PHSA MAQUILING BALLET
ABOUT PHSA
The Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA) is a public, non-secular, non-profit special school for artistically gifted and talented adolescents founded on June 11, 1977 through the Presidential Decree (PD) 1287. In 1990, under Executive Order 420, the school was converted into a regular government agency attached to the Department of Education (DepEd) and implemented its program in consultation with the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). It is located at the National Arts Center owned by the CCP found in the premises of University of the Philippines in Mt. Makiling, Los Banos, Laguna.
PHSA envisions a nation nurtured by the people’s pride in their artistic and cultural traditions and a national center for excellence and leadership in the arts, research, training, education and support system (ARTES). It combines the secondary education level program with a special curriculum and support programs committed to the preservation, enhancement and promotion of Filipino Cultural Heritage.
The school continues to innovate programs that directly address the socioeconomic, political and cultural realities in the country, in line with its firm belief that the artist plays a big role in nation-building. The institution offers five courses of specialization in the arts: Dance (Ballet and Folk), Creative Writing, Music, Theater Arts, and Visual Arts.
Entrance to the school is highly competitive. Every year, the school opens its application process through the Annual Nationwide Search for Young Arts Scholars (ANSYAS). Applicants must be graduating Filipino elementary school students not more than 14 years old with outstanding abilities in the arts. The successful applicant is awarded free tuition fee, board and lodging (with weekend home leave with parents or with a designated legal guardian), classes with master teachers, a monthly stipend, plus the chance to represent the country and the school in international festivals, competitions, and exchange programs. The grant is renewable every year for our to six consecutive school years upon satisfaction of academic and non-academic requirements.
The Maquiling Ballet logo is designed by Jarmonya visual arts major, Wika P. Nadera. For background, he used blue, which is the official color of Philippine High School for the Arts. The blue color, according to him, also represents “daloy” or flow of movement of dancers. The brush strokes accentuate the fluid motion. The initials of Maquiling, M and B, are written in baybayin or the ancient Filipino alphabet. The script Ma, which looks like arms of a dancer, is placed on top of the script Ba, which looks like a ballerina’s tutu. The Q in the Maquiling Ballet, which serves as head, completes the ballet dancer figure.
The Maquiling Ballet (MB) is the resident ballet company of Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA). The company aims to produce excellent classical and modern ballet performers, choreographers, and cultural leaders of the country. MB has dedicated itself to research-based choreographies and productions to help conserve our vanishing tradition and folkways in dance and to underscore the role of a carefully planned dance education in national economic development.
MB has done numerous outreach performances in Manila, Laguna, Baguio, Mindoro, Pangasinan, Bicol, Davao, Bacolod, Batangas, Nueva Ecija, Silay, Leyte, Bohol, Cebu, Midsayap, and General Santos City. The troupe has also been invited to perform and compete in countries like Brunei, Monaco, Belgium, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, and Singapore.
Thirty-nine years (39) since its inception, the organization has produced over 100 alumni, most of whom have made their mark as choreographers, artistic directors, ballet masters, art managers, and performers in various dance companies, schools, and universities locally and internationally.