Filipino dancer beats the odds
This story was updated on Feb. 25, 2010.
Dancer and choreographer Jason Garcia Ignacio worried he would "feel like a failure" when he moved to this region in 2007 after working in New York City for seven years. Sure, he was ready to get away from Manhattan's "jumble of dance companies" and he was happy to be hired by CityDance Ensemble, but he wondered if the Mid-Atlantic area was just too provincial.
"I was skeptical [about D.C] to be honest, but I was wrong," Ignacio happily concedes "Instead, I have accomplished more in two years [living here] than I ever did in New York City."
And to prove the dancer is on an up and away trajectory, he, along with five other dance groups, was selected out of some 40 groups to perform at the sixth annual Dance Bethesda Dance Concert at Round House Theatre on Saturday night.
The hourlong production will offer audience members an opportunity to sample classical dance from India, tap, jazz and contemporary ballet and modern dance.
Ignacio was an easy choice, since he is "an example of what dance is going to be in the 21st century. He takes from combination of modern, ballet, his work on Broadway and he brings in the folk tradition of the Philippines," recalls jurist Peter DiMuro, director of Dance/Metro DC, a branch of Dance/USA, the national service organization for professional dance.
While some purists may be unhappy with the "blend of cultures" in today's dance, DiMuro believes Ignacio "does the best of each genre, using percussive, modern and intricate handwork."
Ignacio will perform "Hourglass" with Delphina Parenti, a duet they premiered on the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage in 2009.
When developing the work, the Rockville resident hearkened back to his own childhood, growing up in abject poverty in the Philippines.
He asked himself "What does an underprivileged man feel?"
The experience of being limited and constricted came to mind; soon Ignacio opted to wrap and bind Parenti and himself with a straitjacket he designed and sewed.
For a dancer this cannot be an easy experience since "arms are very important for balance, support and momentum when making turns, and for partnering," Ignacio says.
By the end of the performance, the dancers are freeing themselves of the restrictive garment. Ignacio believes that no matter the circumstance, one "can always make a choice to be free."
The dancer didn't grow up believing in endless possibilities or freedom. It was tough going in the slums of Manila. For entertainment, he and his friends spent hours dancing in the streets.
"We had no money for dance lessons," he remembers.
But luck happened in the form of a birthday party. His single mother worked for a doctor and the entire office was invited to her employer's celebration. Ballet dancer Armhel de Guzman was hired to entertain at the party, and when he saw Ignacio dance, he told the boy's mother he would teach him for whatever the family could afford, "even 25 pesos."
Soon the 11-year-old was steeped in learning European classical ballet. Within a few years, he was performing with the Earth Savers Dreams Ensemble for UNESCO and the United Nations. In 1997, he went to Seoul to study ritual Korean dance and was dancing in Europe, the Middle East and the United States.
As he began to travel around the world, Ignacio's relatives finally spoke of his father, a man he never knew.
"They told me I got my [dance] talent from my dad," he says. While his mother never discussed his father, Ignacio learned that the man was a famous ballroom dancer in the Philippines.
His father never was told of his son's success before his death some six years ago.
"I wanted to forgive him and talk to him and tell him ‘I am like you,' but he passed away and it is heartbreaking," he admits.
The dancer is a survivor and he believes the hardships of his childhood have made him a better and more passionate dancer.
In the end, his goal is to "open up the minds of people" to dance in all its global possibilities.
Dance Bethesda Dance Concert is planned for 8 p.m. Saturday at Round House Theatre, 4545 East-West Highway. Tickets are $20, $10 for children 12 and younger. Along with Jason Garcia Ignacio, ClancyWorks Dance Company, Dr. Janaki Rangarajan, Tappers With Attitude, Karen Reddy Dance and Washington Reflections Dance Company will perform. For tickets call 301-215-6660 or visit Bethesda.org.
Dance Bethesda will host free dance classes at studios around the downtown Friday night and a hip hop master classes with Bryan East of BoogieBots on Saturday, at Joy of Motion Dance Center 7315 Wisconsin Ave., Suite 180E. Hip-hop for Youth (ages 10-170 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. and hip-hop for adults (ages 18–plus) from 2:30 to 4 p.m. Classes are $25. Call 301-215-6660 or visit Bethesda.org. Bethesda Urban Partnership is sponsoring the event.
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