Consul General Gina A. Jamoralin, seated, right, receives the delegates of Ballet  Philippines at the Philippine Consulate on 23 July 2015. Joining her in the photo are Ms.  Pamela Taylor-Tongg Hawaii (seated to the right of Consul General Jamoralin), Artistic  Director of Ballet Hawaii; Mr. Paul Alexander Morales (standing, 7th from left) Artistic  Director of Ballet Philippines; Mr. Bill Feltz (6th from left) Adjunct Arts Specialist of the  East West Center Arts Program; Mr. Ronald Tongg (2nd from right); and the 10 dancers  of Ballet Philippines.

(24 July 2015, Honolulu, Hawaii) Eleven delegates from the Ballet Philippines (BP), led by its Artistic Director, Mr. Paul Alexander Morales, were honored at a Welcome Reception hosted by Consul General Gina A. Jamoralin of the Philippine Consulate General in Honolulu, Hawaii on 23 July 2015.

The delegation is in Honolulu to participate in the two-week Asia Pacific Dance Festival (APDF), a collaborative project of the University of Hawaii (UH) in Manoa and the East-West Center from 14 to 17 July 2015. The Festival will culminate in a series of dance concerts on 25 and 26 July at the UH Kennedy Theater, which will include performances from BP, the Philippines’ foremost classical and modern dance company, and two other dance groups from the Oceania Dance Theater in Fiji and a local Hawaiian hula group, Hālau I Ka Wēkiu.

In her welcome remarks, Consul General Jamoralin conveyed that the Consulate General and the Filipino American community in Hawaii are honored by the presence of Ballet Philippines, as this provided another opportunity to showcase the Filipino talent and excellence in the field of dance, being the Philippines’ country's flagship company in ballet and contemporary dance.

Mr. Paul Alexander Morales, Artistic Director of BP, expressed his appreciation for the warm welcome to the dancers, and invited the guests to watch their performances in the coming weekend.

Among the distinguished guests were Dr. Timothy Slaughter, Festival Director of the APDF Organizing Committee; Ms. Pamela Taylor-Tongg, Artistic Director of Ballet Hawaii; Mr. Bill Feltz, Adjunct Arts Specialist of the East West Center Arts Program; representatives from Hawaii’s consular corps, and Filipino community leaders.

The guests and delegates were entertained with a hula performance by Maricelle Redona, 1st runner up in the 2015 Miss Oahu Filipina, and a passionate hula dancer. A Hawaiian feast was prepared by the Consulate General for all the guests to partake of (END).