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| Candice Adea in Raymonda by Ballet Philippines |
Candice Adea is a household name in ballet. After having surpassed the achievement of many dancers before her with a lustrous career peppered with awards, recognition and international experience, she now belongs to the ballet elite in the Philippines. After a short hiatus from the international scene, she accepted a First soloist contract from West Australian Ballet back in June 2018. She is currently ranked third in the female dancers as the only First soloist in the company. She is the first Filipina to ever join this sixty six year old multi-nationality state ballet company. She jumped into the Company's season mid way through preparations for Dracula and immediately she was made to understudy the lead role for future restagings of the production. Nutcracker is her first taste of being part of the creative process of West Australian Ballet. All things seem to be looking good as she was casted in so many roles. Adea bravely took on multiple roles including the titular role of Clara and Sugar Plum Fairy , Snow Queen and Chinese Ballerina in the Land of the Sweets. This casting decision signals a positive start with the Company. Filipinos who were able to witness her performance as Sugar Plum have described her as a dancer "at her peak" showing a special kind of sparkle in her eyes dancing with her new family. Her comeback in the international scene seems solid and her outlook about the future is refreshingly positive. She is heavily missed by her following in Manila but her success in Australia is surely inspiring a lot of ballerina dreamers witnessing her story unfold. May people recognize her giant leap and see her glorious second wind bring her forward.
Here's a closer look at her Nutcracker experience. All photos courtesy of Candice Adea.
Her West Australian Ballet reads Click Link West Australian Ballet Dancer Candice Adea
Candice Adea was the first Filipina to win at the Helsinki International Ballet Competition taking 1st Place, Senior Women’s Division in 2012 and won a Silver Medal at the USA International Ballet Competition in the Senior Women’s Division in 2010.
Adding more achievements to her name, she was awarded by Gawad Buhay as Outstanding Female Lead Performer twice for her work in Amada (2009) and September Gala (2010), as well as two special awards at the Boston International Ballet Competition in 2011—the Maris Liepa Award for Outstanding Artistry and Lead Role in a Russian Ballet performance.
Candice was trained in the Philippines at the CCP Dance School, the Philippine High School for the Arts, and earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree Major in Dance, from De La Salle—College of Saint Benilde.
Candice has previously been Principal Dancer and Resident Guest Artist for Ballet Philippines, Soloist for Hong Kong Ballet and joined West Australian Ballet in July 2018.
