Verna Fajilan-Brazil

Photo: Marvin Brazil.

Verna Fajilan-Brazil started dancing at the age of 3 in the Philippines under Evelyn Crispillo and Bernadette Llabres. She then got scholarships to train with the Cultural Center of the Philippines Dance School (CCPDS). In 1997, she was accepted as an Apprentice of Ballet Philippines, the country’s premiere dance company for ballet and contemporary dance. After being awarded the Most Outstanding Apprentice, she was then promoted as a company member in 1999. She then became a Soloist, dancing lead roles in the company’s productions and tours both locally and internationally.

Apart from dancing, Fajilan-Brazil has also been a faculty of the CCPDS, Ballet Philippines’ official dance school. In 2001, she was appointed as the School Principal. Here, she has trained many students and professional dancers alike, choreographed, and restaged productions both for the CCPDS and Ballet Philippines. As a well sought teacher, she has taught and given workshops in schools around the Philippines.

Fajilan-Brazil moved to Hong Kong in 2005 to be part of the Opening Cast of Disney’s Festival of the Lion King. In 2008, she taught for the Jean M. Wong School of Ballet in Hong Kong. She choreographed and directed the main shows for the school. She was also in the coordinating team for the Hong Kong International Summer Dance School. In 2013, she founded the Edge ‘n Pointe Dance Centre. She has led Edge ‘n Pointe in performances across Hong Kong, the Philippines, and Scotland, UK. She is also a choreographer for the Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation.

Fajilan-Brazil is an American Ballet Theatre® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 7 and Partnering of     the ABT National Training Curriculum. In 2018, she was awarded the ABT NTC Fellowship. She is also a Certified Teacher of the Progressing Ballet Technique. Furthermore, she has completed short teacher training courses with the Royal Ballet School.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the Ateneo de Manila University, where she finished her studies as a College Scholar.

Fajilan-Brazil is happy that she continually teaches the art of dance to younger generations and is very proud to see students who have gone on to dance professionally in ballet and dance companies across Asia, Europe, North America, and Australia. She is equally proud of those who have decided to pursue teaching and choreography, as well as those who have found a career outside dance but still apply the discipline learned in ballet.