A "SONG AND DANCE" EXPERIENCE.....

Powerdance And Their Power Moves.....






















Carla Guevarra as She Does Her Thing.....
















I love watching theater productions. Unfortunately, I didn't have the chance to watch the local theater here in the Philippines because of my backbreaking work schedule before. Besides, most of the time, theater productions were held at the Meralco Theater, which is very far from the place I live, here in Las Pinas. So when I went overseas and worked in an NHS hospital in London, I grabbed every opportunity to watch the musicals at the West End. The first play that I watched was "Fame", which was a continuation of the television series about the lives of budding performers. The next was "The King and I" then "Les Miserables", "Phantom of the Opera", "Rent" and the last musical was "Chicago". In between, I also watched non musical productions like "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" which starred Brendan Fraser (yummy abs this guy has!) and "The Hobbit" (my first encounter with Gollum, "My Preciousss!"). I
missed watching "Miss Saigon" when I went to Leeds one time. They left for Scotland for the next performance venue during the day I arrived. And I also missed its Philippine run because I have left for UK at that time.

Repertory Philippines is a major theater company in the country. Lea Salonga and Monique Wilson are Repertory graduates. The company, under the guidance of the late Zenaida Amador was responsible for showing "Miss Saigon" with Cameron McIntosh's approval, at CCP with the usage of the original props of the show (remember the helicopter?) It also showed "Rent", though I have totally forgotten who played who. All I can remember was that critics were praising Michael Williams (me not sure if he played the role of "Angel"). I totally like him when he's performing, even if I have not watched him do so! Friends and relatives of mine who were able to watch plays that he is cast in swear that he is a major talent to watch. And I believed these people who say so. But I do remember the time when he auditioned for a role in "Miss Saigon". If Lea blew away McIntosh's mind among the female performers, Michael was the one who stood out among the males. Until now, I still have to watch a musical where in he is among the cast members.

Hence, imagine my elation when I got an invitation from my club mate John, telling me about a shoot that he had arranged for our photo club involving Repertory. We were invited to shoot the cast of "Song and Dance" during an actual performance at On Stage in Greenbelt One, Makati. It was an out of the blue invitation, primarily because Repertory has an account in the bank where John is the branch manager. Thus he actually knows the production people of the company.

The song part is actually a 45 minute monologue in songs performed by Carla Guevarra. This woman is amazing! She carried the first half of the musical by herself, telling us, the audience, about her life and loves in New York City. And the range of the songs were awesome. She can hit the very high and very low notes with such ease. Though sometimes, her voice seems to quiver a bit, but it is barely noticeable to the untrained ear (I used to sing solo and in a choir, so until now, I can detect the slightest deflection in a note being sung, whether it is off key or not). Such mishaps happen but one can't help but ignore the flaws altogether. She has a commanding stage presence! Did I say that she is so pretty too?

The dance part was taken care of by the Powerdance troupe under Douglas Nierras! One of my frustrations in life was to learn how to dance, jazz dancing to be exact. And Douglas Nierras is the Master of Jazz Dancing. I remember when he used to perform with his wards as a dancer and watch them in TV shows like Penthouse Live or even during the time when the Ms Universe beauty pageant was held here, he moves like a gazelle, an animal associated with grace and strength, particularly when he executes a jump or just does a pirouette. He choreographs the dance routines and his wards perform it to perfection. He is someone who really has the passion for dance. If I write for a living, he will certainly be one of the many people I admire who I'd like to sit down and do an interview with. For behind the tough exterior that he exudes, is a real person with a lot of things to say about his passion, his art, himself, and his country.