WifiBody PH, a choreography competition for contemporary dance, returns to the Cultural Center of the Philippines. This year’s edition features 12 new works by emerging choreographers from Baguio, Bicol, Butuan, Iloilo, Romblon, Samar, and Metro Manila.
The competition’s theme “emergence” offers insightful and fresh perspectives on gender, media, and relationships with the self, the others, and objects.
The competition will happen at the CCP Tanghalang Huseng Batute on 15 October, 2 p.m. for Set A and 4:30 p.m. for Set B.
An Artists Talkback will follow the Set B show, after which the winners will be announced.
“WifiBody PH, more than a competition, is a coming together in a common space to build, to create, and to launch new speakers of truth,” said Christime Crame, new WifiBody PH festival director.
“Choreography is about innovating the body, and progress is its main ingredient.”
Crame was a 2008 finalist in the competition and serves as the creative head of many companies: artistic director for Benilde Experimental Dance, Artistic director/performer for Seven Contemporary Dance Company, and co-director of Ground 1 Arts Retreat Space.
WifiBody PH is a biannual competition exclusively for solos-duets, a form that pushes choreographers to bare their artistic vision as it emphasizes intimacy and conciseness.
The festival continues to dedicate itself to discovering new choreographic talent and providing a platform for emerging choreographers.
Last held online in 2020, WifiBody PH is the first tier of the CCP Choreographers’ Series, a project curated by Myra Beltran and Denisa Reyes. This choreographer’s competition was established by Beltran in 2006 initially under the larger WifiBody Festival, which was the first contemporary dance festival of its kind in the country.