FACULTY - Naomi Jaena
Naomi started her ballet training at the age of 4 years old under Edgar Valdez. In 1985, she enrolled at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Dance School (CCPDS) and was granted a Ballet Philippines (BP) company scholarship from 1988-1991. Her versatility in both classical and modern ballet was highly influenced by Noordin Jumalon, Perry Sevidal, Gina Katigbak-Garcia, Cecile Sicangco, Agnes Locsin, Mr. William Morgan, Nonoy Froilan, Victor Ursabia, Monette Victoria, Josette Salang and other foreign guest teachers.
In December 1991 she was given her first solo role as Clara in the Nutcracker production of BP. A year later, she became a Society for Ballet Philippines scholar. At the age of 16 years old, she became a member of Ballet Phillippines 2. By 1994 she danced Black Swan as Odile with Neil Cambay in the December Evaluation program. By 1995 she danced the lead role of Cita with Sonny Locsin in Agnes Locsin's First Filipino Christmas Ballet of BP entitled Noche Buena. By 1996 she has essayed the lead role in the summer dance workshop of La Fille Mal Gardee as Lise with Sonny Locsin. She has also performed with the company in several productions including Swan Lake, Giselle, La Bayadere, Don Quixote, Romeo and Juliet, Paquita, Peter Pan, Cinderella, Copellia, Neo-Filipino, La Revolution, Encantada, and a lot more. In 1997, Naomi was promoted and joined the ranks of senior and professional dancers as a company member of Ballet Philippines and went on a centennial tour in Germany, Portugal, Canada, USA, and Japan. In 1999, she made her debut as Snow White in the BP production of Snow White and the 7 Dwarves choreographed by Effie Nanas. She was a regular faculty of CCPDS since 1994 teaching both classical ballet and modern ballet.
To go beyond experience, she explored and danced in the United States in 2000, where she was a member of Staten Island Ballet in New York City and was given a lead role as Clara in Nutcracker. In 2001, she danced the lead role for choreographer Lynn Parkerson in Baroque, and Helen Heineman in After Watteau pas de deux with Francis Jaena Jr. which was shown in the Manhattan, New York, USA.
After raising a family in the United States, Naomi returned to the country in 2007 and continued sharing her talent with the young ones. She was a faculty member of CCPDS with Ballet Philippines. During the summer of 2011, she performed Medora of Le Corsaire Pas De Deux with Alvin Santos and decided to pursue a second chapter of her dancing career and joined Ballet Manila as a company member. She trained under Osias Barroso, Lisa Macuja-Elizalde, and Natasha. She was part of Ballet Manila’s productions like Don Quixote, Swan Lake, Carmen, La Bayadere, Nutcracker, Ballet and Ballads, BM 2.0, Maligayang Christmas, Lab ko to, TWO, Star of the Philippine Ballet, and a lot more. She danced lead roles such as Le Corsaire as Odalisque, Handog with John De Dios choreographed by Michael Divinagracia. She also worked with choreographers under Martin Lawrence in Misfit and Maverick, Jonathan Watskin in Present and Process, Anabelle Ochoa in Bloom, and Francis Jaena Jr. in Shutter. She went on tour with the company in Macau and Bicol in 2013. At present, she is teaching in various ballet schools and is the director of the Naomi-Francis Jaena Ballet formerly known as LPU Ballet Academy.