Watch Retazo Band featuring JOIN THE CLUB today, November 28, 5pm at Gym 1, Tanauan City, Batangas.

Batangas Theater and Dance Conference is set to open next week July 23, 2014 in Lipa City.

This conference sponsored by Lipa Actors and Dance Company, LTN Events, with the support of Canada Arts Council and our community partners, is first of its kind in the area and poised to be a major arts event in the province. The current list of speakers includes Mr. Dennis Gupa (MA Theater Arts UP Diliman, MFA Theater Directing University of British Columbia), Mr. Alvin Tolentino (Artistic Director Alvin Erasga Dance Company, international contemporary dance artist), Jonathan Tsang, Lighting Designer/Technical Director, Vancouver BC Canada and Tony Esteban of Academy of Production Technology PH.Conference components will focus on a lecture workshop about the practice of theatre in Philippine Community, contemporary dance class and technical theatre workshops. It will be held in Canossa Academy and Lipa Ballet School on July 23 -26 with a welcome program for participants and guests followed by program sessions which includes lectures, workshops, presentations, and performances. 

Assistant Professor and Theater Director from University of the Philippines Los Banos will hold a three-day intensive acting workshop for Lipa Actors Company in Lipa City. 

DENNIS GUPA, a graduate of MA Theater Arts from Diliman and also Director-in-Resident at Ma-Yi Theatre Company in New York, will share an acting & performance technique from French actor, mime and acting instructor JACQUES LECOQ that is based on physical work, mainly on improvisations.  The workshop entitled “ENSEMBLE DEVISING VIA LEQOC TECHNIQUE FOR FILIPINO ACTORS” will be shared to Lipa Actors Company for the first time. According to Mr. Gupa, “I have not shared it outside UPLB, since the time i got the training in NYC…” 

This workshop is part of a month long arts festival dubbed as SINING TAG-ARAW SUMMER ARTS FESTIVAL sponsored by Lipa Actors Company. It will be held on May 15-17, 2013 at Museo De Lipa. Also, this project is part of LAC Actors Development Program with the support of the NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR CULTURE & ARTS through its Speakers Bureau / Outreach Programs.

Sining Tag-araw is presented to you by Lipa Actors Company, Lipa City Culture and Arts Council together with partners LTN Events, Lipa Ballet School, Art-Cool-It your one-stop DIY shop, http://www.batangashub.com and the National Commission for Culture and Arts. LAC has reserved three-slots for non-LAC members. For those interested, just send your letter of intent to lipaactorscompany@gmail.com with contact numbers 0928-7269345 / 0906-2503033.

List of  some institutions and organizations who will be conducting summer workshops with good and credible programming.

Summer is now official. Even though we are still enjoying the cold weather in Lipa City, summer is approaching undeniably. Students will soon lock their notebooks and forget waking up early to attend a 7:20 flag ceremony. Parents even get excited because they already paid all school fees. Also, the tasking math tutorial will bid farewell for now. 

But new concerns are coming up like where to spend family vacation. The big question today is how to spend the summer break with exciting and worthy activities for the family. There are hundreds of options around. And there are individuals and organizations who offer a summer program and workshops for everyone to enjoy.

Then, if you already booked a resort for your holy week vacation you better reserve some slots for your kids’ summer adventure. I have prepared a short checklist for parents on how to choose the best program for your children.

 INTEREST            Know your child’s interest. Do not enroll her to a cooking class if your daughter wanted
to do jetes in ballet. School has been very tiring for them for 10 months. So why not give them the freedom to choose a program where they can really enjoy their summer.

FACILITY               Fly-by-night organizations will conduct workshops and fly away with your money.

Choose organizers who have been doing workshop for years. Check their portfolios; do they have a registered company name and or at least a decent office for you to lay down your concerns?

OUTPUT               With regard to workshop programming, credible teachers are concerned with
measurable learning output. Do not be blinded by one-shot mall popularity or a day of sports competition. For example, a dance program should not only end on recital. Students deserve more than that, they should be given proper guidance and career option if they wanted to do dancing all their life. A novice dance teacher cannot do that, it takes an established school or a dance director who is knowledgeable in the industry.  Now, if your child just want to attend one shot dance lesson, then it might not be his or her interest. So you let them explore.

WORKSHOP PROGRAMMING    It is like choosing the best school for your children. Try to conduct a
little research on the facilitator and/ or organizer. It takes credibility to teach. Do not let your child  be handled by inexperienced hands. Many workshop organizers are claiming they can teach dance or ramp modeling but with little training, or conduct a sports clinic without certificates. Mind your investments to your child, your money worth, and the time your kids will spend should not go into waste. Inquire on the workshop modules and you can start making decision from there.

Here is a list of  some  institutions and organizations that will be conducting summer workshops with good and credible programming;

Canossa Academy           They have summer workshop for their students under the Gifted & Talented
Education Program in the field of Arts, Sports and Academics

De La Salle Lipa                  Every year they are conducting workshops in performing arts, sports and other
disciplines

Lipa Actors Company      Dubbed as the sole community based theater organization in Lipa City, they
have a yearly summer workshop audition on their Actors Apprenticeship Program. And this year they will host an interdisciplinary arts festival I believe the community will enjoy.

Lipa Ballet School             This year they will offer Theater Arts as part of their dance curriculum. Also a
Taekwando Program took place in their studio year round.

Madz Dance Academy   Also one of the pioneering dance school in Lipa, this school offers ballet and
modern dance lessons

Digital Journalist : Jose Salvador

Fresh from their Arts Month stint performing in Bicol, Manila, and in different places in Batangas, the Lipa Actors Company is now poised for their third season finale. Essaying the works of Sophocles, the company will be staging Oedipus The King in an exciting dance theater production. This sole community based theater organization in the province is known for fresh and dynamic works on stage always dubbed as pioneering theater work in Batangas. With their signature performance still earning positive reviews around, the company is now set to do an entirely different show this time performing a dance theater. According to an interview with Joemar Sustento LAC Associate Artistic Director;

“Excited kaming lahat sa show na ito dahil kakaibang panlasa ang gagamitin namin dito.”

Adding more excitement to the group is that their Artistic Director Luisito Nario will be also creating dance pieces for the play. Mr. Nario is one of the most sought after local choreographer before he concentrated to theater in 2010.

“Matagal-tagal na ring hindi gumagawa si Sir Lui ng sayaw, kaya parang come back niya ito as choreographer” Sustento adds.

Creating the production design is Sustento who has been doing design for LAC since 2011. The music will be coming from LAC Music Department headed by very promising composer Mr. Kio Callado.

The company will be attending contemporary and classical dance training at Lipa Ballet School as part of their preparation. LBS is a partner school of LAC for its 4th season. Together with Lipa Ballet School, the company will premiere a ballet theater production Ang Luha ni Kumintang, Sayaw at Pag-ibig coming August this year. Yet creating milestones for local community, Sustento explains;

“Hindi naman namin iniisip na kami lagi una kasi hindi naman talaga kami nakikipag-unahan… Kumbaga, bahagi ito ng programa ng grupo. Kung sa palagay ninyo kami ang nauna, salamat po. Pero ang mas gusto namin ay kung kami talaga mauna, sana may sumunod sa mga adhikain naming ipag-tagumpay ang Batangan Talent…”