Dancing the Summer Away in Alburquerque

“Giving back!” is the theme of Jay Anthony “Tonjie” Requilme Mangao’s message at the Culmination Program of the Alburquerque Summer Dance Workshop. Produced by the Office of Alburquerque Mayor Efren D Tungol  and the Culture and Arts Coordinator, the dance workshop ran from April 2 to 12 at the Alburquerque Training Center.  Mangao, who recently graduated as major in dance from the prestigious Philippine High School for the Arts at Mt. Makiling in Los Banos, Laguna, heads the Alburquerque Performing Arts Group or APAG and was the trainor of this summer’s dance workshop.  He said “it is my way of giving back what I have learned in school to the people of Alburquerque who have supported me all these years!” He also said that he hopes more young people will join the next year’s summer workshop, instead of just idling the summer away.

Twenty members of APAG trained, including original members from last year’s dance and theater workshops, as well as new members who went through an audition on April 2. A total of 21 workshop sessions were conducted for 10 days on basic ballet movements and basic fundamentals of dance. These include footwork and hand movements such as releve, extension, plie, battements, passé, arabesque, tendu, jete, coupe, etc.

During the culmination program, Tonjie demonstrated his skill in choreography when the APAG members performed an Invocatory Dance, the “Mask Dance”, and a contemporary pop “Drive By”. It was attended by LGU officials and employees, as well as representatives of the Center for Culture and Arts Development (GO CCAD) Ms. Vida Tirol de Juan, Butch de Juan and Mitzi Ibaya. 

The video presentation of APAG says it all: “Dance is a silent poetry” and “Take more chances, dance more dances”.