Travel
New York based choreographer dancer pays it forward at Guam Conservatory of Arts
Guam Conservatory of Arts
March 27, 2024
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(BARRIGADA, GUAM) – New York-based dancer choreographer Caili Quan is visiting Guam ,her birthplace and the island she calls home. In addition to spending time with friends and family, Caili is teaching and coaching ballet students at Guam Conservatory of Arts during her short stay. She contacted the Conservatory’s director, Eugene Bob Bordallo, and he enthusiastically accepted her offer. “It is vital that our young aspiring dancers work with professional artists,” Bordallo said. “Caili is even more unique because she grew up on Guam and made it to a professional level in the states,” he continued.
Caili Quan danced with BalletX from 2013 to 2020. She created works for BalletX, The Juilliar dSchool, Vail Dance Festival, American Repertory Ballet, Flight Path Dance Project, Stars of American Ballet, Asbury Park Dance Festival, Oakland Ballet, Columbia Ballet Collaborative, and Ballet Academy East. She served as an Artistic Partnership Initiative Fellow and a Toulmin Creator at The Center for Ballet and the Arts at New York University.
Caili credits her inspiration for dance to her upbringing on Guam, in particularly where at family fiestas relatives would pick up instruments and begin playing and then singing and dancing would follow. Growing up in such an atmosphere inspired her to express herself and develop her artistry. She says Guam is one of the main reasons she choreographs, choosing to share the stories of her island and the culture in which she was raised. Caili is married and has a young daughter. They live in Brooklyn, New York. Follow Caili on Instagram @caili.quan
Guam Conservatory of Arts provides comprehensive performing arts training to Guam’s divers ecommunities. Artistic director, Eugene Bob Bordallo, moved back to Guam, after dancing professionally with the San Francisco Opera Ballet, Peninsula Ballet Theatre and San Francisco Dance Theater. He also taught various forms of dance throughout California and New York.
For more information, contact President & Artistic Director Eugene Bob Bordallo at (671) 929-7799. Or visit: www.GuamConservatory.Org .
About the Guam Conservatory of Arts
Guam Conservatory of Arts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to providing gcomprehensive performing arts training to the communities of Guam. Through needs-based scholarships, it aims to make professional-level training accessible to all who are dedicated to learning a classical art despite a student’s inability to afford tuition. Founded in 2020 by Eugene Bob Bordallo, a former professional dancer with San Francisco Opera Ballet Company, Bordallo has brought together likeminded individuals to the Board of Directors to lead the effort underway, giving aspiring artists a fighting chance to pursue their dreams. The Conservatory has an array of classes in ballet, tap dancing, violin, viola, cello, piano, French horn, trumpet, clarinet and saxophone. The Conservatory is located in the old Hafa Books space at 556 Route 8 in Barrigada. For those interested in the programs, detailed information can be found on the website at www.GuamConservatory.Org .