MANILA, Philippines - The transit of the seasons over the years presents a comfortable cycle and a meaningful basis for us to contemplate on the spirit, to make sense of its reality, and to live by its authenticity.

This is the theme of the collaboration between Douglas Nierras of Powerdance and photographer Jun de Leon. Through metaphors of the seasons, the dance images trace the company?s survival in a society callous to the arts.

De Leon?s photographs will serve as chapter breakers for the forthcoming book ?Douglas Nierras? Powerdance en l?Air,? which tells the story of the company since its inception in 1987.

Without any board of trustees, a foundation or a corporation to back it up in the past 21 years, it has become the foremost modern dance company in the country.

The images show the dancers in various levels starting from the ground, standing, traveling across space and in flight. Weightless in space or gracefully arched on the ground, the naked bodies (private parts were taped) emote and form interesting shapes.

?We needed to show progression and fulfillment. This is what it?s all about,? says Nierras. ?The nature-cycle treatment is an allusion to a company?s timetable which constantly repeats itself.?

Seeds of life

The company?s cycle begins with autumn, the season to pick the fruits of experience, to take stock of the difficult times and to scatter the seeds of new life.

The photograph metaphorically depicts the dancers as a carpet of fallen leaves on the ground, interspersed with hoops and foliage. Perched on a 12-foot scaffolding, De Leon shot the dancers to get a bird?s-eye perspective. Nierras says the imagery is symbolic of a company in its early stages trying to get off the ground.

Winter represents the time when illusions and comforts are stripped away, exposing realities.

?This is a trying period where conditions are tough for a company to survive,? says Nierras. The melting snowflake symbolizes the ephemeral quality of life, or how everything is just temporary, including obstacles and failures.

In this photo, Chester Lopez, one of the dance world?s rising young stars, balances on one leg and reaches out for eternity under a cascade of goose feathers, evocative of snow.

Spring is the season for awakening, the time when leaves and buds show the promise of natural beauty about to unfold. This imagery is interpreted by a swirl of green fabric with gold tufts, concealing the dancer and revealing only a leg.
?This is the season that has much to offer as long as we till and fertilize,? says Nierras.

The cycle ends on a buoyant note, summer, when life is at the peak of its fruitfulness. Covered in green leaves and daisies, the dancers interlock their bodies and grin as they remain suspended in space.

?It is the time for reaping the rewards and getting respect and recognition for what was sown earlier. The challenge is to maintain, nurture this status,? says Nierras. Hence, another cycle spins.

True to his craft

For De Leon, dance is one of his most challenging subjects although it is not terra incognita to him.

He has been shooting since the early ?80s with Anna Villadolid, who was then poised for ballet stardom in Germany. He has also photographed Lisa Macuja and Ballet Manila?s soloists, as well as dancers from Steps and Ballet Philippines.

Five years ago, he first partnered with Powerdance in a photo exhibit showing bare dancing bodies against the sun, sea and sands, and in graphic shapes, wearing colorful knits by Lulu Tan-Gan.

In an era when young Turks dominate the field with images filled with digital trickery, De Leon sticks to reality, his dance images unretouched. His gifts of timing, nailing the exact angles, lighting and balance in composition have been fine-tuned in his 30-year career.

?Jun comes well-prepared for a shoot. He gets excited when ideas are being churned out and gets down to the fine details. Although he says he?s doing this shoot for himself, he acknowledges the divo of dance and the Divine Creator who inspires,? remarks art director Antonio Salac Santos.

To Nierras, this pictorial is one of the highlights in the making of ?Powerdance en l?Air.? He is also collecting memories and anecdotes from former dancers and dance-class alumni about their peak experiences with Powerdance and what the company meant to them.

Important moments

In his own journey, Nierras cites two important moments in Powerdance. First, he became the only Filipino choreographer to win the grand prize for ?Metanoia,? an allegory of man?s life on earth, in an international dance competition in Japan in 1999.

?It was more about what it meant to the Philippines than to me. I hoped I did the country proud,? he says.
Although the competitors from other nations were technically stronger, the Filipinos compensated with their artistry and soul, melting the hearts of the audience.

?The dancers played a significant part in the growth of the company. There is a need to recognize Filipino talent and to appreciate their dedication to hard work,? says the choreographer.

Nierras is now on a second wind with the national tour of ?Panalangin,? a dance piece composed of vignettes on the life of Christ and the law of karma.

?As the only dance-as-prayer concert in the whole world, ?Panalangin? aims to reinvigorate the spirit and reorient the minds of the audience that dance is art as opposed to what they see in the networks.?

His business partner, Jonnel Cruz, a former seminarian and character actor, encouraged Nierras to use ?Panalangin? not only to spread the message of faith but also to build a wider audience base for dance.

On May 27, Nierras is staging ?Powerdance at 21: Licensed to Thrill? at the Araneta Coliseum.

?After two decades of the company?s existence, we are offering a free concert that will benefit many. It?s been laborious and crushing on my part to solicit help from businesses. They are reluctant because we have no ?commercial viability.? They don?t see the value of the arts. Unless, we get support, we will never reach that stage. It?s a chicken-and-egg situation. I hope that as we are on our knees, somebody would look our way and open the doors.?

Is anybody listening?