Agnes Locsin's PUNO at the PETA Theater Center

TWO INTERNATIONAL DANCE ARTISTS PERFORM IN AGNES LOCSIN'S "PUNO: PANGATLONG GALAW"

MANILA, Philippines - Ugat, Dahon, Puno. Thus is the natural flow of the growth and flourishing of trees. Thus is the flow of Agnes Locsin's Alay Sa Puno series, a tribute to trees, a dirge for their disappearance, and a plea for reforestation.

Award-winning dance artist Gaye Galiluyo takes center stage for PUNO, a concert a deux directed by Agnes Locsin.

This August, the PETA Theater Center in Quezon City will present the third of the series - Puno: Pangatlong Galaw, a one-hour concert a deux directed by Locsin in a collaborative choreography with the inimitable dancers, Gaye Galiluyo and Georgette Sanchez. Following UGAT: Unang Galaw, and DAHON: Ikalawang Galaw, PUNO: Pangatlong Galaw explores the literal, physical and symbolical virtues of the texture of and strength garnered from the trunks that bear the weight of life.

While the first and second solo concerts focused on the common trees around the Philippines, PUNO will focus on the hard and red wood trees found mostly in the vanishing forests of the Philippines. This concert will show the strength of nearly if not already extinct trees like the Apitong, Yakal, Tugas, Kamagong, Mangkono, Bagtikan, trees, along with the lesser known as hard trees like the Caimito, Lechiyas and Bayabas trees. In a collection of solo and duo dances, PUNO will expound on the parallelisms in a fight from extinction and the fight for survival of men, women, and trees.

To give life to this grand vision are dance virtuosos, Gaye Galiluyo and Georgette Sanchez. Both international artists are alumnae of Ballet Philippines where they first crossed paths and trained with Agnes Locsin. Both also garnered awards from competitions. Galiluyo was the First Prize Winner for performance and interpretation of WHICH CLUB? at the 9th International Solo Tanz Theater in 2005 in Germany and a bronze medalist in the Masdanza International Dance Competition in Spain while in 2000, Sanchez won the silver medal in the 9th Paris International Dance Competition, for her performances in Agnes Locsin's September and Alden Lugnasin's Aku.

International dancer Georgette Sanchez displays focus and grace in Agnes Locsin's PUNO

In 1999, Galiluyo moved to Switzerland to dance with Tanztheater Basel. A year later, she then went on to Germany to join the Geissen Dance Company as well as the Irina Pauls Tanztheater. She is currently an independent artist based in Freiburg, Germany but comes home for her mentor's choreographic forays. And so does Sanchez. Sanchez, though currently based in Bacolod, is also a presence in the European dance scene. She danced with ABC Dance Company in Austria and for Tanz Darmstadt in Germany and will join the Tanz Oper in Munich, Germany this August. They were both seen in the Philippines in Locsin's Sayaw, Sabel (2010) and previously in Sayaw LikhANG KIUKOK (2005).

Puno: Pangatlong Galaw will have two performances at the PETA Theater Center on August 1 at 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Tickets at P500 (VIP), P350 (Regular), and P220 (Student Price). Contact: 735-6244 or 0916-3090707