SOUTHERN COMFORT Latin Heat is on tomorrow at the Insular Life Theater.

FOR someone who decides to move down south—Las Piñas, Parañaque, Muntinlupa and neighboring provincial cities like Bacoor in Cavite and Los Baños in Laguna—it doesn’t mean a boring existence, away from what’s happening in the arts-and-culture scene.

One major reason is Insular Life Theater at Filinvest Corporate City in Alabang, which has become an ideal venue for the performing arts and classical concerts. The buzz started this year with Repertory Philippines’ Tuesdays with Morrie.

Now—or to be exact, tomorrow at 8 pm—there’s Ballet Philippines’ (BP) acclaimed 38th season ender, Latin Heat. It is part of the Friends of Insular Life Festival (Filfest) series of projects this year.

Latin Heat is a masterpiece. First staged early this year, it has earned the admiration of various ballet aficionados and has won awards. The show in Insular Life Theater coincides with the changing of the guards as BP welcomes its new artistic director Max Luna III, who officially took over the post in mid-April.

The former artistic director, Bam Damian, choreographs a few numbers in Latin Heat, together with Jeffrey Espejo, former assistant artistic director Alden Lugnasin and Naomi Talome.

Providing the music for Latin Heat is a group of classic guitar aficionados headed by Maestro Jose Valdez, Armando Derecho, Greg Yu, Vince Abella, Jady Vitug, Diony Cruz and Rich Hontiveros Griner.

The repertoire includes salsa, rumba and bossa nova as interpreted by the much-awarded dancers of Ballet Philippines. BP president Maan Hontiveros and BP chair Tony Boy Cojuangco will also play the classical six-string as part of Guitar Friends Ensemble.

Among the popular songs to be interpreted by the dancers are “Girl from Ipanema,” “Things We Said Today,” “’Til I Met You,” “Mas Que Nada” and “Lanca Perfume,” among others.

Latin Heat has earned five Gawad Buhay! 2008 citations for outstanding dance production, outstanding ensemble performance, outstanding original choreography (by Bam Damian and Alden Lugnasin), outstanding male lead in a dance performance (Biag Gaongen) and outstanding featured performance in a dance production (Camille Ordinario-Joson).

Luna got the board of trustees’ unanimous vote of confidence. In a statement, Hontiveros cites the fresh and innovative ideas by Luna, reflecting the board’s long-standing wish that the company be molded into a “shining cultural ambassador for the Philippines to the rest of the world.”

For a brief backgrounder, Luna is a product of the Cultural Center of the Philippines Dance School. On scholarship, he went to the US to study at the American Ballet Theater School, the School of American Ballet and the Joffrey Ballet School.

He has performed with the Ballet International de Caracas, Ballet Hispanico, Joyce Trisler Dance Company, Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

He served as a faculty of eminent dance institutions like the Ailey School, Teatro Nuovo di Torino in Turin, Bartholin International Ballet Seminar in Copenhagen, Baardar Dance Academy in Oslo, the Actors Studio in New York, Vignale Danza, Sarah Lawrence College, Peridance, City College of New York and Ballet Hispanico.

In 2000 he established his own company LUNA, touring France and Italy and receiving brilliant reviews from New York critics as they performed at the Schimmel Center in 2007.

He is glad to have Insular Life Theater as an added venue for BP’s acclaimed shows such as Latin Heat, and looks forward to have more BP performances in the venue. His wish has become a reality.

To provide a marketing arm for a year’s pilot season of classical music and dance performances at Insular Life Theater, the Filfest Cultural Foundation was established. It is a product of Filfest artistic director Jovianney Emmanuel Cruz and the efforts of a few concerned individuals to seek assistance from Insular Life Assurance Co. Ltd.

This year, a generous grant was given.

Emmanuel Cruz is regarded the Philippines’ most internationally awarded concert pianist. Among the contests he won are the Jose Iturbi competition in Valencia, the Pilar Bayona competition in Zaragoza, the Maria Canals in Barcelona and Spain’s Jaen International Piano Competition.

The foundation is composed of chairperson Bubut de los Santos, president Vicky Zubiri, vice president Triccie Sison, treasurer Bettina Pou, secretary Lina Racho and trustees Marilen Espiritu, Denise Manosa, Cely Manas and Maria Pedrosa.

After Latin Heat, there will be Of Czechs and Euros, featuring Nena del Rosario and Renato Lucas in a recital on August 16. It will be followed by Ultimatum with Filharmonika and the winners of the Ultimate Pianist Competition on August 30. More performances are forthcoming. 

***Tickets to Latin Heat are priced at P800 for orchestra and P600 for balcony seats. Curtain rises at 8 pm. For tickets: 0927-7780798.

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