Our Creative Director

ELLEN MARIE C. TAN
CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Born in Cebu, Marie commenced her training as a classical ballet dancer at the age of four and later moved to Manila as a student of the School of the Holy Spirit Q.C. Ballet under Mrs. Liza O. Mata. Herein, she received extensive Royal Academy of Dancing (RAD) instruction, took the RAD syllabus examinations and joined RAD as well as Association of Ballet Academies Philippines (ABAP) interschool performances. The Holy Spirit Ballet soon after developed into the Center for Movement and Music (CMM). To further her dance training, she also studied jazz under Bubbles Encarnacion. Other teachers that helped hone her dancing skills were Sol Fernandez, Maricar Medina, and Liza Fernandez. During her 10 years with Holy Spirit Ballet/ CMM, Marie’s dance repertoire included the Nutcracker and Giselle. She has also performed soloist roles in The Sleeping Beauty (as the Lilac Fairy), Le Sylphides (Valse), and Paquita.

When she entered college, she became a member of the Company of Ateneo Dancers (CADs) where she was given the opportunity to join dance competitions such as Dancelebration and Jig. Among many other mentors that helped her become a better performer and win competitions were Julie Alagde and Sylvia Macalincag. She was eventually appointed and served as jazz coordinator for 2 years responsible for regularly leading workouts, and choreographing and teaching dances.

Throughout the summer of 2004, she involved herself as a scholar of the STEPS Dance Studio where dance training in various genres including ballet, jazz, and modern dance was made available to her. In this period of her dance career, she considers Raul Sauz as her most influential mentor. He encouraged her to pursue her studies in classical ballet and to take the RAD Syllabus major examinations.

In 2005, she completed a Bachelor of the Arts degree, majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies at the Ateneo de Manila University where she directed and produced a dance presentation on Philippine culture for her graduate thesis. During the same year, she also received the Loyola Schools Awards for the Arts in Dance from the same institution. She is now an alumna of CADs and still performs in the organization’s major concerts and performances.

In 2007 until April 2010, she was a member of the House of Dance Company as well as the House of Dance Faculty. As a part of the faculty, she was given the chance to teach ballet and jazz. She trained in the Australian Conservatoire Syllabus (ACB) under Ms. Vella Damian and Ms. Nina Anonas de Santos. As part of the dance company, she was given a major break wherein she performed twice internationally: (1) In the 2008 Nagoya (Japan) International Jazz Dance Showcase, as the sole Philippine representative, with renowned dance companies from Russia, Japan and Taiwan; and (2) In the 2009 Jazz Dance World Congress in Chicago, as a finalist and the only representative competitor from the Philippines and Asia. The dance team attended classes conducted by Nan Giordano, Ray Leeper, Joe Tremaine, Masashi Mishiro and many more distinguished list of mentors. She has also performed in different events in the metropolis and for different outreach activities.

She regularly takes dance classes and workshops. She has been mentored by dance experts namely Mr. Marion Ignacio for ballet and Mrs. Anamarie Aragon-Quirino for tap, among others. And to be a more versatile dancer – to be adept in street dance/ hip hop and other dance genres, she also joined Stylettos. She participated in the Hong Kong Ballet Study Tour from October 26-30, 2009 where she attended ballet, jazz and Chinese dance classes at the HK Academy of the Performing Arts, the Jean Wong School of Classical Ballet and the City Contemporary Dance Company. She has also, just recently (May 24-29, 2010), participated in the Singapore Dance Study Tour where she attended advanced jazz dance and hip hop classes at Studio Wu.

As the Creative Director of Spotlight Dance Co., Marie believes that her dancing endeavor is more than just a hobby. It is a way of life. Spotlight Dance Co. enables her to dance and teach students in order to share her passion for dance and to ultimately give back the glory to God.