MANILA, Philippines -- Off for the US today are the artistic team of the Halili-Cruz School of Ballet (HCSB), led by Ms. Shirley Halili-Cruz, and 25 dancers who will participate in the “Dance Excellence 2011” competition to be held in Los Angeles, CA from April 17-23.

“Dance Excellence 2011” is a global event. This festival brings together some of the finest dancers from around the world to exchange ideas and share their love of dance – on and off stage.

In addition to the US alumni dance studios invited to represent their home states, Dance Excellence has invited alumni delegates from Australia, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, England, Germany, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Ireland, Japan, Mallorca, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Scotland, Singapore, Switzerland and Thailand to participate in the 20th anniversary celebration of “Dance Excellence 2011.”

The goal of “Dance Excellence” is to inspire dancers and teachers to fulfill their artistic dreams and desires through education and performance.

For three years now, the Halili-Cruz School of Ballet has been chosen to represent the Philippines because of its outstanding work in the dance and performance arts. They have five entries in the Performance Boards, the International Dance Competition.

The delegation is headed by HCSB Artistic Director, Shirley Halili-Cruz, together with her ballet teachers and choreographers – Anna Kathrina Cruz, Grace Perez and Anna Lissa Balmadrid. Specially trained for this event are young ballet dancers aged 9 to 17. They are: Kristine Abraham, Agatha Belen, Misha Bernas, Camille Chua, Jackie Chua, Ruffles de Leon, Jeng Guerrero, Angel Khong Hun, Diane Lee, Lindsay Lopez, Louisse Lopez, Venice Manuel, Nica Mendoza, Biannah Peji Palm, Toni Noel, Katja Palisoc, Nicole Paredes, Gayle Tamayo, Bella Ramirez, Lorraine Paz and Alee Young.

Kids to show cooking skills

Twelve kids aged 9 to 12 will show their amazing cooking prowess in the GMA-7 show “Amazing Cooking Kids” which starts airing today, April 16. Hosted by Carmina Villaroel, “Amazing Cooking Kids” is a reality cooking competition for kids aspiring to be chefs in the future.

The show aims to provide fun and friendly cooking environment where qualified kids could show what they know about cooking and gain more knowledge in their craft. One kid we interviewed during the recent press conference for the show said he has been cooking since he was three years old. He is now nine. His specialty, he said, is Mediterranean-style dishes. Another boy who is now 12 said he has been cooking since three years ago, and like all of the 12 finalists of the show, he aims to be a chef someday.

In the auditions held in SM Hypermarket Sucat and SM Hypermarket Fairview last month, aspiring kiddie cooks impressed spectators and judges as they presented their signature dishes. Those qualified went through a cook-off where cooking ability, plating skill and personality were observed. This showdown determined the boldest aspirants, now the finalists to the competition.

They are Dingdong Lagman, Tasha Pulgado, Nica Fortuno, Xymon Caballero, Duday Reyes, Budik Villalobos, Pat Reyes, Ice Almalmani, Tarah Santos, Angela Rosales, Ronin Leviste and Pau Sablaya.

The cooking gurus who will share their culinary expertise to the kids are Chef Rosebud Benitez, famous for her 10-minute kitchen wonders in “Quickfire;” Chef Jackie Ang-Po, owner of Fleur De Lys Patisserie and former host of “True Confections” and “Delicioso;” and Chef GB Barlao, vice president of Magsaysay Center for Hospitality and Culinary Arts (MIHCA).

“Amazing Cooking Kids” airs every Saturday at 11:15 a.m. on GMA-7.

UST professor gets two awards

Two different awards were given to UST Prof. Candida C. Agcaoili this month of April.

First was the Gawad San Lorenzo conferred by the Professional Regulations Commission for outstanding professionalism in the field of library science. The other is the Quadricentennial Dangal ng University of Sto. Tomas given for her dedication and lifetime involvement as UST professor for 60 years.

Prof. Agcaoili holds the position of Discipline Consultant and Librarian for Information Science at the UST Graduate School