Resident Teachers
Cristina Saso
Christina Saso is the current ballet master of the Rome Opera House. It was in this same company where she was once a principal dancer. She has also been a principal in the Theatre of San Carlo, and a corps member in Tulsa Ballet.
When she was younger, Saso trained in Balletto di Roma in Rome, Italy. In 1989, she competed in Nati per la Danza, a competition in Reggio Emilia. It was there where she won a scholarship to train at the Academie de Danse Classique Princesse Grace in Monte-Carlo, Monaco, under the direction of Marika Besobrasova. She has also competed in Isla di Capri, an international competition, where she placed third. Afterwards, she traveled to München to train at Heinz Bosl Stiftung, a ballet school in Germany.
Throughout her career, Saso has danced lead roles such as Lady Capulet in Romeo and Juliet and Queen Mother in Swan Lake. Her repertoire includes Napoli by August Bournonville; Midsummer Night's Dream by Christopher Wheeldon; La Bayadere by Natalia Makarova, Rafael Avnikjan, and Rudolf Nureyev; the River by Alvin Ailey, Diversion of Angel by Martha Graham, and much more. She has toured in countries and theatres like Teatro Verdi Trieste (La Chat); Teatro Petruzzlli Bari (Arlesienne/Carmen); Granada, Spain (Don Chisciotte/La Sylphide); Teatro Comunale Modena (Arlesienne, Carmen) and Bunka Kaikan Tokyo (La Traviata Coppola/Valentino).
Julio Laforteza
Julio Laforteza started his dance training at the tender age of 7 under the tutelage of Sofia Zobel Elizalde, James and Liesl Laforteza, PJ Rebullida, and many teachers in the Philippine dance world as well as teachers from around the world. In 2016, he moved to New York City under scholarship to study dance at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. There he broadened his artistic horizons, learning contemporary dance from renowned choreographers such as Seán Curran, Pamela Pietro, Rashaun Mitchell, Bill T. Jones and Arnie Zane, David Dorfman, Shannon Gillen, and many more. He continues to learn from everyday life experiences, as he believes it is these small and big moments that inform an artist's work. He also has a deep joy of sharing his knowledge in dance, as he believes it is one's responsibility to impart knowledge as much as it is to receive it.
PJ Rebullida
Patrick John (PJ) Rebullida has sixteen years experience as a Professional Artist in Theater and Dance in Manila and Germany. He has worked with 9 Works Theatrical, Globe Live, Ballet Philippines, Ballet Lüneburg (Germany), Daloy Dance Company, Philippine Ballet Theater, Stage Entertainment (Germany), Dulaang UP, Repertory Philippines, Konverjdans (New York) and Trumpets, Inc. He has received back-to-back awards from PhilStage Gawad Buhay and Broadway World for his choreography of ‘American Idiot’ for 2016 and ‘Newsies’ for 2017. As a dancer, he received nominations for his performances from Gawad Buhay and Aliw Awards.
PJ has been faculty for Ballet Philippines, Steps Dance Studio PH, Perry Sevidal Ballet, Trumpets Playshop, Temple Hill International School & Training Ground (Newsies), among others. He was Ballet Master for INTERDANS 2012, Belgium. He started an initiative called #GalawKomunidad that aims to make movement accessible to everyone from all ages and all walks of life.
This year, he launches GalawCo, a dance company.
Rhosam Prudenciado Jr.
Rhosam Prudenciado Jr.,Former Artistic Director of Airdance Philippines, is a recipient of “Ani ng Dangal” given by the Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and (NCCA) National Commission for Culture and the Arts for winning the Grand Prize in global stage contemporary dance competition held in Japan. As part of the prize, Sam went to Paris, France to study Contemporary Dance under menagerie de verre,micadanses and a dance residency at National De la Dance.
He is also awarded dance residencies by both local and international dance communities. From 2009-2015, his works were featured in dance festivals around Southeast Asia. He joined Dance Dance Asia under the Japan Foundation, and has toured with them from 2016-2018. His latest projects are a residency program under Youkobo Arts Space and the Tokas Research Residency which will take place in Tokyo, Japan this coming 2019-2020.
Recently he founded his own style called Linear Fluidity Movement and Likhaph Outreach program for Dance.
Jay Lopez
OT, MSc, CPT, CES, PES, CKTP, CKTI
Jay Lopez has had 20 years of experience as a professional Occupational Therapist and Strengthening Coach. Aside from being Studio Dance by Lina’s in-house conditioning coach, he is also the owner and founder of RX Strength Systems, and the official strengthening and conditioning coach of the Philippine National Bobsled Team. He graduated from the National Academy of Sports Medicine in Arizona, USA.
Lopez has numerous certifications surrounding conditioning, rehabilitation, and nutrition. He is a Certified Personal Trainer (CPT), Certified Clinical or Corrective Exercise Specialist (CES), a Certified Athletic Performance Enhancement Specialist (PES), and is also a specialist in Performance Nutrition. In line with this, Lopez also specializes in Kinesiotaping for rehabilitation. He is a Certified Kinesiotaping Practitioner (CKTP), a Certified Kinesiotaping Instructor (CKTI), and was also a resource speaker in Kinesio Tex Philippines.
With his various experiences in strength and rehabilitation, Lopez sees the gym as not only a training facility, but as a clinic. He believes that exercise and movement is medicine, and is the path to leading a healthy, fulfilling life. He fuses body weight exercises with dance and martial arts, as well as the sciences of Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Rehabilitation Medicine, and Strengthening and Conditioning, to attain the goal of helping the individual reach functional independence while being strong and resilient.
Mia Cabalfin
Mia Cabalfin is a Manila-based dance artist and choreographer, and an alumna of Airdance Philippines. She is the founder/director of Hiphop Hooray with Mia Cabalfin, a dance workshop for kids and teens, based in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Mia was selected in 2018 for NeoFilipino: Cultural Center of the Philippines Choreographers Series. She is a former artist-in-resident at Youkobo Art Space in Tokyo, Japan (2019), and is currently artist-in-resident at Tokyo Arts and Space (TOKAS) Residency. Mia is also training director and instructor for fitness studio Saddle Row, and core instructor at Physique 57 Manila.