CHELO GEMINA, ACBA
PRESIDENT & CEO, ACTS Manila, Inc. ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, ACTS Manila
Current Positions
• President & CEO, ACTS Manila, Inc. 2015-present
• Artistic Director, ACTS Manila
• Associate, Australian Conservatoire of Ballet
• Vice-Chairman, Philippine Dance Cup, 2008-present
• Married to Gerry with sons: Michael and Nathan
Dance Training
• Trained from age 11 under Eddie Elejar, Tony Fabella and Inday Gaston-Mañosa for classical ballet
• Trained under Alice Reyes for modern ballet
• Scholar, CCP Summer Dance Workshop, Cultural Center of the Philippines, 1977
• Took master classes under visiting foreign ballet masters: Jan Stripling, Luminita Dumitrescu, Armin Wild, Tina Santos-Wahl, William Morgan, et. al.
Achievements as a Dancer
• Soloist, Hariraya Ballet Company
• Delegate, 1982 CCP National Outreach Dance Tour under Inday Gaston-Mañosa’s Hariraya Ballet Company
• Performed in CCP’s 1977 production of “The Nutcracker” staged by Alfred Rodriguez, Manila Metropolitan Theater’s “Alamat ng Bundok Bangkay”, and danced as guest artist in Dance Concert Company’s “La Bayadere”
• Performed in Festival Four (precursor of Philippine Ballet Theater) production of “The Sleeping Beauty” with Maniya Barredo and Peter Breuer
• Selected in Manny Rowe’s choreography “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik”
• Performed the Chinese doll in Fr. James B. Reuter’s “Dolls Nobody Wanted” in Manila and on Philippine tour
Teacher’s Training
• Attended the Royal Academy of Dancing Teachers’ Training under Jacqui Dumont for Pre-Primary to Elementary Levels
• Attended the National Ballet Syllabus Teachers’ Training authored by Felicitas Radaic, Vella Damian and the late Noordin Jumalon
• Attended the Australian Conservatoire of Ballet Teachers’ Training and Reviews from Pre-Primary up to Senior Level 1 under Christine Walsh, A.M.
• Attended the choreography workshop of New York’s Battery
• Attended the choreography workshop of Myra Beltran
• Observed master and children’s classes at Anaheim Ballet under Larry & Sarma Rosenberg, Los Angeles, CA, USA, January to February 2014
• Attended “Butterfly: A Study Interactive” under Professors Gwyneth Dobie and William Mackwood ~ Arts, Media, Performance and Design from York University, Toronto, Canada
• Observed master classes of Viktor Kabaniaev at Westlake School for the Performing Arts in 2016
Positions Held/Participation in Dance Events
International:
• Participating Coach, 2011 Asian Grand Prix International Ballet Competition, Hong Kong
• Participating Coach, 2013 Asian Grand Prix International Ballet Competition, Hong Kong
• Participating Coach, 2014 Youth American Grand Prix, Los Angeles, CA, USA
• Festival Committee and Participating Director, Australian Conservatoire of Ballet International Ballet Festival and Workshop, July 2015
• Participating Coach, 2016 Youth American Grand Prix, San Francisco, CA, USA
• Participating Coach, 2016 Hong Kong Asian Grand Prix
Local:
• Faculty, Pas de Trois School for the Performing Arts, Biñan, Laguna 1981-1987
• Director/Founder, Children’s Dance Workshop, 1990-2000
• Director/Co-Founder, International School of Ballet Alabang, 1994-1995
• Director/Co-Founder, International Christian Academy Ballet, 1997-2013 propelling the recognition of ballet as PE, and set this as an example to other Acts Manila affiliate schools
• Director/Co-Founder, Nurturing Arts Center Makati, 2002-2004
• Ballet Department Head/Co-Founder, talents inC, October 2003-2004
• Ballet Director, Palms Country Club Ballet Program, 2005-2011
• One of four Directors conferred upon the title of “Associate” for the Australian Conservatoire of Ballet by Christine Walsh, A.M. in 2009
• Artistic Director/Co-Founder, ACTS School for the Performing Arts Alabang, 2011-2015
• Director, International British Academy Ballet, 2007-present
• Director, Edith International Pre-School, 2012-present
• Director, Kerusso Christian Academy/Church of God Ballet, 2014-2017
• Director, Singapore School Manila Ballet, 2014-present
• Director, Montessori Children’s House of Brentville, 2015-present
• Participating Director, Association of Ballet Academies Philippines “Danseries” spanning over a decade
• Former Secretary/Treasurer, Association of Ballet Academies Philippines
• Former Editor, Danscene, Official Newsletter of the Association of Ballet Academies Philippines Newsletter, 2 years
• Participating Coach, National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA) Dance Category, Junior Division: 2004, 2007, 2009, 2011
• Artistic Council, Philippine Ballet Theater, 2007-2011
• Participating Coach, 2014 Philippine Dance Cup, with 14 winning entries
• Participating Coach, 1st National CCP Ballet Competition, CCP Little Theater, 2014
• Participating Coach, 2016 National CCP Ballet Competition, CCP Little Theater
• Participating Coach, 2016 Philippine Dance Cup, with winning entries
Awards/Achievements
Local:
• 5 Major Place Awards for ACTS Manila @ International Christian Academy: Association of Ballet Academies Philippines Dance Cup 2008, Meralco Theater
• 6 Major Place Awards for ACTS Manila Alabang: Philippine Dance Cup 2012, Meralco Theater
• Solo Entry Placers for ACTS Manila Alabang: Philippine Dance Cup 2014 & 2016, De La Salle College of Saint Benilde, SDA Theater
• 2 Finalists: first CCP National Ballet Competition, November 2014
• Produced a roster of ballet Directors and faculty for ACTS Manila: Pia Paderes, Jan Manlapig, Rean Tirol, Johanna Sotto, Pia Domingo, Shekinah Ciudad, Rinna Supan, Lauren Pastores, Loenjoy Serra, Kim Peralta, Aices Mejino, Pam Buot, Paul Austria, IJ Villamater, Cheska Sinanggote; and other dance schools: Jacqueline Go, Chippy Dioko, Bianca Perez, Melvin Dela Cruz
• Provides an avenue for visiting ballet masters, choreographers and dance pedagogues to conduct master classes and commissions choreographies for ACTS Manila: Anna Villadolid, Elizabeth Rae, Marc Bogaerts, Ricardo Ella, Carlos Garcia, Eloisa Enerio, Myra Beltran, Herbert Alvarez, Candice Behlert, Ernest Mandap
• Provides an avenue for homegrown teachers and choreographers for continuing education in various genres and disciplines in order to create new works that are performed on the professional stage both locally and overseas
International:
• 100% Passed: Australian Conservatoire of Ballet Assessment Exams for 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017 with some gaining the highest mark of Distinction per batch
• 3rd and 5th Places, Junior A Division, and Four Semi-Finalists, Junior B and C Divisions: 2013 Asian Grand Prix International Ballet Competition, Hong Kong
• Qualified her students: Pia Custodio, to the Bolshoi Ballet School 2015 Summer Workshop in the U.S., School of American Ballet (waitlisted) and American Ballet Theatre 2015 Summer Workshop; and Lormaigne Bockmühl, to the Bolshoi Ballet School in the U.S. and American Ballet Theatre 2015 Summer Workshop
• Company Member, Stephanie Santiago, was granted a full scholarship to the Australian Conservatoire of Ballet (ACB) Summer Intensive Workshop 2015
• Company Members qualified to Ballet Magnificat’s Summer Intensive Workshops: Shekinah Ciudad, Jean Almeda, Carla Carandang, Meg Ruiz, Pam Buot
• Released Company members on to the professional stage both locally and internationally: Sandra Lynn Huang (Ballet Manila), Sarah Grace Lee (Pennsylvania Ballet), Bianca Perez (Ballet Philippines), Ado Bernardo (Ballet Philippines), Jean Almeda (Ballet Philippines), Stephanie Kerilen Santiago (Joffrey Ballet), et al
• Company members, Stephanie Santiago and Pia Custodio, competed at the 2016 Youth America Grand Prix international ballet competition in San Francisco, USA with Stephanie Santiago getting into top 12 for Contemporary Senior Division and top 24 for Classical Senior Division out of over a hundred entries
• Aspirant, Rosanne Melencio was awarded a Full Scholarship to the 2017 Summer Intensive Workshop of the National Ballet of Canada after Artistic Director, Mavis Staines watched her at the 2016 Asian Grand Prix competition in Hong Kong
• Provides an opportunity for ACTS Manila pre-qualified dancers to experience professional dance engagements locally & internationally as well as dance missions trips overseas with corresponding cross-cultural training prior to departure
