Cebu will play host to three of Israel’s biggest names in jazz on Wednesday, February 24, 2010, 8:00 PM at the Sinulog Grand Ballroom of City Sports Club Cebu. Listen to internationally renowned jazz artists Paula Valstein, Adi Cohen and Tamir Hitman as the Embassy of Israel, the Honorary Consulate of Israel in Cebu, The Arts Council of Cebu with the support of Marco Polo Plaza Hotel, the preferred home of the arts Council of Cebu’s visiting artists, and City Sports Club Cebu bring their distinctive sound and fresh interpretations of international jazz music to our city. From ballads to blues to bebop, their one night performance in Cebu will bring the depth and texture of jazz rhythms and creative improvisations to the vast and appreciative Cebuano audience for jazz.

Singer, pianist and guitarist Paula Valstein has always been surrounded by music, especially in the city of Tel-Aviv where she grew up. At the age of four she started playing classical music on her grandma's pianoand was hooked! By twenty three, she had played in countless bands, performed in Israel's famed OPERA HOUSE, played countless festivals including The Red Sea International Jazz Festival and had been broadcast on National television to a huge audience.She might’ve gotten eliminated from “Kochav Nolad,” Israel’s version of “American Idol,” but Paula Valstein is still turning heads.

The fetching Ms. Valstein, a native of Uzbekistan who moved to Israel at age 8 and relocated in New York four-and-a-half years ago, recently received raves at the Big Apple’s Highline Ballroom, a venue that’s played to the likes of Joan Baez, Rihanna and even Sir Paul McCartney. Ms. Valstein, is an Israeli army veteran and a graduate of the Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music near Tel Aviv. She originally turned down an offer to appear on “Kochav Nolad” (“A Star Is Born”) because “I’m a songwriter and I don’t do covers,” she told the Jewish Forward. But she called the show “an incredible experience” that “opened every door I could want in Israel.” In fact, she can barely walk the streets of Tel Aviv nowadays without being mobbed. Currently, she’s working on a single for American audiences in October, and plans to spend the fall working on a Hebrew album. That’s when she’s not at her day job – teaching Judaism, music and Hebrew to students at the United Synagogue of Hoboken, N.J. Adi Cohen was born in Beer-Sheva, Israel. She is an Israeli pop singer and actress who graduated from the acting school of "Beit Zvi." In 2004, Adi came to fame as a finalist of the second season of “Kochav Nolad” (an Israeli version of the famed "American Idol").  On December 2007, Adi released her first single from her first album, "Lo Betuha", and few weeks later she released her second single from the album, "saper la alay", Adi’s debut album was released in 2008.

Aside from being a singer, Tamir Hitman is also a songwriter and a music producer.  Tamir's debut album was recently released in Israel. He also wrote songs for several renowned Israeli singers such as Miri Messika and Adi Cohen. Tamir spent two years studying in Paris and one year in Boston.  His works includes composing and singing a song for a French film from 2007.   Currently, he works on several TV and musical productions.

Please call the Arts Council office at 233-0452 or email at artscouncilcebu@yahoo.com for further details and invitations to this event.

Event Type: Music
Admission: free
Schedule(s) and Venue(s):
    February 24, 2010 → 8:00 PM at the Sinulog Grand Ballroom of City Sports Club Cebu

The Goethe-Institut Manila and the Arts Council of Cebu with the support of Marco Polo Plaza Hotel, the preferred home of the visiting artist while in Cebu, present Professor Rolf-Dieter Arens, German pianist and teacher on Friday, 19 February 2010, 8 pm at the Marcelo B. Fernan Press Center Theater in Lahug, Cebu.

Professor Arens, Chairperson of the International Franz Liszt Piano Competition and President of The Liszt School of Music Weimar, Germany will enthrall music enthusiasts with a challenging yet pleasurable programme of well-loved Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and Liszt classics.

Born in 1945 in Zinnwald, Germany, Rolf-Dieter Arens studied from 1963 to 1968 piano with Professor Heinz Volger and chamber music with Professor Ludwig Schuster at the Leipzig Academy of Music. After a two-year assistantship he completed a master course with Paul Badura-Skoda in Vienna. From 1970 to 1986 he was appointed as a professor of piano at the Academy of Music Franz Liszt Weimar. Since that time he has given numerous master classes in Germany, Sweden and South Korea and has worked as a juror in international competitions in Bolzano, Budapest, Dublin, Santander, Utrecht, Vienna and Bangkok. He has performed in solo concerts with many conductors including Masur, Blomstedt, Marriner and Janowski.

Since 2000 he is the chairman of the International Franz Liszt Piano Competition, Weimar and Artistic Director of the Liszt-Festival. In 2001 he was elected president of the Academy of Music Franz Liszt Weimar and is chairman of the Franz Liszt Foundation since 2007.

For further information please contact Arts Council of Cebu Foundation, Inc.2/F Krizia Bldg., Gonzales Compound, Gorordo Avenue, Cebu City tel. no. 233-0452 or email: artscouncilcebu@yahoo.com.

Event Type: Music
Admission: free
Schedule(s) and Venue(s):
    February 19, 2010 → 8 pm at the Marcelo B. Fernan Press Center Theater in Lahug, Cebu

Everything is set for TABOAN 2010: 2nd Philippine International Writers’ Festival, the Literary component of the Philippine International Arts Festival (PIAF) of the NCCA (National Commission for Culture & the Arts), on February 10 – 12, at the Casino Español de Cebu. 120 official delegates and guests are expected to attend this three-day meeting of writers and literature lovers from all over. The event is supported by the Globe Telecom, The Department of Tourism, University of Southern Philippines Foundation and San Miguel Corporation.

PIAF Festival Director Ricardo de Ungria, well-known poet and educator, heads the National Committee on Literary Arts of the NCCA, as well as the Awards Committee for the 1st Taboan Literary Awards that will be given to outstanding literary figures in the Visayas, whose prodigious works have promoted in the development of the various Visayan languages and cultures.  Other members of the Awards Committee include Dr. Vic Sugbo – NCLA Eastern Visayas Coordinator, Dr. Elsie Coscuella – NCLA Western Visayas Coordinator and Dr. Hope Sabanpan-Yu – NCLA Central Visayas Coordinator.

Taboan 2010 has the Arts Council of Cebu Foundation, Inc. as the NCCA local partner with Arts Council trustee and former Central Visayas NCLA coordinator Marlinda Angbetic Tan as Taboan Festival Director and Arts Council Office Manager Mariz Rallos as Deputy Festival Director.

Inquiries about the Taboan 2010 panelists and topics can be coursed through the Arts Council of Cebu office with Tel Nos.: 63-32 233-0452/ 63-32 233-0236 or email to artscouncilcebu@yahoo.com.

SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES

===================================
DAY 1
===================================

8:30pm-9:00am    REGISTRATION
9:00am         PLENARY (Speaker: Dr. Resil Mojares)
10:30am        Open Forum
11:30am        B  R  E  A  K

1:00pm–3:00pm    PANELS

-Topic: Translation
 by: Marne Kilates & Dr. Erlina Alburo

-Topic: Regional Children’s Literature
  by: Christine Belen & German Gervacio

-Topic: Ecoliterature
  by: Hope Yu & Mindo Aquino

-Topic: Visayan Aesthetics
  by: Merlie Alunan & Macario Tiu

3:00pm–5:00pm    WORKSHOPS

-Topic: Novel Thoughts
  by: Tim Montes, Vince Groyon, Joel Manuel & Rayboy Pandan

-Topic: Travelling Ideas
  by: Alice Sun-Cua,Jing Hidalgo
   
-Topic: Culture-Bound
  by: Christine Godinez Ortega, Lito Zulueta, Macario Tiu & Madrileña dela Cerna

-Topic:  Critical Reviews
  by: Jimmy Abad & Benilda Santos

6:00pm–7:00pm    PASUNDAYAG SA BATHALAD

===================================
DAY 2
===================================

10:00am–11:30am STEP-INTO-STORIES
       
-Topic: Living Fiction
  by: Renato Madrid

-Topic: Living Poetry
  by: Don Pagusara, Francis Macansantos, Mark Cayanan,German Gervacio & Jennibeth Loro   

-Topic: Living Plays
  by: Luna Sicat-Cleto, Arnel Mardoquio & Glen Mas Sevilla

-Topic: Living Non-fiction
  by: Lawrence Ypil & Jane Bascar-Ruiz

11:30 am    B  R  E  A  K

1:00pm–3:00pm    PANELS

-Topic: Mainstream Publishing
  by: Karina Bolasco, Maricor Baytion  & Marily Orosa 

-Topic: Writing for a Living
  by: Butch Dalisay, Steven Fernandez & Lino Arquiza III

-Topic: Writers as Artists
  by: Josua Cabrera, Radel Paredes & Kragi Garcia

-Topic: Writing Erotica
  by: John Iremil Teodoro, Danton Remoto & Richel Dorotan

3:00pm–5:00pm     WORKSHOPS

-Topic: Poetry and Performance
  by: Bambi Beltran, Vim Nadera & Ariel Tabag
   
-Topic: Lit Online
  by: Ian Casocot & Jason Laxamana

-Topic: Revealing Lives: Auto/biography
  by: Resil Mojares, Juliet Mallari & P. Macansantos

-Topic: Writing Histories
  by: Ernesto Lariosa & Haidee Palapar

6:00pm–7:00pm    FREE NIGHT

===================================
DAY 3
===================================

10:00am–11:30am

-Topic: Writing using Dreams
  By: Jimmy Abad, Judith Salamat & Jhoannalyn Cruz
   
-Topic: Writing & Spirituality
  By: Renato Madrid, Calbi Asain & Clarito de Francia

-Topic: Writers Block
  By: DM Reyes,Napoleon Paris, Lorna Bellanes

-Topic: Writing Ethnicity
  By: Antonio Enriquez, Arifar Jamil & Scott Saboy

11:30 am    B  R  E  A  K

1:00pm–3:00pm    WORKSHOPS

-Topic: Songwriting
  by: Renato Madrid & Don Pagusara

-Topic: Writing and Family
  By: Kaira Zoe Alburo, Monica Macansantos & Jhoniel Bajado

-Topic: Writers Groups
  By: Josua Cabrera, Dante Rosales & Joey Baquiran   

-Topic: Organizing Workshops
  By: Christine Godinez-Ortega & Phil Harold Mercurio

3:00pm–5:00pm    NCCA hour
6:00pm–7:00pm    AWARDING CEREMONY & CLOSING (Taboan Awards)

Event Type: Special Event
Admission: limited
Schedule(s) and Venue(s):
    February 10, 2010 → Casino Español de Cebu (see activity schedules)

SM City Cebu in cooperation with Arts Council of Cebu Foundation, Inc. brings you Ballet Philippines "Masterworks". Showcasings classical, neo classical & contemporary ballet performances.

REPERTOIRE

Igorot (Excerpt)
Igorot is the first of Agnes Locsin’s many works for Ballet Philippines, and made its appearance in the Philippines in February 1989. Known for her distinctly Filipino neo-ethnic choreographies, Locsin melds the ethnic ritual dances of the Igorot tribe with the classical forms of ballet, channeling a new sense of power to traditional dance through the striking use of pointework. Vignettes of the mountain tribe’s daily routines are animated through colorful and vivid movements interpreted in classical ballet and layers of different dance forms. For this reason, Igorot holds its ground as one of Ballet Philippines’ iconic pieces in its vast repertoire of classical, modern and contemporary work.

Excerpts from Ensalada (Mamang Kutsero, Bakya Mo Neneng, Limang Dipang Tao)
As playful and cheeky as the music it is performed to (Cayabyab’s award-winning a cappella recording entitled “One”), Ensalada is one of the company’s popular performance pieces due to its bright mix of an array of movements: from the cool and jazzy style of Mamang Kutsero, the almost balletic love dance of Bakya Mo Neneng, to the street-smart frenzied group number Limang Dipang Tao. This modern ballet, put together for the Hiyas 1981 CCP Philippines Musical Festival and originally performed with the UP Concert Chorus, has also been restaged several times after. This “salad” of dances is a caricature of Filipino urban life.   

Evacuation
Evacuation was introduced to the company during its 35th Season in the October 2004 production BP Goes Global. As a guest choreographer then, former BP Artistic Director Bam Damian brought this award-winning pas de deux known for its athleticism and stoic character. The creation of this piece began as a showcase for the exceptional talent of a 19-year-old by the name of Maria Eichwald, a star of the Stuttgart Ballet Company. Amsterdam’s Het National Ballet has also performed Evacuation in countless galas in France and Germany. Evacuation continues to be a mainstay of BP current repertoire, and is considered one of its showpieces.

Excerpt from Gaano Kadalas…
Tony Fabella’s works have been described by critics as witty, humorous, musical, inventive, clever, refreshingly novel, rich, exquisite, lyrical, frothy, exhilarating, captivating, and engaging. A prolific dance composer, Fabella managed to choreograph in all the dance styles (classical, modern, jazz, and folk), but is best known for his original works using Filipino themes set to music by Filipino composers. Of the late choreographer’s more dramatic choreographies, Gaano Kadalas… portrays through modern dance movements the high-strung emotions of Filipino drama. Riding on popular local movie music themes, this excerpt is only the beginning of a 5-member dance dialog originally performed by Cecile Sicangco, Judell De Guzman/Toni Lopez Gonzalez, Irish Abejero, Georgette Sanchez and Jojo Mamangun in February 2000. Gaano Kadalas… was included in BP’s 30th anniversary concert, Tra.En.Ta.   

Swimming the Ilog Pasig
Swimming the Ilog Pasig by Alden Lugnasin was the closing piece of the choreographers’ showcase in the 28th CCP Summer Dance Workshop in 1997, performed by the members of BP II. BP II was a junior dance company, consisting of Ballet Philippines’ outstanding apprentices and scholars, that focused on its dancers’ intensive technical and performance growth. BP II eventually included the development of new choreographies and repertoires in its mandate, providing platforms for young choreographers’ new works. Swimming the Ilog Pasig was one such work, captivating audiences with its explicit translation of synchronized swimming, complete with Speedo swimsuits, trunks and caps. Swimming was created to boost the efforts of the campaign to clean up the Pasig River that runs through Manila: to impress upon the next generation of Filipinos a heritage worth saving.
        
Bach Concerto
For its 22nd Season Gala, Ballet Philippines invited artists of the American Ballet Theater to participate in a benefit performance for the Mt. Pinatubo disaster rehabilitation program. In August 1991, celebrated ABT dancers Cynthia Harvey, Guillame Graffin, Jeremy Collins, Julie Kent, and Parrish Maynard danced side by side with Ballet Philippines’ Nonoy Froilan, Cecile Sicangco, Nicole Gaston, and Toni Lopez Gonzalez. Bach Concerto premiered in the Philippines in that Gala, restaged for the company by Rosanna Seravalli. Using Bach’s Piano Concerto No. 5 in F minor, this neo-classical ballet engages the subtlety of motion, moving toward the abandonment of the senses to the music’s rhythmic sensibility.     


Romeo and Juliet, Balcony Scene
Uncharacteristically of Alice Reyes and quite accidentally, Romeo and Juliet became the first classical ballet she made for the company. Since the arrangement for a guest choreographer to restage the ballet did not materialize, Reyes’ Romeo and Juliet was inspired by the grandness of the Bolshoi Ballet version, and the openness of Michael Smuin’s interpretation for San Francisco Ballet, creating a version that truly captured the expressiveness and lucidity of the Shakespearean love tragedy. The star-crossed lovers dance has been performed by Nonoy Froilan, Gina Mariano and Maricar Drilon. Later Juliets of note include Anna Villadolid and Maniya Barredo. Cecile Sicangco also performed this pas de deux with Jeremy Collins of ABT in 1991.  This pas de deux is passionately wrought in secret as Romeo meets Juliet under her balcony.

Te Deum (Verse 3 and 4)
In 1985, Ballet Philippines staged three works under the theme of Misa: Ang Misa, by Brando Miranda, Misa Criolla by Rosemary Helliwell, a guest teacher and choreographer for the CCP Summer Dance Workshop, and Te Deum by Denisa Reyes. With the Philippines on the brink of revolution, Reyes based her creation on the music of Georges Bizet and the “Te Deum” lyrics which monks pray at dawn.  Each section of the piece is inspired by verses from the Bible, giving commentaries on the state of the country. Through dance and music, Te Deum allows the everyday citizen’s voice to be heard.

Verse Three
“Why do you make us see wrong and look upon trouble? Destruction and violence are before us; strife and contention arise. So the law is slacked and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous, so justice is perverted.” Habakkuk 1:3

Verse Four
“…We will praise the Lord and call on all men everywhere to bless His Holy Name forever and ever.” Psalms 145:21

---

This event is for the benefit of the Arts Council of Cebu Scholarship Program and the STC-Cebu School Development Program.

Tickets are priced at P 200 (matinee); P 600, P400, P300 (gala)

Ticket Outlets: ARTS COUNCIL OFFICE, tel. 233-0452, mobile 0917-328-7917 (Now accepting CREDIT CARD PAYMENTS);
SM DEPARTMENT STORE; ST. THERESA'S COLLEGE, tel. 253-3468

Event Type: Dance
Admission: limited
Schedule(s) and Venue(s):
    February 4, 2010 → GALA PERFORMANCE: 8:00 P.M., Thursday, SM Theater One, SM City Cebu
    February 5, 2010 → STUDENT'S MATINEE: 3:00 P.M. Friday, SM Theater One, SM City Cebu