Eddie Elejar

Eddie Elejar (Eduardo Causin Mendoza) was born on 31 December 1935 in Manila. He was a dancer and a choreographer.

Education

He graduated from De la Salle University with a degree in Commerce. He took ballet lessons with Ricardo Cassell and Totoy de Oteyza while in college during the 1950s. From then on, he trained with foreign dancers Olga Preobrajanska, Volkart, Karen Taft, Robert Joffrey, Maurice Bejart and Marie Rambert through the 1960s.

Career

He performed in Madrid, Barcelona, Zurich, and Lausanne with Maribel Aboitiz with the Tena Ballet. Upon returning to Manila, he danced with the Manila Ballet Company. He then joined Bayanihan Philippine Dance Company Philippine and world tours in 1959 and 1960.

He started collaborating with renowned dancers like Joji Felix-Velarde, Tina Santos and Bonnie Weinstein at the Philippine Women's University in 1963. He was premier danseur of Pamana Ballet from 1966-1968 and had Greta Monserrat as his partner. In 1968, he formed Dance Theater Philippines (DTP) with Julie Borromeo and Felicitas Layag-Radaic.

He teamed up with Alice Reyes and then jointly founded and directed the CCP Dance Workshop and Company (now Ballet Philippines). He later joined up with Tony Fabella and together they founded and directed the Manila Metropolis Ballet (MMB) in 1978-1988.

Achievements

• Considered the country's danseur noble for his creative works
• 1972 - received the Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan award
• Representative, International Council for the Dance (Conseil International de la Danse - CIDD)
• 2004 Gawad CCP para sa Sining

Contributions

Listed below are some of his works.

Performance

• Love's Sorrow (1951)
• Swan Lake (1952-1955)
• Serenade for Strings (1952)
• The Idol (1953)
• Merry Wives of Windsor (1953)
• Midsummer Night's Dream (1953)
• On Stage (1953)
• Preta (1953)
• Four Seasons (1954)
• Prayer (1954)
• Four Elements (1955)
• Rhapsody in Blue (1955)
• The Beautiful Blue Danube
• The Nutcracker
• Don Quixote
• Midsummer

Choreography

• Katakata Sin Rajah Indarapatra (Stories of Rajah Indarapatra), (Jose Maceda)
• Gates of Hell (Verese)
• Variations for Six
• Look Ma, I'm Dancing
• Chopin Variation
• Swan of Tourrela
• Masks (1981)
• Once Upon a Village (1982)
• Mutya ng Buhay (Muse of Life) (1986)

Direction

• Mir-i-nisa (1969)
• Juliet and Her Romeo (1970)
• Jewels (1970)
• Juru-pakal (The Enchanted Kris) (1971)
• Who's the Clown (1971)
• Trio Con Brio and Kapinangan (1972)
• Misang Pilipino (Filipino Mass) (1974)
• Rigodom Sketches (1976)
• Mutya ng Nayon (Village Muse)
• Rigodon de Honor
• Hayop ang Galing (Fantabulous)
• Sony Cycle
• Piano Concerto
• Iago
• Morning Dew
• May Day Eve

References

• Castro, M.G., Villaruz, B.E.S. "Altar". In CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Art, 1st ed., Vol. 5, 203-204. Philippines: CCP Publications Office, 1994.
• http://www.ncca.gov.ph/about_cultarts/articles.php?artcl_Id=280 Recognition of Filipino Artists
• http://www.qcpa.org/index.php/about-us Artists Behind The Foundation

Citation

Original content from WikiPilipinas. under GNU Free Documentation License. See full disclaimer.