Director, The International School for Performance in Live and Film Entertainment (ISPLFE) Suite 2303, 23rd Floor Bb Building, 54 Sukhumvit 21 (Aoske) Road, Bangkok 10110 (Tel 022041330 or 0898727207)
Para Isidro was born in Manila, Philippines and started dancing at age of six months doing pirouettes from one end of the crib to the other. A week after her parents took her to see her first ballet dance concert at the age of 10 she enrolled at The New Manila Ballet Center. From that day on she hasn̢۪t stopped sharing the joys of dance through her performances, choreography and teaching.
In the Philippines, Para studied with Filipino, American and European dance masters including Norman Walker, Maniya Barredo, Vella Damain, William Morgan, Agnes Locsin, Douglas Nierras, Steve Villaruz, Tony Fabella, Eddie Elejar and many others. Ten years of ballet with leading dance schools in the Philippines such as Dance Concert Company, Dance Theater Philippines, Philippine Ballet Theatre, University of the Philippines, and Cultural Center of the Philippines shaped her early years in dance. At the age of 12 Para choreographed her first ballet pieces and embarked on her first tour performing these dances with her famous composer aunt.
Para fell in love with jazz dance at age 12 and soon afterwards started performing professionally in the movies and on the stage. At the age of 17, she became a founding member of the Philippines̢۪ premiere jazz and contemporary dance company, now called Douglas Nierras Powerdance. She performed and traveled with the Company for ten years before forming her own dance company, Lines Dance Company, whilst running and owning her first dance studio.
Studying in New York and Los Angeles has been an integral part of Para̢۪s career development at Steps Studio, Broadway Dance Center, Dupree Studio/L.A. Danceforce, Joe Tremaine Studio to name a few. Sharing the floor with some famous Hollywood and Broadway dancers and choreographers including Phil Black, Liz Imperio, Bill Prudich and others has moved her to constantly strive to excellence in all her work and help raise the standards of dance throughout the world.
In the Philippines for a long time now, Para has been one of the most sought after choreographers for television, commercials, concerts and special events. Her strong affinity with the stage musical has been put on display in her choreography for Chess, Rent, Funtasticks, and Once On This Island.
Para has shared dance consultancy positions and dance directorships for notable schools including Assumption College and La Salle University, during which she has conceptualized and written outstanding dance concerts for these institutions.
In 2000, she was awarded the position of dance captain for the Philippine production of Cameron Mackintosh̢۪s famous musical Miss Saigon. Her work on this was rewarded with Para being offered the same position during the musical̢۪s Asia Tour of Hong Kong and Singapore in 2001.
With the establishment of TRI-US Entertainment Limited in Hong Kong in 2002, Para branched into the international production arena as one of the founding Managing Partners. She continues to spearhead the direction of the company, particularly in live entertainment, sharing her talents and expanding dance in many live productions and other media formats. Para enjoys teaching committed dance students, producing workshops and seminars as well as rising to the challenges involved in conceptualizing and staging musicals, and developing unique and original creative works.
Through TRI-US Entertainment she is also working on bringing more dance stories into film. Para wrote and produced her first international musical entitled “Have I Told You Today That I Love You�, which premiered in the Philippines in 2003. One of Para’s greatest joys is teaching dance, especially to children. She has enjoyed teaching dance to youngsters enrolled at iHappyChild Learning formerly based at The Esplanade in Singapore. She is currently sharing her passion of dance as the Dance Director of the International School for Performance in Live and Film Entertainment.
In 2004, Para accepted an invitation as the winter term guest teacher/choreographer for the musical theater course at the Hong Kong Academy for the Performing Arts.
With the establishment of TRI-US Entertainment (Thailand) Limited in 2005, Para oversees the beginning of a new phase of live entertainment production in the Kingdom of Thailand and throughout regional Asia.
(Para now manages and operates her own dance and performing arts school called INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL FOR PERFORMANCE IN LIVE AND FILM ENTERTAINMENT with the “Commitment To Build Working Professionals. ISPLFE just opened last October 21st, 2006. The school is located in Suite 2303, 23rd Floor BB Building, 54 Sukhumvit Road, Bangkok 10110. Telephone no: +66 2204 1330 and Mobile: +66 8 9872 7207. Email: [email protected] or [email protected]. Please check out www.myspace.com/ISPLFEBangkok)