If you're a fan of classical music in Manila, you must have heard of the Philippine Philharmonic…read moreOrchestra. They're the resident orchestra group of the Cultural Center of the Philippines and have regular shows at the Main Theater. Headed by Maestro Olivier Ochanine (yes, he's French, and he's quite the looker by the way), the orchestra has performed works from the bigwigs in music history, like symphonies from Brahms, Beethoven, Wagner, Mozart, and Strauss. They often invite some international and local guest musicians to join them on stage, like famous opera singers to complete their operatic suites, or renowned pianists and violinists. It's wonderful hearing classical music played live, and even more so when fused with other forms of art. If you manage to catch the PPO performing live with companies like Ballet Philippines, you're in for a real treat, so don't miss it and come to the theater! :) Tip: If you follow Maestro Olivier on Facebook, he occasionally gives out complimentary tickets to their performances, as long as you can answer some trivia questions about classical music and composers and show avid appreciation for the music and history behind it all. :)

Ballet Philippines is widely known as the premiere dance company of the country. It's one of the…read moreoldest dance institutions in the Philippines, so nearly all the major dance companies and dance schools in the country can trace their roots back to Ballet Philippines. The company's season ranges from full-length classical ballets to modern and contemporary dance featuring choreographies by some of the country's best. Their last season opened with Giselle, the mother of all Romantic ballets, and ended with Manhid, a local superhero musical set in an alternate Filipino reality. Their shows are always something to watch, and seeing some of the best dancers on the stage eyes - some of whom have already performed on the international stage (and made headlines with it) - with your own two eyes puts a smile on your face as you leave the theater. If you'd like to try dancing yourself, you can enroll yourself in one of the various ballet or modern dance classes at the CCP Dance School, the training arm of Ballet Philippines. I was a company scholar for several years with the company and received the best ballet training. The lessons I learned performing with the company are invaluable, even to this day and even outside the world of dance. If you can't get enough, you can subscribe to Ballet Philippines' season and receive premiere tickets to all the shows for a year. The company also performs in various venues, festivals, and mini-shows throughout the year, and has local and international tours. However you see them perform, one show is all it takes, you'll definitely fall in love with the ballet. :)

The University of the Philippines is known for pushing the boundaries in various fields. The UP…read moreDance Company is made up of the students of the Dance program in the College of Music. They perform inside and outside the campus, and join dance festivals locally and internationally as well. A group of young dancers and aspiring choreographers, the UP Dance Company specializes in contemporary dance and improvisation. Their dancers are trained intensively in classical ballet, contemporary and modern dance. Most of their company members are also adept at Philippine folk dance and incorporate it in their dances. As their campus encourages, the themes of their pieces are usually statements on important issues in society and culture. Their shows are often unconventional and on the radical side of the dance world, and not your typical proscenium stage productions. The UP Dance Company holds shows regularly to train and expose their dancers to the life of a professional artist. Their shows are usually very affordable, especially within campus grounds. Be sure to catch them if you're ready for something different in dance!

You know how little girls are always made to do ballet by their parents? Well, this was where I…read moreexperienced that as a kid, although it was also partly because I wanted to do it myself (I was heavily into the princess-pink-ballerina-tutu fantasy as a 9 year old). Although I moved to a different ballet school when I got older, I credit this place as where my ballet dreams started. The school is located inside Vermont Park Subdivision along Marcos Highway in lower Antipolo, so it's quite accessible. It's a converted house where the entire first floor is the ballet school with a reception/waiting area, smaller classrooms for music classes (they also teach voice, piano, and guitar I think), and then the main dance studio with the mirrors and barres. It's quite tight inside, but good enough to hold a class of 10 or so. Although it's a small ballet school, it's given students the opportunity to perform recitals at the CCP main theater itself in Manila. At least during my time. They also have a really good costume supplier who would make the prettiest tutus, which is what I remember most from my time there, haha! Many of their students, especially those who really stayed on, went on to dance in their own groups at school and elsewhere. Some have also come back to teach. It's a pretty tight-knit community there and a fairly decent place to start your kid out for ballet.

From ballet lessons, watching plays, and hanging out during breaks, to graduating high school,…read moreAssumpta Theatre will always have a special place in my heart. We have performed numerous times on stage before. I made a quick Google search and found this on Yelp. Oh, my childhood, how it flew by. I hope the next coming students find a way to love our home and find that it is their home, too.

This theater is an official satellite venue of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, which is why…read moreit's called the "CCP of the East." It was built and inaugurated in the early 2000s and has since put on many shows and performances both by the local school community and the neighboring communities. I personally have fond memories of playing an Annie orphan, a King & I princess, a stone-faced Singkil fan-dancer, and doing countless chorale shows and ballet recitals in the past, heehee! It's a beautiful theater and visiting theater companies, musical artists, and touring shows have performed here, wonderfully bringing cultural education and exposure over to the folks at the East side of Manila. No need to go all the way downtown! The massive Assumpta is a fully functional performance venue with modern light & sound equipment, a large stage with stage wings and a docking area at the back; there's an orchestra pit, air-conditioned dressing rooms with their own bathrooms, a nice big lobby, and guest comfort rooms. The theater seats over 2,000 guests! It's pretty novel to have this kind of venue on this side of town, so a lot of schools and organizations from around the area have taken it up on its facilities for graduations, their own productions, and other events. You can just call the school to inquire about renting because they're very open for that.

If you've really wanted to try out dancing, but you feel like you're too old or don't have the body…read morefor it, check out Daloy Dance Company. They're a group of independent artists that banded together and burst onto the scene just last year, and have quickly been making waves. Headed by former Ballet Philippines dancer Ea Torrado, they've performed at several major events already, like Fringe Manila, the Pasinaya Festival, NCCA's International Dance Day, and guested during Ballet Philippines' Blue Moon Gala. They've also put up some of their own shows independently in non-conventional venues, the focus of their choreographies being strong social commentaries on society and culture. They focus mainly on contemporary dance and improvisation, and encourage people from all walks of life to get into dance. ("... To reflect a deeper human language & raise the consciousness of its audience" as their write-up says.) To put it simply, Daloy is very avant-garde, and is as artsy as artsy gets in the dance scene. The company has recently put up a school at Erehwon Arts Center in Quezon City, offering classes like Movement Meditation, Creative Movement and Improvisation, as well as Beginners' Ballet and Contemporary classes. These classes help in familiarizing yourself with your movement and the movement of others and form a deeper connection between mind and body. Anyone - no matter what age, with or without previous dance experience - is welcome to enroll and try out a class!

The best pointe shoe fitter around. They really know their stuff…read more Lots of cute items in their store too. The best store to buy gifts for ballet dancers and ballet enthusiasts. Prices are very reasonable.

Danse Boite is a dance store inside the residential area of Valle Verde I. It's a lot of effort to…read moreget to, because you can only get to the store via car, taxi, or by foot, but majority of ballet dancers in Metro Manila still do. Why? Because they stock just about every brand of pointe shoe there is, along with the right garters, ribbons, toe pads, foot paraphernalia you need as a ballet dancer. Most importantly, they offer consultations and assessments on pointe shoe fitting for first timers, provided by Desiree Peralejo, a dance lecturer at the UP College of Music and alumnus of the National Ballet School of Canada. Owned by the Peralejo family, patrons of the arts, Danse Boite also has a dance school and studio, the DBCISAS Conservatory. They offer ballet, music, and creative writing classes, and remain to be the only ballet school in the Philippines that teaches the Italian Cechetti Ballet Syllabus. Keep a lookout for Danse Boite sales too! Selected pointe shoes can go as low as P1,500 - that's almost 70% off the original price! :) (I bought 3 pairs during their last sale! Woohoo!)

The Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo or Main Theatre of CCP is one of my favorite places and I hold it…read morenear and dear to my heart. From performing on its stage and exploring the backstage and dressing rooms as a little ballerina to walking up and down the plush red, carpeted steps and sitting in the audience waiting for the giant Ocampo painting to go up signaling the start of a show, I only have good memories. I never grasped just how big it was as I looked up at the high ceiling at all the lights and equipment and danced and looked out into the blackness of the audience. And then when it was my turn to sit in orchestra and watch amazing recitals and breathtaking musicals such as Phantom of the Opera or Mamma Mia, I couldn't help but sit in awe of the grandeur and beauty of it all. If you have a chance to watch a show at the Main Theatre, don't pass up the opportunity!

If you want to see something that'll change your life, catch a show by the Quezon City Performing…read moreArts. You have dance performances and music as well, but here's the clincher - these kids are street children. QCPA gets them off the street and grants them a scholarship that puts them in the theater or in the dance studio. Funded by the Quezon City government in hopes they'll pursue careers in the arts, most of these kids come from families that can't afford to send them to school, buy a house, or even feed them regularly. They could have been drug dealers, slaves to physical or sexual abuse, or worse, but this foundation transforms their lives and instead teaches them to play the guitar, to sing, and to pirouette. Through the QCPA Development Foundation, the scholars have led better lives. They have had the chance to travel, study, and earn money to support themselves and their families. Dancing, singing, making music, and creating art becomes their way out of all their hardships. To see them perform onstage and smiling, knowing the past they have, is beautiful. It really shows what a difference art can make to save this country.