Dr Caren Carino

Cariño’s professional career began with Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company (USA). As a dancer and teacher with RWDC, she toured extensively across America. She danced with many notable choreographers including Alberto Del Saz, Alwin Nikolais, Bill Evans, Kei Takei, Murray Louis, Tandy Beal, among others.

Prior to joining Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in 2005, Cariño was Head and Lecturer for the Department of Dance at Lasalle College of the Arts (Singapore,1999 – 2004). Her key contributions at Lasalle include authoring the BA (Hons) Dance degree validated by Open University; founder and Artistic Director for Annual Contemporary Dance Festival and Lasalle Repertory Dance Company; as well as Artistic Director for Menage a Trois, the first major Faculty of Performing Arts collaboration

She served as President for World Dance Alliance Singapore (intermittently 1998 – 2009). During her tenure with WDAS, several events were initiated, including Dance Singapore Dance, Made in Singapore, and The Unsung Heroes. She was Chairperson for the first international WDAS conference Asia-Pacific Dance Bridge (2001) and again for Asia-Pacific Dance Bridge: Connectivity through Dance (2015).

At NAFA, she was Chairperson for New Asian Imaginations: (Re)searching the Arts in Southeast Asia (2011), and co-organised with the Ministry of Education Teaching Workshop: Distilling Research in the Arts (2014).  She initiated and continues to serve as Artistic Director for Crossings and The Third Space, annual Dance Programme productions, since 2007

Cariño’s work focuses on the intersections between education, performance, creation and cultural studies. Since 2001 she has presented at conferences in America, Asia and Australia. Her research has been published in Artistic Thinking in the Schools: Towards Innovative Arts /in/Education Research for Future Ready Learners (Springer, 2019); The Palgrave Handbook of Global Arts Education (Palgrave Macmillan, 2017); Evolving Synergies: Celebrating Dance in Singapore (Routledge, 2017); and Arts Hats in Renaissance City: Reflections & Aspirations of Four Generations of Art Personalities (World Scientific, 2015).

Dr Filomar Cortezano Tariao

Dr Fil, as he is fondly called by his students, was recently seen essaying the role of Shakespeare in the Asa Palomera's The Curious Lives of Shakespeare and Cervantes. His professional career in Dance and the Performing Arts spans 18 years globally. In 2013, his choreography Lakbay Rama won 1st place accolades in Dance Theatre, Folk Dance and Audience's Vote at the Prague International Dance Festival. His local choreographic credits include: Jungle Book, Romeo & Juliet, Midsummer Night's Dream, Esplanade Dance Festival 2012, 12th Night, Pinocchio, Jack & The Beanstalk, La Traviata, Annie, Santa Claus The Musical,  HONK!, and Just So, Alice in Wonderland. He has choreographed for Singapore Repertory Theatre, Singapore Lyric Opera, Marina Bay Sands, Chingay (2006 - 2008), Youth Olympic Games (Singapore), ACSian Theatre, InDancity, and the SAF Music & Drama Company.

His commissioned ballet, A Message of Peace, performed in front of His Excellency President S.R. Nathan for the New York State Bar Association Gala, was met with standing ovations. Dancing for the Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Company Chicago, Fil has performed for Chicago Dance Masters Association, Dance Chicago, The International Jazz Congress, at the Merle Reskin, Athenaeum & Daley Center. Fil has worked with international choreographers such as Randy Duncan, Jon Lehrer, Davis Robertson (Joffrey Ballet), Eddy Ocampo, Natalie Weir and Csaba Buday.

In Manila, Fil joined Ballet Philippines in Darna and taught the company in De La Salle University thereafter. As an actor, he captained Repertory Philippines’s production of Fame as Tyrone Jackson, and choreographed Forbidden Broadway. He is a full-scholar alumnus of the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts (Le Sacre Du Printemps, Interior).

As a dancer and singer, Fil has toured internationally, performing with Powerdance Company and Filipiniana Folk Dance Company. A versatile performer, his dance/theatre credits include Everything But The Brain (Life Awardee for best playwright), Admiral’s Odyssey, Romanza Española, Mercury Rising, Moment, Carmina Burana, Beauty World, Snow White,  Much Ado About Nothing, Imelda's Boys, Theatre Idols, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, Victor Victoria, Vision, Salome.

Fil is a fully certified Stott Pilates Instructor with a focus on injuries and special populations. He has developed a Pilates for Dancers programme, which he launched in 2012.