Guang Ming Dance Project’s Talent Recognized at International Dance Day Fest 2026
News Bulletin No. 26
By: Regina Angelica Bautista-Verzosa
Manila City, Philippines — At the Samsung Performing Arts Theater’s (Samsung) International Dance Day Fest Contemporary Gala last April 26, 2026, Guang Ming Dance Project (GMDP) performed alongside the 25-year-old pioneering contemporary dance company Airdance Philippines. This is the third year that GMDP has been a performed in the event since it started in 2024.
The Gala is an annual event spearheaded by Ayala Land, Make It Makati!, and Samsung that provides a platform for over 1,000 artists to celebrate and share movement, dance and culture (see Daily Tribune) to a larger public. More than a celebration, Festival Director Chris Mohnani states that the event sought to “[bring] global talents closer to Filipino audiences while opening doors for aspiring young dancers” (see Manila Bulletin). For the contemporary dance community, this is the only regular annual and funded program for contemporary dance groups and artists to create new work.
In this iteration for Airdance Company, part-time faculty Nicole Primero created a new “philosophical” (Mayo, Daily Tribune, 29 April 2026) piece entitled “Syntropy”. The work was choreographed in collaboration with the performers: our GMDP dancers Ashleigh Campilan, Martha Laniog, Leo Roxas, and Riane Ruaya, and Airdance artist Carlos Deriada Jr. The work explored how bodies are in a constant parallel state of construction, destruction, and re-construction, with the movement vocabulary playing with the juxtaposition and dynamics of the mature Airdance soloist, and our young dancers.
For Nicole Primero the process was rare in that it was “fun” and productive to work with GMDP:
GMDP’s IDD performance was a testament to their exceptional training and upbringing, where they were true professionals in terms of their technique and approach to an otherwise ‘new’ collaboration.
“Syntropy” was tailored to fit their youth, while in beautiful balance with Airdance’s Deriada’s maturity. Throughout the process they were generous with their skills (they never said ‘no’ to any movement request nor structure adjustments) and they were impressive with their decision-making skills (intuitively understanding what was required of them with minimal guidance).
By definition, syntropy is the ‘tendency of systems to move toward order, complexity, and organization.’ True to this essence, they were able to ‘self-perfect’ while building towards the end of the choreographic piece and process. I’m beyond grateful for the culmination and the authentic embodiment of the work.
Likewise, for Campilan, the event “was definitely an enriching and humbling experience.” She pointed out how, “performing on a professional stage alongside established artists gave us a glimpse of the standards and possibilities that await us in the vast industry of dance”.
Finally, the Contemporary Gala Curator Myra Beltran shares the beauty of the work of which our dancers were an important part of its success:
Primero’s work is usually characterized by a sophistication that is subtle. Her propositions are delivered quietly, with a seeming aversion to spectacle and virtuosity, but her statement is realized in full in the context of the performance space where its quietness, its “is-ness” comes to fore. In that, her pieces become a surprising singularity if not, a standout in its own way.
The pieces therefore require humility from the performers for this subtlety to be realized – a skill that is different but also requires an equal level of sophistication to approach. In this, GMCDP is ably equipped and committed as that style seems to suit well with the philosophy that informs the school.
The GMDP dancers’ yearly participation in the gala as aspiring artists is a testament of the dance industry’s recognition of their combined talent and determination, and that more and more choreographers are eager to work with our students in their ability to bring choreographic vision to life.