In the summer of the 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. Now on its eight year, Danspace has had four grand recitals at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati and two Summer Dance Workshop Culminating shows at the Main Ballroom of the Manila Polo Club. They have also participated in the Abap Danseries XI & X and the Abap Swan Lake Project, Fashion Show.

Danspace has found a home at the Manila Polo Club McKinley Road, Forbes Park, Makati and trains children from 3 years old and above. The school is guided by the National Ballet Syllabus method however Maritoni’s open classes are inspired by her training and exposure to the Russian, American and English methods. It has a 9 month School Year period and a 2 month long intensive Summer Dance Workshop. The school works closely with the Sayaw Foundation and extends scholarships to gifted and deserving students from the foundation. Recently, 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 was recently promoted as a company member of the Philippine Ballet Theatre.

Maritoni Rufino-Tordesillas 

Director and Principal Teacher, Danspace

As a Principal dance 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 like: 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 theRoyal 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 3 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.Gaining experience in Musical Theater from her stints with Repertory Philippines, Maritoni has been teaching Music and Movement at the Philippine Opera Company for the past 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.

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 Dallghan 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.

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 encouraging their unique personalities to shine thru.