We are still in the first quarter of a new year and if you haven't begun working on those fitness goals yet, it's really time to start now. Make 2017 the year to finally achieve the kind of body you really want to have!  

The Lisa Macuja School of Ballet, the country's premier school for classical dance, is offering a graceful way to a leaner and healthier you! While the school is well-known for producing some of the most accomplished Filipino dancers worldwide, it's also an institution that puts equal value to the wellness of people as well as the arts. In fact, the company is slowly garnering a following among health enthusiasts thanks to the ballet classes that adults can enroll in.

I had the pleasure of joining a Ballet for Fitness class the other day held in Yoga+ Express located at the Venice Grand Canal Mall in McKinley Hill, Taguig. The most amazing thing about this? It was conducted by Prima Ballerina Lisa Macuja-Elizalde herself! 

To say that I was apprehensive about joining a ballet class for adults was kind of an understatement. It has been quite a while since I attempted to dance ballet (the last time was in elementary P.E. class so imagine how long ago that was!!!) and I never became flexible enough to do graceful poses that ballerinas are known to do. 

Still, I figured it would be good to give it a go since I am a staunch believer of the saying, "If it doesn't challenge you, it will not change you." (BTW, I just finished my first 16k race yesterday, so there 😉 ) Plus,  joining a class being taught by Ms. Lisa would definitely be a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

Much later, with words plié, port de bras, relevé, etc. dancing delightfully in my head, I could definitely say I learned a lot and had fun while doing so. Yes, I am not (yet?) as graceful as I would like myself to be but I listened to and followed the directions well so I think I deserved an invisible pat on the back for showing up and taking on the challenge. Besides, with such a patient and encouraging teacher, it was easy to forget about making mistakes and instead simply enjoy the moment.  

Ms. Lisa, the school's founder and director, explained that they developed the ballet for adults class a few years ago when they started getting inquiries about using ballet as a form of exercise. "To be honest, it's such a pleasant surprise that people are so interested in the health aspect of ballet. It's such a great form of exercise as every part of your body gets the workout it deserves," she described.

"In addition, it is very holistic, which means that you are not just building the strength of your muscles, but also your stamina and flexibility, and you're doing all these while enjoying the art." Ms. Lisa also told us that ballet is a great way to prevent Alzheimer's Disease because the dance's vocabulary of French terms, along with the combinations a dancer has to memorize for each performance, literally and figuratively keep her on her toes.

Apart from adult ballet, The Lisa Macuja School of Ballet Manila offers classical ballet classes for all levels as well as modern ballet and street dancing. As part of its summer workshop program, the school will also be offering Bollywood Dance, Floor Barre, and Mat Pilates classes. 

As a testament to their commitment to quality, the Bollywood Dance classes will be taught by two choreographers to be flown in from Mumbai. These class are meant to broaden the creative scope of ballet classes already offered.

On the other hand, Floor Barre and Mat Pilates aim to augment the students' training in strength, stamina, injury prevention, and recovery. Teaching these classes would be Victoria Vargas, a faculty member of Joffrey Ballet, one of America's most prestigious ballet companies.

The school's faculty members include accomplished Vaganova style-trained classical dancers who are considered some of the best in the country such as Jonathan Janolo, Sofia Sangco-Peralta, Gerardo Francisco, Eileen Lopez, Czarina Villegas, and Ms Lisa who directs the school alongside co-director Osias Barroso.

For your added information, The Lisa Macuja School of Ballet Manila is the only ballet school in the Philippines with direct links to the Russian Ballet Academy of St. Petersburg, Russia. As such, the school is often praised by ballet enthusiasts for staying true to the principles of the art form and for teaching the rigorous Vaganova Academy method of dancing, which is widely accepted as the highest standard of style when it comes to classical ballet.

See the complete list of courses and schedules offered by visiting www.balletmanila.com.ph or calling telephone numbers 400.0292 and 525.5967 (Pasay City branch) or 285.1343 and 285.1353 (Quezon City branch). You may also email info@balletmanila.com.ph for inquiries and follow Ballet Manila on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to keep updated.

* Thank you so much ARC Public Relations, Inc. for the photos and the Kangaroo Nuts snacks! 

I love watching movies but, at my age, I don't think I could dance for 24 hours straight! What's the connection, you ask?

Last June 27, Star Movies kept moviegoers on their feet all day and all night for a movie marathon that required non-stop dancing. They could only rest a bit while there's no singing and dancing on screen but should start moving and grooving once more when the music starts.

I arrived at the venue around 12NN that day to check out the amazing contenders. By that time, they were already on their third movie since the competition started at 5AM. The groups of avid film viewers were expected to shimmy and shake their "groove thang" while watching famous movie musicals such as Annie, Magic Mike XXL, Dirty Dancing, Frozen, Pitch Perfect 2, Happy Feet 2, and Mamma Mia for the chance to win the grand prize of P200,000.

Anybody who grew up reading (or in my kids' case, watching) Disney stories dream of someday being able to visit what many call "the happiest place on earth" -- in short, Disneyland! But while we wait for that day to come, I think the next best thing to fulfilling a Disney dream is to watch a Disney on Ice show.

Two years ago, my youngest son and I got to see Disney on Ice Presents Princesses and Heroes at the Araneta Coliseum and we loved it! Yesterday, thanks to Magnolia Chocolait and Yehey! Digital Group, we got to watch Disney on Ice Presents Dare to Dream. 

I believe there will always be a child in all of us and that we will forever be fascinated by things that make children happy. Two years ago, my son and I got to watch the Disney on Ice Princesses and Heroes show and we loved it! You can find the photos I took and blog post link here. 

This 2014, Disney on Ice presents Dare to Dream, which combines the contemporary stories of two modern-day princesses, Rapunzel and Tiana, with the classic elegance of Cinderella and Snow White. The show is sure to whisk audiences away on exciting journeys where dreams really do come true.

My husband and I are often in Festival Supermall because it is where we regularly shop for groceries and most of the stuff we need at home. But it was my first time yesterday to cross the road behind the main mall to go to the recently opened River Park, the newest recreation and dining cluster in Filinvest City, and I was surprised to discover how beautiful it is!

Behind commercial establishments lies a flowing river and a wide expanse of grounds where people can enjoy the cool wind and admire the multicolored lights decorating trees and bushes around the area. A magical Christmas is certainly in the air at River Park because visitors get a visual and auditory treat from the Light and Sound Show featuring 200,000 twinkling lights blinking to the tempo of nostalgic Yuletide carols aside from the popular Let it Go from the movie Frozen.

Many of us grew up reading the classic fairy tales although the younger generations are more familiar with the movie versions. This December, prepare to feast your eyes on the ballet version of Cinderella which is filled with delightful dancers, beautiful costumes, and a script that smoothly combines romance and laughter in one spectacular production.

Alice Reyes' Cinderella is the special pre-Christmas treat staged by Ballet Philippines at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo, Cultural Center of the Philippines from November 28 to December 7, Fridays to Sundays. 

It is always a pleasure to watch live shows in venues that can make each song, each dance move, or each spoken line be a delightful experience. Last Wednesday night Solaire Resort & Casino raised the curtains of its newest crown jewel, The Theatre at Solaire, and treated guests to various impressive performances  by our very own Filipino artists.  

The fan-shaped lyric theater has a seating capacity of 1,760 and is ideal for ALL forms of the performing arts -- be it musical theater, opera, concerto, pop concert, ballet, awards night, competition, circus act, kiddie show, or corporate event. These were showcased to us by different performers who conquered the stage with their individual talents.

The 1990s was memorable for me for many reasons. It is the decade where I graduated from college, found my first job, got married, and had all my four kids. In between working for a living and raising a family, my husband and I got to appreciate a lot of things that this decade brought.

National Geographic Channel (NGC) pays tribute to the 90s by coming up with a new series that will remind viewers of a golden decade of technological, political, and entertainment milestones. My most memorable ones, I guess, would have to be watching Friends and Ally McBeal. 

Last week, NatGeo heralded the premier of The '90s: The Decade That Connected Us with a fun party at the Samsung Hall in SM Aura. Guests got to enjoy music from the era while the first episode of the TV series was also being aired. Cosplayers dressed in 'popular 90s characters made the photo ops more engaging.

The '90s series features the biggest newsmakers that shocked, wowed, or changed the world and helped make it what it is today. Some of the things you'll expect to see include the popularity of grunge music, the advent of Viagra, a salacious White House scandal, innovations in personal computers, and various episodes of political upheavals around the globe.

This TV show basically looks back on various developments in history to show how the world reacted to the fledging reality of globalization, as we slowly learned how connected human beings were becoming despite geographical and cultural differences.

Memorable video footage were used to recall the spirit of the decade along with 120 interviews with unsung heroes behind riveting events in addition to well-known personalities in various fields. Hear what Courtney Love, Arsenio Hall, Vanilla Ice, Jerry Springer, Tony Blair, Colin Powell, Connie Chung, and Dan Rather had to say. These are celebrities whose voices will narrate the remarkable affairs that weave the story of this extraordinary decade.

This decade between the Cold War and the War on Terror saw numerous highs and lows as technology advanced the world into the digital age: Bill Clinton's promise of change as he became US president, the violent LA riots, Nelson Mandela's release from prison and rise as leader of South Africa, and the horrific civil war in Rwanda.

Remember, too, cultural benchmarks such as the TV show Friends and the Macarena dance, along with the first successful reality shows of The Real World and Jerry Springer, which paved the way for reality TV in succeeding years.

The '90s: The Decade That Connected Us serves as a guide as viewers navigate through this historical and nostalgic roller coaster ride so we may better grasp politics and the global culture in their current states, as well as understand ourselves.

Catch the series exclusively on National Geographic Channel every Thursday at 9PM beginning September 18, 2014.

  

In the Philippines, when you say "tapa", people will mostly likely think about slices of delicious marinated meat that we like eating during breakfast along with fried rice and egg (think tapsilog!). I only recently discovered that tapa in Spanish means bite-sized appetizer or snack. 

According to legend, the tapas tradition began in 13th century Spain during the reign of King Alfonso X "The Wise". When the monarch fell ill, he was prescribed wine as a remedy to relieve his pain. To help moderate the adverse effects of alcohol, he was served "a small bite" of food along with the drink, which was served on a plate covering the glass. Tapa, in Spanish, also means lid.

When the king recovered, he passed a law stating that a free tapa must be served with every alcoholic drink across the land. This tradition continues at Tapeo Tapas and Wine Bar located at The Fort Strip in Bonifacio Global City.

The restaurant opened in February 2013 and is managed and operated by chef-consultants Mon Urbano and Day Salonga -- the MonDay Chefs. They designed the place to have a casual vibe where diners can avail of unlimited Traditional Spanish tapas, bar style. They also serve a la carte dishes that tickle the palate and warm the tummy. Last Wednesday, I ate dinner there with friends and loved the food. 

The salad lover in me enjoyed the Lechuga Romana con Cabrales (P195) very much. It is made of Romaine lettuce, tomatoes, apple slices, honey roasted almonds and crumbled blue cheese with roasted apple piñon dressing. The light dressing perfectly balanced the sweet tartness of the apples and the savory saltiness of the cheese.

I also liked the Manchego Frito (P342), made of one of my favorite cheeses. I would have finished the whole serving if we were not eating other food :)

I'd say the most interesting dish I got to taste that evening would have to be the Angulas (P695) made of baby eel in garlic infused oil. I tried it on top of a slice of bread and also ate a spoonful. I can't really say I dislike it because it does taste good, but the thought of eating eels ( I didn't look closely enough anymore to see if they have eyes) felt a bit weird. Besides, I'm a quite averse to worms and they kinda look alike :p Still, you can always think you're eating Spanish sardines without the fish.

In case you'd like a less daring appetizer, try the Tortilla de Patatas y Jamon Serrano (P195) instead. This is traditional potato and Serrano ham omelette served with aioli sauce. It's actually perfect to pair with rice.

For the main course, we had Costillas Asadas (P498), a dish composed of Spanish pork riblets barbecue served with Patatas Bravas. The meat is very flavorful and you'd love to munch on the potato siding until there's nothing left on the wood serving board.

Another dish that awakened my taste buds was Cerdo al Horno (P340). This is slow roasted pork belly (like a different version of lechon kawali) served with fabada and zaffron rice. It's another must-try dish at Tapeo that I would personally recommend.

For dessert, we had Churros con Chocolate (P152) and Brazo de Tapeo or Gypsy Cake (P152). Both tasted lovely but I'd have to say that the second dessert literally took the cake! According to Chef Mon, this is like the evil twin sister of Brazo de Mercedes because of its color, which was accomplished by adding chocolate to the egg white. What sets it apart from the usual brazo though is the cherry wine infusion that gives it its unique taste.

That evening though, I had no idea that aside from eating a sumptuous meal, I would also be having a crash course in Flamenco! It turned out that every Wednesday, Tapeo alternately features "Baile Flamenco" with Spain's Señor Juan Antonio and "La Guitarra" with Classic Guitarist Iyo Enginco on Spanish Guitar Night.

We happened to dine on a Wednesday and Señor Juan pulled the ladies one by one from our table to dance with him. I thought I was already safe when he came back for his second set but was proven  wrong. He once again invited us to the "dance floor" and taught us some flamenco moves. With two left feet, imagine how I frantically tried to follow his steps and hand movements while laughing at how silly I must have looked! 

It's a good thing Instagram only allows 15 seconds of footage. My friend Nana happily (in Tagalog, aliw na aliw!) uploaded a video of me dancing with Señor Juan and we had some hearty laughs about it. So in case I get to go back to Tapeo when this feisty Spanish gentleman is performing again, I should watch some YouTube tutorials on flamenco 101 first! 

Do drop by Tapeo Tapas and Wine Bar to see for yourself how good their dishes are and how fun it could be when eating there. Here are some of their promos you may want to avail of:

Unlimited Tapas (P495/person) from Monday to Saturday 2PM - 9PM and Sunday 6PM to 10PM

Happy Hour 50% on all classic cocktails from M to F 2PM - 7PM and Sat and Sun 6PM onwards

WineDown Wednesday 50% off on featured wine every Wednesday 6PM onwards

Sangria Weekend's Buy 1 and Get 2nd pitcher at 50% off Sat and Sun 6PM onwards

Lunch for 3 for only P650.00 which includes main course, drinks, and dessert M to S 11AM to 2PM

Tapeo accommodates exclusive functions. They also have Party Platters to go which you can order one day in advance. Choose from Paella, Callos, Beef Estofada, Lengua, and their famous Cerdo al Horno.

Restaurant Hours are Mon and Tues 11AM to 12MN, Wed and Thurs 11AM to 1AM, Fri and Sat 11AM to 2AM, and Sun 11AM to 2PM, 6PM to 10PM. For more information, please call (02) 556-2668, like www.facebook.com/tapeo.ph and follow @Tapeo on Instagram.

 * To see more photos, please visit this Facebook album

Teenagers these days are very enthusiastic in keeping up with the trends and being in tune to everything that’s happening around them. They are very energetic and are always ready to charge into their next adventures.

To maintain confidence the whole day, though, teens need to stay fresh to do more and this is what Rexona is encouraging individuals to do. After all, being confident can be affected by growing pains and battling insecurities.

Mar Corazo, Rexona brand manager, shared they wanted to impart the importance of daily hygiene to teens in a fun and exciting way. Thus, they came up with the Do More summer campaign that features a catchy tune.

The appealing song, which has been playing on radio and music channels, was magnified tenfold when Rexona launched the single during a recent mall event, hosted by fashion blogger Laureen Uy and MYX VJ Chino Lui Pio, held at the New Glorietta Activity Center in Makati and featuring Rexona’s Do More endorsers.

Sarah Geronimo, Enrique Gil, and Elmo Magalona got the crowd screaming with excitement when they started dancing with The Philippine All Stars on stage to the tune of Do The Moves, the song that also feature Apl de Ap who was not able to make it to the event.

“Song and dance is always a good way to appeal to teens, especially with the rising popularity of dance music,” explained Corazo. “It’s a really fun and upbeat song that, I hope, will get people dancing and encourage them to Do the Moves and Do More.”

Sarah, Apl, Enrique, and Elmo – all role models to teenagers today – aim to encourage people to join the movement by dancing, expressing themselves, and doing more. This is very timely as it is a good way to keep teens active this summer, away from sedentary activities like watching TV or playing on the computer all day.

Using dance as a vehicle to drive a strong commitment to proper personal care, Rexona created fun dance choreography, which the endorsers described as “pa-simple moves”, that can be done to subtly check their underarms if they are dry and fresh.

Along with this initiative, Rexona will also be launching the country’s biggest Teen Dance Competition, which will have on-going dance tours, an audition process, elimination rounds, and a finale scheduled to happen in July.

The Do More endorsers believe in honing the passions of young people that can serve as inspirations to be more confident about themselves. Reaching one’s goals and dreams needs self-expression in whatever form. For Sarah, it is exciting to collaborate with Rexona because she shares the brand’s values and advocacies.

Unbeatable protection from sweat and odor is now made easier by Rexona so you can always Do More with confidence. Let nothing hold you back from clean, good fun with the barkada this summer! Enjoy the school break kids! :)

* Check out more photos taken during the event, here

I love watching live theater shows. I'm sure it's obvious given the already numerous posts and reviews about theater that you can find in this blog. I greatly admire a lot of wonderful local theater actors and actresses, some of them still very young who, I'm sure could only get better and better every year. After all, Filipinos have boundless talents when it comes to the arts.

This December, Sacred Heart School Makati teamed up with Teacher Monique Bunuan of the Helen O'Grady Drama Academy Philippines to come up with a wonderful play called The Secret of Christmas Eve. It will be staged at the 7th floor of CAP Building in Amorsolo cor. Rufino Sts. in Makati City this December 16, 2013 at 10AM. 

Several parent bloggers and I got to watch the kids' practice yesterday and saw how much fun the little ones are having. According to Teacher Weng Palma of Sacred Heart, holding this year's Christmas showcase aims to help their students become their best in singing, dancing, and acting. This, she said, is very much in line with the school's philosophy of nurturing the children's unsung potentials.

Helen O'Grady Drama Academy is a well-known name all over the world for its expertise in the dramatic arts. It offers workshops in different countries to get kids to develop confidence about themselves and how they speak in front of people. I personally saw how Teacher Monique makes learning really enjoyable for all her participants when kids of my fellow bloggers and even my friend Myra joined in on the workshop. 

Teachers of Sacred Heart revealed that the kids really look forward to the lessons that teach them how to take on their roles as actors and actresses and make them aware that they are part of a team. Happily, everyone is doing a great job.

Come summer break, aside from the Galileo Enrichment Learning Program, Sacred Heart plans to also start offering after-school classes with Helen O'Grady. The Kindy Drama Program, for 3 to 5 year olds, aims to develop in preschool students confidence and self-esteem as well as verbal communication skills. These are achieved through storytelling, dramatic play, speech training, creative movement, songs, and lots of language development activities.

The classes will further help develop important life skills for young people such as listening, sharing, taking turns, following instructions, sequencing and memory skills, and vocalizing thoughts and emotions. Kindy drama classes meet once a week for an hour and the program runs for a whole year. This is done in a fun and stimulating way to ensure all participants have a wonderful experience and are getting the most out of the lessons.

If you have time tomorrow morning, please do watch The Secret of Christmas Eve where the kids will be cookies, bakers, and elves with a Rudolph to boot! Tickets are sold at P300 each for the benefit of Typhoon Yolanda survivors. This is Sacred Heart's way of helping as well as teaching their students that they are never too young to do their parts as members of society.

For updates and more information, please like the Facebook pages of Sacred Heart School Makati and Helen O'Grady Drama Academy Philippines.

* See more photos from our school visit here