STARWEEK: DANCER IN FULL BLOOM, CANDICE ADEA
MANILA, FEBRUARY 14, 2011 (STAR) By Dina Sta. Maria – "Okay po. No problem," she chirps from behind the curtain in the company room at the basement of the Cultural Center, where dancers of Ballet Philippines are trickling in for the 2 p.m. daily company class.
We had asked her to change – for the third time – for the photo shoot with guest artist Connor Walsh; into dance clothes this time, and to put her hair up in a bun, and to meet us in the rehearsal hall downstairs ASAP. There was a smile at each request, coupled with "Okay na po ito?" and "Sige po."
Candice Adea upends totally the concept of star. She is sweet and accommodating, profusely apologetic for being 10 minutes late (the company had gathered for an impromptu party after the previous night's rehearsals to welcome Walsh), with a bright smile that would preclude any power outage. She giggles often, and shares kikay moments with her fellow dancers probably more often than they share clothes and makeup.
But put her on stage and she is the diva, all bravura and attitude, owning the stage, commanding attention and, of late, adoration. Last June, Candice captured the silver medal at the International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi, a competition that has been considered the Olympics of dance. Competing against 104 other dancers from all over the world, Candice and her partner Jean Marc Cordero stood out, earning a thunderous standing ovation from the audience after their performance in Round 1 of the grueling competition. Candice admits she was stunned by the audience reaction, and nearly broke down in tears.
The pair performed the grand pas de deux from Leon Minkus' "Don Quixote," which was as demanding technically as it was in attitude – coquettish yet arrogant, girlish yet seductive. The 24-year-old Candice sashayed and pirouetted, used her fan like a magic wand to hypnotize the audience, and even her fellow dancers jumped to their feet to cheer.
Candice is excited to show Manila audiences the artistry that won her the medal – the first Filipino to do so – and won over judges and audiences when she dances the lead role in "Don Quixote" this week at the Cultural Center's Main Theater, with a fund-raising gala on Thursday (Feb. 17) and other shows on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Margie Moran-Floirendo, president of Ballet Philippines (BP), explains that the gala is a fund-raiser for BP's outreach program, "for us to be able to share our performances with those who have no opportunity to watch our shows," especially public school students.
"We have an arts appreciation program for public schools, and last year, together with partner corporations and organizations, we had almost 12,000 public school students watch our shows," Margie shares. "For Don Quixote, we will invite around 2,000 students."
Margie is very excited about staging this well-loved ballet, especially with Candice in the lead and showing off her prize-winning form. "We are truly proud of Candice and what she has achieved," she says. "Because of her we can take BP to the next level, and she is able to inspire all the dancers of BP to achieve that level of excellence that is the hallmark of Ballet Philippines."
BP artistic director Paul Morales agrees. "She's really a star now," he says. "Something opened up inside her after the competition… an inner radiance, a confidence and maturity. Her dancing is soulful and honest. It's wonderful to see someone really blossom."
Paul points out that Candice is truly a home-grown talent, a product of the Philippine High School for the Arts in Makiling, Laguna, and then the CCP Dance School and Ballet Philippines. "It's proof once again that the Philippines can produce world-class talent."
There is no argument that beyond talent, hard work and dedication are what make a great dancer. Paul and Victor Ursabia, Candice's coach for the Jackson competition and who has been nurturing her since her student days in Makiling, acknowledge how hard she and her partner JM worked, rehearsing way beyond the scheduled hours, often up to past midnight. JM, who prodded Candice to join the Jackson competition, admits that Jackson was "exhausting," but worth all the hard work.
"Hard work" has become Candice's mantra, as she acknowledges that there is no substitute for it if one wants to succeed. "You can't cheat," she says. "I learned that talent is not enough, but discipline and hard work, honest work is the key to success."
Candice says that Jackson was different from competitions she had joined in the past because she set a definite goal. "This time I set a goal that I have to win. Yung for the experience, tapos na yan. Now I want a medal, I want to win a medal for the country." Three months of intense preparation – "dugo't pawis," blood and sweat – preceded the June competition. Paul says that many former BP principal dancers – Nonoy Froilan, Cecile Sicangco, Toni Lopez Gonzalez (herself a competition finalist), Nicolas Pacaña among them – as well as former artistic director Bam Damian and CCP Dance School director Noordin Jumalon, came to give Candice and JM pointers. "She was open and assimilated all those corrections they gave her," Paul notes, "and she took all those things and put them together in her dancing."
"It's really her work," he says with obvious pride, even as he acknowledges JM's contribution to her success. "JM was really able to show her off well, especially in the turns and lifts."
It certainly helps too that the two have been a couple for eight years. The two met at the PHSA, when he was in the theater arts program and she in dance. They started partnering on stage at the International Ballet Competition in New York in 2007, and have grown in their partnering – and their relationship – ever since.
For the Jackson tilt, the pair had to dance two grand pas de deux – the Don Quixote and Marius Petipa's "Diana and Acteon," plus two contemporary pieces – Damian's "Evacuation" and Ursabia's "Sapin Sapin." The pair went through the qualifying and semi-final rounds as crowd favorites. In the final round, Candice says they decided to "just perform and enjoy every moment… We were playing with the audience, partnering with the audience, and most of all, we were dancing with God."
For the announcement all 34 finalists were assembled in the lobby of the Thalia Mara Hall. When her name was announced as silver medalist in the senior division, Candice says she was in shock and was speechless for a long minute. Then she and JM went to call her mom and other family and supporters back home, spread the news on FaceBook, and "prayed…as in talagang on our knees…sobrang thank you God!"
Candice is working just as hard for this week's performances of Don Quixote, where she will partner both JM and Houston Ballet principal dancer Connor Walsh (who is so gung-ho on Filipino food he is even ready to try balut). Also taking the lead roles are Katherine Trofeo and Carissa Adea, Candice's sister ("Idol ko si ate!" Candice gushes), and Emmanuel Guillermo. The Feb. 17 and 18 performances will feature The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Olivier Ochanine.
For show details and other information, call Ballet Philippines at 551-1003 or 551-0221.
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Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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