Manila and Vice-Chairman of the Philippine UNESCO
National Commission. She was also the Commissioner of the National Commission on the Role of
Filipino Women. Macuja-Elizalde is also Directress and faculty member of the Ballet Manila School
a training center for ballet professionals who are steeped in the Russian Vaganova method.
She was awarded as
Special Prize for Artistry by the House of Diaghilev in Moscow (1992)
International Diaghilev Ballet Competition in Moscow, Russia, 5th Place (1992)
USA International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi, Semi-Finalist (Senior Division) (1990)
Quezon City's Outstanding Citizen Award (1989)
Manila's Patnubay ng Kalinangan at Sining (1988)
Asia-Pacific Ballet Competition in Tokyo, Silver Medal (1987)

And recognized as
Pearl of the Orient Award (2008)
The Order of International Friendship awarded by Russian President Vladimir Putin (2001)
Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World (TOYP U.S.A, 1997)
Ten Outstanding Young Filipinos (TOYF, 1995)
The Outstanding Women in Nation's Service (TOWNS, 1989)
Outstanding female lead performance in a dance production (Gawad Buhay Awards for the
Performing Arts, 2008)

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