Ballet Philippines (BP) is a ballet company in the Philippines founded in 1969 by Alice Reyes with the support of Eddie Elejar and the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Proficient in both ballet and modern dance, the company synthesizes diverse dance and movement forms, from classical ballet to avant-garde choreography, from traditional dance to modern dance, from martial arts to aerial movements, into distinctively Filipino contemporary expressions.
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As the resident dance company of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Ballet Philippines is recognized as the country's flagship company in ballet and contemporary dance. The company has been cited for its strong dance foundation, flexibility of style and exciting sense of theater.
Each year outreach and educational programs introduce audiences to dance, to music, and to visual art. BP's official school is the CCP Dance School.
With over 400 works, Ballet Philippines' repertory is unparalleled in Asia, from full-length classical ballets and internationally recognized masterworks to indigenous works of Filipino folklore and social issues.
History
In February 1970, the Alice Reyes Modern Dance Company premiered its debut performance at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Its original members included dancers from the Bayanihan Dance Company, U.E. Dance Troupe and Dance Theater Philippines. In April that year, recognizing the available time and space at the CCP as well as the need to train more dancers, the company introduced the first CCP Summer Dance Workshop which would eventually be held annually, training two to four hundred students each year in classical and modern dance. That same year, the CCP Dance Workshop and Company was launched with Alice Reyes and Eddie Elejar as Artistic Directors.