FILIPINO ARTIST Cecile Guidote-Alvarez, founder of the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA), has time and again espoused dance as an art form that expresses the unique identity of the nation.
In her latest commitment to the progress and development of the arts, Guidote-Alvarez chose to rally behind dance as a platform to enhance the terpsichorean talents of the underprivileged and the marginalized by way of a workshop that would further inspire them to contribute to national consciousness of a transformative dance in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
At the recently held free dance workshop at the Metropolitan Theater organized by the Earthsavers Dreams Ensemble which she heads, Cecile partnered with the International Theater Institute (ITI) Philippine Center and the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) to enhance the artistic prowess of economically challenged and differently-abled students.
The “Dance for All Marathon” opened with the presence of the worldwide president Jessica Kaahwa, the first African woman to lead the ITI, the global performing arts organization created by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris in 1948.
This year, the UN has dedicated volunteerism for SDGs as the Philippines hosts the International Dance Dayon April 29, 2026 with President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. holding the chairmanship of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
“Art as a defense against social erosion is a formidable fortress in human development,” said Guidote-Alvarez in one of our exclusive conversations.
Indeed, Cecile, a UNESCO artist for peace and Ramon Magsaysay Outstanding Asian Laureate, emphasized that arts education is a necessity in an era of global instability.
“Effective arts education for all is an urgent defense against the fraying social fabric of our time,” Guidote-Alvarez stated. “As we celebrate the universal language of movement, we are reminded that the arts—synergized with communication technology—are the most potent tools we possess to bridge the widening chasms of distrust in our world.”
She further noted the legacy of her late husband, Senator Heherson T. Alvarez, in pioneering Earth Day Month in the Philippines, remarked that the “soft power” of the arts serves as a “Balm in Gilead” amidst global armed conflicts, climate catastrophes and health pandemics.
The workshop catered to fourteen vulnerable groups identified by the NAPC, featuring an intensive curriculum of artistic exchange and cross-cultural dialogue.
The program highlighted the participation of Aetas supported by Congresswoman Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, indigenous elders assisted by Congresswoman Mila Aquino Magsaysay, Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), poor families from all over the country and other deprived members of various communities in the country.
Among the other performers were the creation of digital integration called “SDG TikTok” which blended traditional movement with modern digital storytelling, musical collaborations of an ASEAN song by Ferdie Dimadura with Edru Abraham and the Kontra-Gapi with the Earthsavers DREAMS Ensemble blind singers, cultural showcases from the Halili-Cruz School of Ballet, Layág Dance Co., Tanghalang Bagong Sibol and a collaborative poetry-to-dance performance by St. Paul University and Gigi Velarde-David with Swiss poet Tobias Biancone together with the Mongolia Dance Chair Betgerel Chuluunbat and a social impact documentation of audio-visual presentations of the ResiliArt prison workshop series and the Boystown intergenerational SDG workshops.
Also included was a session with mask dancer Agung Gunawan, theater taste from playwrights Le Quy Dong of Vietnam and Mark Leary of Australia.
Other delegates to the workshop-forum were Lemi Ponifacio and Myriam Mansouri from the ITI Secretariat, Viktor Šebek, founding Chairman of South-South Cooperation Council/Co-President of Colombian Centre of the International Theatre Institute, UNESCO Paris, Roderick Cruz from the US and Kalyani Rao from India.
Through this gathering, the Earthsavers DREAMS National ITI which is currently headed by Estonia Consul General Fernando Peña as Chairman and former Senator Joey Lina as President—reaffirms its conviction that culture is not a luxury, but a vital pillar of sustainable development and human resilience.
According to Cecile, the inspiring words of National Artist for Literature Alejandro Roces that “dance is the oldest form of prayer” took her to realize this event.
The highlights of the workshop was an awarding ceremony to outstanding personalities in the promotion of arts, namely Lt. Col. Gen. Aristotle Gonzalez PAF Commander, Northern Luzon Command (NOLCOM) and Col. Dominador Acoba, Jr. MC (GSC), Commanding Officer, Camp Aquino Station Hospital (CASH).