The accolades that the Philippine Ballet Theater reaped in its recent American tour were not exactly unexpected.  PBT, after all, has always kept true to its claim as the country's exponent of classical and contemporary ballet. But then, if one comes to think of the company's pandemic hiatus, the accolades earned were significant and, yes, mind boggling.

Kudos to two PBT stalwarts, Marilou Kahn Magsaysay and Marichu Hizon Nepomuceno, president and vice president respectively, who accompanied the talented bunch in the other equally jampacked performance venues in New York, Los Angeles, Washington, Virginia Beach, Portland Oregon, Fort Lauderdale, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, and Orange County.

Marilou could not have been prouder as she related to me how "the group had risen from the travails of the pandemic to reaping their just rewards for keeping their faith as they continuously practiced in the privacy of their homes. But then, I was not surprised because they had vowed to surpass their 2019 American tour."

For her part, Marichu said, "PBT collaborated with renowned singer and composer Jose Mari Chan in presenting ballet and ballads on stage. We also featured popular teleserye songs that tug at every Filipino's sentimental heart."

PBT, I am told, could not have scored high in critical acclaim and audience impact if not for the all-out support of the Hiraya Foundation for Filipino American Heritage Preservation, the Philippine Consulate, Sentro Rizal, SMC Foundation Inc., Philippine Airlines, Sayaw Foundation and Carmen's Best as well as two charming and beautiful ladies, art patrons Nena Ortoll and Menchu Concepcion.