MANILA, Philippines - On Feb. 19, the Greenbelt 5 Gardens will be transformed into a venue that will showcase Filipino talent.

Pilita Corales, Basil Valdez, Francis Magalona and DJ group LOCAL//:e! will perform music from the Filipinas Heritage Library's Himig Collection as arranged by Ryan Cayabyab and Louie Ocampo.

The concert, which is part of the Ayala Group of Companies' Bravo Filipino festival, will celebrate the masterpieces of the finest composers in the local music industry, and feature dance numbers choreographed by instructors from Steps Dance Studio.

A 15-year-old boy will shine that day: Marcelino Libao Jr., who will undoubtedly captivate the audience with his gift of dance.

Meeting McCoy

Sofia Zobel-Elizalde, the founder of Steps, proudly spoke of Marcelino. ?McCoy came to my school and just enrolled. He was eight at the time and was about to take jazz lessons. We were very impressed by his musicality. After a year, I offered him a scholarship because I was so taken by him. He's been a scholar for about seven years now.?

All the training has paid off for McCoy, who competed in last year's National Music Competitions for Young Artists and bagged the gold medal in the junior division of the ballet competition.

?When we saw how well he performed in the Namcya, McCoy's coach and wonderful teacher Raul Sauz told me about a big competition in Switzerland, the Prix de Lausanne,? Sofia said. ?We sent his video, making McCoy the first Filipino to try out for this competition.?

The Prix de Lausanne gives young student dancers ages 15 and 18 the chance to pursue a professional career by granting them scholarships.
?It is a very tough competition,? Sofia said.

This year, out of over 140 applicants, only 74 young dancers were chosen. Of the 74, 21 made it to the finals. McCoy was one of them.

Sofia shared: ?The contemporary piece McCoy performed was choreographed by John Neumeier, who was also the head of the panel of judges.?
Impressed by McCoy's dancing, Neumeier approached the boy after his performance.

?He won a thousand Swiss francs and has been offered a full scholarship at four schools - the Zurich Ballet School, Hamburg Ballet, the Royal Ballet School of Antwerp [Belgium] and the English National Ballet,? Sofia said.

And because Steps helped McCoy audition for the Royal Ballet School of London last year, McCoy might even have a fifth choice.

?Here is a boy of 15 who is just about to spread his wings,? Sofia said.

She believes McCoy's story sums up what they do at Steps.

The foundation

Although Sofia has been offering scholarships to talented young dancers for years now, it was only last year that she decided to formalize the program by creating the Steps Scholarship Foundation.

?When I see kids who are very gifted and who have the love and passion for dance, I put them in a scholarship program to encourage them to keep dancing. For a long time, I was doing it on my own. I really take care of them. I try and guide them.?

The idea behind the scholarship grew when she realized a lot of talented children couldn't afford to keep going to dance class.

?I started with everyone as paying student. But I was starting to lose talented children because they couldn't go as much and as often as they should. I was frustrated.?

Today, Steps has some 25 scholars studying classical ballet, jazz and modern dance.

For Sofia, creating the foundation is Steps' way of deepening its commitment to promote dance in the Philippines.

Steps Dance Studio, which uses the dance curriculum of the Royal Academy of Dance, has earned a solid reputation for being one of the most innovative and creative dance studios in the Philippines and has produced a number of professional dancers here and abroad.

Sofia wants to see more Filipino dancers with a deep love and devotion for their craft, the same passion she discovered at an early age.

First performance

Sofia discovered her love for dance with the help of her parents when she was 4 years old. ?My dad is so passionate about the arts. My mom really guided me. I loved it.?

But it was her first big performance that set her passion ablaze.

?The Nutracker at CCP, that was my first big performance. I was 10 or 11 at that time. I remember never wanting to go home. I just loved watching the rehearsals. I'd get home really late at night. That's when I knew I wanted to dance.?

She danced with Ballet Philippines for eight years and opened Steps when she decided to get married.

?I always knew I wanted to teach. I decided to put up my own school. My first student was a 3-year-old baby. I spent my day jumping around with one child.?

Sofia has gone a long way from jumping around with one baby. Today, Steps has 150 students, ages three and up.

?It's been 14 years. Through the years the students have grown up with me. I'm at that wonderful stage where I've seen my babies grow up,? she said.

And grown up they have.

?One scholar of mine, PJ Rebullida, came as an actor but he soon gave up acting for dance. He's now a company member of Ballet Philippines. Mary Saludares is now at the Washington Ballet School. She started with me when she was just 6,? Sofia said.

Her scholars stay in touch with her long after they've left Steps. ?I get e-mails from a lot of my scholars. I got a wonderful e-mail from a boy who auditioned for Hong Kong Disneyland. He left and we lost touch for a bit. Then I got an e-mail from him saying that from Hong Kong he auditioned for a musical in London. He's in London now and he has his own manager. His musical will go on tour. He said he wanted to thank me and Steps.?

Sofia continued: ?That's what we do. We help them find the right dance company for them, and this is very important. We can give them as much support and guidance as we can to boost their dance careers. And if they want, we help them go abroad. It's nice for Filipinos to shine abroad, too.?

Sofia is happy that Steps has the chance to participate in the Bravo Filipino festival.

?I was very excited and very happy because, like my father said, I really believe in the Filipino artist. I believe that what got McCoy to the finals was his soul. It's not just technique. I think that many Filipino artists have that soul and this is a good chance to show that off. Singing, dancing, fashion, photography, we are rich in talent. Being Filipino makes me very proud.?

The scholarship program opens every first quarter of the year. Visit www.stepsdancestudio.ph or e-mail scholars@stepsdancestudio.ph.

E-mail the author at ppastor@inquirer.com.ph.