Mae Flores

Mae Flores was born in the relatively poor city of Quezon City in the Philippines. Her mother Nellie believed in providing her two daughters with a strong education and worked three jobs to give her children serious training in the arts. When she was just 3 years old, Mae's mother enrolled her at the Cultural Center of the Philippines where she studied ballet. Mae was also accepted to the prestigious Children Repertory Theatre in Makati, where she studied theatre, and was also admitted to various reputable dance academies in Manila, where she studied and fine-tuned her dance skills, including modern dance, jazz, tap, and lyrical, as well as music skills. When she was 11 years old, Mae Flores immigrated with her family to Chicago, where her mother and aunt continued to nurture Mae's promising training in the performing arts. Columbia College, one of the most progressive schools for modern dance in the Midwest, accepted Mae to its Chicago program where she majored in modern dance, choreography and performance. Mae quickly excelled in the program, performed in some advanced student dance shows and national competitions, and was a finalist in the National Association of Dance Masters, one of her greatest achievements in the dance field. During her dancing days, Mae's determination and drive became apparent once again when she self-taught Latin dancing studying from VHS tapes. Without any help or a partner to learn from, Mae practiced for countless hours on her own using a wall in her living room as a "virtual partner." After a few months of self-training, she bravely decided to audition for the Latin Street Dance Chicago dance company, one of the most prestigious and competitive professional Latin dance companies in the Midwest. Despite facing very stiff competition from several dancers with many years of proper Latin dance training and experience, Mae was accepted by the Latin Street Dance Chicago as one of only two professional Latin dancers for that year. Mae later moved to Los Angeles, where she concentrated on her acting career. Mae got her toes wet in Hollywood by acting in some small roles in independent films, as well as a few TV commercials. However, it wasn't long before her big career break arrived when Mae was selected as one of the lead actors in the science-fiction feature film "Atlantis Down." Director and Producer Max Bartoli, who was hosting auditions in Los Angeles and the East Coast for the feature film "Atlantis Down," was searching for some undiscovered female talent to pair with prominent actors Michael Rooker, Dean Haglund and Greg Travis. Mae's charisma and acting skills shone during her audition where she was asked to perform a very difficult and emotional scene in which her character experienced a life-threatening panic attack, while trapped in a small closet and desperately gasping for air. Despite her limited acting experience, Mae immediately caught the attention of director and producer Max Bartoli, who subsequently called off the remaining auditions for this female lead and immediately offered the role to Mae Flores. Since the East Coast premiere of Atlantis Down, the Filipino community, who had been starving for a young native who could so brilliantly and elegantly carry the hopes and dreams of a developing nation, embraced Mae Flores wholeheartedly. Mae Flores took with great honor and enthusiasm the responsibility of using her newly found public role to bring a message of hope to the younger generations of Filipinos who are told every day by their protective parents that it is unrealistic for Filipino immigrants to pursue their dreams. Without any hesitation, Mae agreed to tirelessly speak to many inspired young Filipinos at several community events all around the country. Filipinos young and old, who have met Mae Flores in these events, were deeply touched by her warm personality, her charisma and her inspirational conversations. Fans in the Filipino community all over the United States and Internationally have quickly embraced Mae Flores as their nation's hope for new International recognition in Hollywood, and have literally flooded Mae's profile pages on Facebook and Twitter, which grew to several thousands fans in the span of just a few months. In addition to the many speaking engagements in high schools and community clubs around the country, Mae was asked to attend and speak at several high-profile events. On November 10th, 2010, Mae was invited to speak to over 2,000 attendees at the Empowerment Conference of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations, a Washington policy-maker group. This conference was also video streamed internationally throughout the Internet, and several thousand Filipinos around the world were able to take part to this International event. In celebration of Filipino American History Month, the Virginia State Delegate, Ron Villanueva, invited Mae Flores to be a special guest speaker to this important cultural community event, which highlighted the Filipino history and traditions in the United States. Mae was also invited by the Filipino political community to attend the Governor of Virginia's Annual Breakfast and speak about her contribution to the entertainment and arts industry on behalf of the Filipino community. In addition to her public speaking engagements, Mae was also presented with several honorary awards by the Filipino community and by the local governments of Virginia and Chicago for her contribution to the arts and entertainment. The city of Portsmouth, Virginia, where the movie Atlantis Down was filmed, proclaimed October 3rd, 2010 as the official "Mae Flores Day" to celebrate the discovery of this exciting new Filipina-born actress. The United States Naval Base's First Class Petty Officer Association in Virginia Beach presented Mae with an Honorary Association Membership to the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) active aircraft carrier "for her leadership efforts in boosting morale and educating sailors on the rich Filipino American culture. From all of us across the globe, we salute you." Mae Flores' interview and honorary ceremony was featured around the globe in the United States Naval periodical and website. On October, 3rd, 2010 the Filipino American Community Action Group of Hampton Roads Virginia presented Mae Flores with a lifetime membership "for her commitment, dedication, and outstanding contribution in the Entertainment Industry, enhancing the image of Filipino Americans, not only in the United States, but throughout the world." On October 16th, 2010, the Council of United Filipino Organizations of Tidewater and the Philippine Cultural Center of Virginia, the largest Filipino organization on the East Coast and the second largest Filipino community in the United States, officially named Mae Flores as its first 'Daughter of the Philippine Cultural Center.' Mae Flores was voted as a member of the Chicago Filipino American Hall of Fame for her contribution to the arts and entertainment in the Filipino community, and will be officially inducted in Chicago on April 23rd, 2011. Despite her short career to date, Mae Flores has already caught the heart and imagination of thousands of young Filipinos who now so warmly look at Mae as a much-needed breath of fresh air and an inspirational message of hope. Many young Filipinos are already energized by Mae's inspirational figure and have now rekindled their own treasured dreams of success in various difficult, but potentially rewarding, careers and fields. Mae Flores' success is a clear demonstration that it is possible for the new generation of young Filipinos to pursue their dreams despite all odds. Mae's journey where she met and spoke with thousands of young Filipinos all around the United States has been an inspiring and touching experience for herself as well. Mae treasures her newly found public leadership role within the Filipino community and, as a results, she plans to pair her movie career with the development of an Internet-broadcast talk show called "The Mae Flores Show." In this show, Mae will meet many prominent and every-day guests both in the Filipino community and from around the world, and leverage this online platform to further foster her message of hope for a developing nation that is so in need to believe that it, too, can reach new heights.