Giselle
the ballet is not a fairy tale. Neither is it a simple story of tragedy. It is a complex story of human
frailty in the face of love and pain.
Anybody who has loved can relate to Giselle. As the story unfolds, the
realities of how a woman is completely changed by love is delicately revealed.
And contrary to how others feel about the story, I feel that it doesn’t show
the woman's weaknesses. It shows how a woman with so much love in her can be strong enough to forgive any sin. It
shows how a woman can look past mistakes and dig deep and allow herself to move
mountains just to be able to love.
The
romanticism, the sensitive music and the ingenious choreography of this white
ballet has made it one of my all time
favorites. It's a ballet that has spoken to me in so many levels as person and
as a dancer. You can just imagine my anticipation when I heard that Ballet
Philippines was doing Giselle.
Excitement doesn't quite paint the picture.
The first
time I saw Giselle, it was portrayed by prima ballerina Maniya Barredo. She was
then partnered by my all time crush Nonoy Froilan. This was the singular moment
that I realized I wanted to be a
performer. She pushed me to tears. She pushed the audience to stand up and give
the show 8 curtain calls. The next time I saw it was when I was part of the
cast of Ballet Philippines in 1998. I saw three principals take on the lead
role, Cecile Sicangco, Toni Lopez Gonzales and Lisa Macuja. The role of Albrecht was done by American
Ballet Theater's debonair Jose Manuel Carreno. The critics raved about the
shows as they should because the cast was just amazing. Needless to say my
expectations were unbelievably high. But
I prepared myself for having a great night nonetheless, I strongly believed in
the capacity of Ballet Philippines.
Act 1 of
Giselle is story telling time. But unfortunately it fell a little short for me. I have the highest
respect for the dancers but there were certain areas that did not sit well with
me. Two gorgeous pairs performing the peasant pas de quartre was promising. I love all of these dancers
individually because of their strong technical capacity. Monica Gana was graceful, light and beautiful.
Jemima Reyes executed beautiful extensions and made good use of her well arched feet
and capturing spirit. But as a duet,
they were practically never together. Their performance lacked team work as all
their finishes were done in canon. Even
when partnered they did not have the same pulse. The boys however shone as
Emmanuel Guillermo and Victor Maguad performed every step like twins. Each jump was landed
perfectly clean and stable. It was a delight to see these boys execute the
steps with ease and professionalism. I
would have preferred to see the traditional peasant pa de deux. It would
have showed off the dancers better instead of distracting the audience. In the confrontation and mad scene crucial
mistakes were done by the cast affecting the storyline. For instance, Albrecht
played by JM Cordero shushes Bathilde ( a princess) telling her not to tell Giselle about
their betrothal. The role of the duke was that of man who prioritized his royalty over all else. That was the whole
point of the betrayal. It was a very
small gesture but to those who know the story, it was quite odd. When
Giselle played by Kit Trofeo finally
realizes what has happened she goes mad a little too prematurely. But what was
funny was when she attempts to kill herself Hilarion played by John Earl
Arisola was unable to act on cue as she was able to stab herself completely
before he got the sword. And yes after having stabbed herself to death she
obviously did not die. When she finally
died of heart ache nobody grieved with intensity. Nobody panicked. Nobody was
shocked. I would like to think if I die a similar death that the small world
that surrounds me would crumble to pieces and mourn my death. I expected a tragedy, a black day for
everyone. Even with the heavenly music of Giselle and the flawless performances
of Kit Trofeo and JM Cordero in their pas de deux and in their solos, Act 1
still ended up disappointing me. It is after all a story ballet. The beautiful
story must come across as it was written.
The second act was crucial to this ballet as
it requires a great amount of
commitment both in characterization and
interpretation of the movements. Thankfully, it was a surprisingly strong
redemption. The sets perfectly complemented the choreography of the wilis. The
mood was set, eerie and sad. The corp de ballet stepped up and delivered clean
and crisp movements of the famous floating chugs of 24 synchronized dancers. It
was a beautiful sight. I definitely did not hold back and screamed BRAVO in
appreciation for such a delightful performance. Kit Trofeo and JM Cordero performed their pas de deux and made every
lift seem so easy. It is very evident that JM is a very skilled partner and
that Kit is a seasoned dancer. I never
saw a single preparation as they transitioned to every lift smoothly. The role
of Giselle in the second act is physically taxing as the choreography
requires numerous jumps and lifts while
maintaining a very disconnected and ethereal look. Kit did not just perform
everything without huffing and puffing she was consistently sensitive in her
portrayal. It wasn't just her face that spoke of sadness, she articulated it
with every movement. JM in his solo
impressed me with his clean cabrioles and series of entrechats. Act two was a
success.
I entered
the theatre thinking I would end up comparing the dancers to the principals of
a different generation. But in the end I didn't . I apparently cared about the
ballet much more than I thought. I wanted to preserve its story, its essence,
its morals. While it is true that Act 1 did disappoint me, it cannot erase the
fact that I saw beautiful dancing from the Company. I am appreciative of the fact that Ballet
Philippines took on the challenge of doing such an intricate and beautiful white ballet such as Giselle. In fact I'm
thankful. Bravo Ballet Philippines and thank you for the experience. You
brought me back to where I was decades ago. I left just like I had after watching Maniya Barredo,
bewildered at how a single ballet can make a heart flutter in excitement.
