In the summer of the year 2000, Maritoni started Danspace at the basement of her parent’s home. Her thrust was to provide personal training to young dancers, sharing with them her wealth of experience of more than ten years of professional dancing with companies both here and abroad. Encouraged that she was able to get 30 students right away, she continued on thru out the school year. Since then, Danspace has had four grand recitals at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati, one at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Little Theater, and three Summer Dance Workshop Culminating shows at the Main Ballroom of the Manila Polo Club. They have also participated in the Abap Danseries concerts and the Abap Swan Lake Project, Fashion Show.

Danspace is currently at the Dojo Gym, Manila Polo Club McKinley Road, Forbes Park, Makati and trains children from 4 years old and above. The school uses the Australian Conservatoire of Ballet Syllabus, a training based on the Russian, Vaganova method of classical ballet founded by former ballerina with the Australian Ballet, Christine Walsh, M.A. Maritoni combines this method with open classes inspired by her training and exposure to the Russian, American and English styles. It has a 9 month School Year period from July to March and a 2 month long intensive Summer Dance Workshop from April to May. The school works closely with the Sayaw Foundation and extends scholarships to gifted and deserving students. In 2008, thru their joint effort, one of their scholars became a finalist to the National Music Competition for Young Artists (NAMCYA). She was chosen among 90 regional students and is now a company member of the Philippine Ballet Theatre.

Maritoni Rufino-Tordesillas
Director, Principal Teacher

As a Principal dancer for the Philippine Ballet Theater, Maritoni was hailed by critics as a “versatile, wide range actress,” having “turns securely centered,” and “one of the finest dancers this country has ever produced.” She has performed most of the classical and neo-classical ballets in the company’s repertoire. Her most notable roles where: Cio Cio San in Madame Butterfly and Juliet in Romeo and Juliet choreographed by the late Thomas Pazik, Cinderella and Raymonda by Jean Paul Comelin, Gregoria de Jesus in Andres KKK by Gener Caringal, Carmen by Eric V. Cruz, Kitri in Don Quixote, Odette/Odile in Swan Lake and Giselle. She like wise worked with the country’s top choreographers often times originating the roles that have remained in PBT’s repertoire to this day. She danced as Dysebel in Gener Caringal’s Filipino Komiks and in his Prism and Vinta, in Tony Fabella’s Beautiful Girls, Buklog, The Company, Mantones de Manila, Kundiman and Hanggang Sa Dulo Ng Walang Hanggan, she was Josephine Bracken in Steve Villaruz’s La Lampara, and the Japanese in Edna Vida’s Thatness Thereness. She was coached by Gelsey Kirkland and Cynthia Gregory, two American Prima Ballerinas for the roles of Kitri and Odette/Odile respectively and has been partnered by International guest artists Wes Chapman, Parrish Meynard, Timothy Melady, Charles Askegaard. With the PBT, she has performed in the US, Mexico, Japan, and Singapore. In 1995, she was a member of the Basel Ballet of Switzerland under Youri Vamos and in 1989 she danced with the Eglevsky Ballet of New York under the direction of Michael Vernon.

Maritoni’s dance training started when she was eight years old with Sony Lopez Gonzales and then later on with Tony Fabella and Eddie Elejar. In 1986 she trained in New York under a merit scholarship at the Neubert Ballet Institute in Carnegie Hall. She studied under Steffan Hoff, a contemporary of Mikhail Baryshnikov at the American Ballet Theater, Elena Kunikova of the Leningrad Mali Theatre, Nina Popova of the Ballet Ruses and Jenny Chiang. She took the Royal Academy of Dancing examinations in 1993 and received Honors in Elementary and Highly Commended in the Intermediate Majors examination with Sonia Domingo as coach. In 1995, she started teaching for the Philippine Ballet Theater Conservatoire and became its School Principal from 1998-2000. In 2000 she founded Danspace and remains to be the schools principal teacher and choreographer training 60 students year round from age 4 years old and above.

Maritoni’s theater credits include: Cordelia’s spirit in Anton Juan’s King Lear, Cinderella in Cinderella, Mimi and the Silver Rose in Beauty and the Beast for Repertory Philippines Children’s Theater, Louise in Carousel, the Ghost of Christmas Past, Isabel, Mrs. Cratchit and the ballerina in Rep’s A Christmas Carol.

Maritoni taught Music and Movement at the Philippine Opera Company for 3 summers. She also choreographs musical numbers for corporate shows and various projects.

Maritoni is an attendee to the National Ballet Syllabus year’s I-IV and was PRO of the Association of Ballet Academies, Philippines for the year 2004. She is currently its Secretary.

Almost at the same time she started Danspace, Maritoni discovered Asthanga Yoga. In 2006 she graduated from the Centered Yoga Institute in Koh Samui, Thailand under Paul Dallaghan and became a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) with the Yoga Alliance. She is also one of the founders of Yoga Manila, the leading yoga school in the Philippines. They have branches in Alabang, Makati and Ortigas. She is also a YogaEd teacher, teaching yoga to kids K-8.

Maritoni promotes a healthy lifestyle and encourages her students to go beyond their capabilities. Her teaching style is nurturing and revolves around a good foundation. She is committed to their growth and well being and aims to produce students that are well trained, hard working and disciplined yet allowing their unique personalities to shine thru.

Erika Garcia
Assistant Teacher

Erika started her dance training when she was 8 years old with the Philippine Ballet Theatre Conservatoire (PBTC) in Assumption College, San Lorenzo, Makati. When the school closed after 4 years, she moved to the Steps Dance Studio but eventually stopped ballet. A year later, she discovered that Martoni Rufino-Tordesillas whom she had trained with at the PBTC had started her own school, Danspace. She found herself back in her ballet shoes, dancing once again. She has been under the guidance of Ms. Maritoni since the year 2000, and she finds that each year she falls in love with the art all over again. From assistant teacher, Erika now handles the Primary class and takes over every time Ms. Maritoni has to be away. She is a graduate of AB Psychology from the Ateneo de Manila University and dreams of becoming a developmental paediatrician or a clinical psychologist specializing in children one day. She really loves kids and teaching the young students at Danspace is one thing that she truly enjoys doing.