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Saturday, August 1, 2009

Reaction Paper in WANDERS

Wanders is a spectacular musical extravaganza that combines the elements of theater, concert, circus and dance in one exciting show. It is a sentimental journey of two “wanderers” who are brought into different magnificent acts by a tourist guide. The show boasts of a stellar line-up of Filipino artists performing side by side with premier Chinese acrobats and classically-trained Russian dancers. Wanders is a visual and auditory treat that features soulful renditions of timeless classics, gravity-defying acrobatics and visually stunning dance numbers.

Wanders is presented by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR). This is PAGCOR’s initial venture into world-class family-oriented entertainment to promote tourism in the country. Wanders was conceptualized and produced by Filipinos with a vision. We no longer relied on foreigners for their ideas and expertise but collaborated with creative minds in the region to develop a show that is truly world-class. Wanders is not like other shows where we only ‘rent’ from foreign production companies. With this show, we relied solely on our own imagination and creativity.

Wanders is a step towards bigger projects in the future like the proposed Entertainment City Manila amusement and leisure complex and the corporation’s shift from gaming to entertainment. There vision is to become a provider of total entertainment not just casino gaming. That is there stepping stone toward achieving our goal of becoming a true global corporation.

This one-of-a-kind show is directed by Bong Quintana who spent months with an excellent creative and production staff to perfect the musical production. It is the biggest of all the productions he have directed in terms of scope, requirements, and preparation. Time, money and expertise have been pulled together to come up with a unique entertainment experience. Wanders promises the audience a magical evening of fabulous costumes, spectacular production numbers and mesmerizing acts,


The story unfolds with tourists Pol and Pola (Johan dela Fuente and Jenny Villegas) who meet a tourist guide (Calvin Millado) after losing their camera. The tourist guide welcomes them to various amazing acts performed by Filipino artists like Nonie Buencamino, Frenchie Dy, Kim Flores, Dreamie Magracia, Ronald Nacion, top local dance groups Hotlegs, Manoeuvres, and Whiplash and astonishing Chinese acrobats and Russian dancers.

The Chinese acrobats were chosen from the various acrobatic troupes in the Henan province of China. Henan is considered the breeding ground of the world’s top acrobatic performers. Acrobatics (Hundred Plays) have been part of the Chinese culture since the Western Han Dynasty over 2,500 years ago.




Acrobats are respected in China because it takes years of rigorous training to achieve the excellence required by the ancient art form. Children who want to become acrobats start their training when they are four or five years old. The art form has gained a new life since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. Troupes were established in the provinces, autonomous regions and special municipals. Some troupes are famous worldwide and they promote friendship and cultural exchanges.

In Wanders, the Chinese troupe will dazzle the audience with its spectacular skills and new stunts that have never been seen outside China. This is a remarkable feat by PAGCOR since China is supposed to reserve its best performers for the upcoming 2008 Beijing Olympics. They will perform stunts like the silk ballet Flight of Love, the Spinning Diablo or Chinese yoyo act and the Swinging Poles act. The Chinese troupe also brings three contortionist girls aged 9 to 13 who are crowd favorites.

Jazz and ballet dancers from Moscow and Belarussia add a pompous Las Vegas feel with their graceful moves and eye-catching costumes created by our top local designers. They dazzle the audience as they perform to the beat of a live band.

Russia has a recognized tradition of ballet. Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky composed the famous works of ballet like Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty. During the early 20th century, Russian ballet dancers Anna Pavlova and Vaslav Nijinsky rose to fame. The ballet company Ballets Russes’ travels abroad greatly influenced the development of dance worldwide. The Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow and the Mariinsky Ballet (Kirov) in St. Petersburg still remain two of the world’s best.



REACTION

WANDERS. the spectacular show case of talents- acrobats, singing, dancing, acting all laid in one show. Performers from Russia, China and the Philippines. It’s like viva Las Vegas! in the Philippines.
It's a two hour show of music and acrobatic. It was my first time to watched this kind of show and I must say that I'm very amazed with the stunts, skills, singing of all the performers.

The stunts rendered by the Chinese girls was awesome, bending their bodies like they have no bones. They are so flexible. I wish that I can bend like that.

I also like the part where the male performers doing acrobats while crossing inside the rings and across the ropes. That part made my heart stopped for awhile, because they might fall blank on the floor, or they might not do the stunts accordingly.
The kids enjoyed the part by the maneuvers, wherein they used bamboo sticks to hit huge trash cans to create music.
I find the scene of two Chinese lovers doing acrobatic stunts while "la vie en rose" song playing on the background, magical. Just floating around with those ropes, doing a dramatic "love scenes".
wow! pretty amazing and magical, something I would like to see again.

I really enjoyed the entire show, but a bit sad because I wasn't able to take some pictures, simply because cameras, cell phones are not allowed using inside the casino. They were so strict about it, that they even put stickers on your cell phones and cameras.

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