Being at the theatre is my ultimate guilty pleasure. I'm an avid fan of local productions in Manila but I'm often lured by Hong Kong, it being the closest link to the international ballet world. It's like I can't say no to the annual Hong Kong Arts festival. They just keep on coming up with a delectable array of dance year after year. It almost ensures that I am in Hong Kong land every February, even when it's too cold and even when it isn't the best time to shop. I never ever regret these trips because, it's always a fresh new experience to bring home.
This year, the Hong Kong Arts Festival brought the infamous Teatro La Scala Ballet to do one of my favorite ballets " Giselle". La Scala ballet is a company known to be more purist than contemporary and I was excited to see how they would present it in such a modern city like Hong Kong. We came a day late and missed Prima Ballerina Svetlana Zakharova which frustrated me beyond belief. I had also heard from friends that the "other cast" was a bit disappointing in comparison. Needless to say, I was at the edge of my seat, waiting for my Giselle. It turns out soloist Virna Toppi was tasked to entertain us that day. That she did. Virna Toppi portrayed Giselle with a definite character in mind. Giselle to most is a sweet playful girl who because of losss and betrayal transforms quite dramatically and theatrically mad. this is what I expected to see that night. This is what makes Giselle so famous. Light and dark, sweet and bitter. Virna Toppi did not do it quite like that. She embodied Giselle in her own special way. In Act 1 she found love, but unlike the very open hearted (slightly gullible and overly optimistic) Giselle, I was used to. I saw in her eyes a bit of hesitation. I saw in her a teenager on the verge of falling in love. She was scared yet deliriously happy at the same time. She was excited but still quite cautious until of course, she is surprised by the Albrecht's profession of love. Albrecht was portrayed by Antonino Sutero. He complimented Toppi's portrayal by playing a Prince who was actually swayed into lies because he was so overwhelmed and surprised by Giselle's charm. Their pas de deux was seamless and reminded me of the Filipino practice of courtship. It was as if they had a whole lot of time to get to know each other in the five minutes or so of music. Nothing was ever rushed or forced. It was beautiful to watch because, their story telling seemed organic.
The mad scene is a pivotal moment in the ballet. It practically is the biggest moment of the ballerina as she is tasked to use mime to portray a fusion of emotions. Usually, this is the point in the ballet where the dancers use a bit of physicality in their actions to convey the emotions. Virna Tippi had none of that. This ballerina chose to go another route. Her pain was more internal. Her internal conflict was not a loud voice but rather a silent pain. Her emotional demise was did not include the crowd nor Albrecht. On that stage, she lost not just her one true love but she lost everything. I absolutely loved her interpretation. It was not what I expected. It was not the version I have come obsessed with. What mattered then to me was I felt her pain. At that moment, I wanted to be her friend. I wanted to cry with her in my seat. Just like all the other Giselles who impressed me, I wanted to just whack that pompous prince for hurting a delicate ballerina.
In Act 2, the corps de ballet executed the difficult choreography with just the right amount of eeriness. In this portion of the ballet, the point of focus actually shifts to the ensemble as they create a paradigm shift. Emanuala Montanari and Alessandra Vasallo were exquisite as the lead willis. Their endless arabesques were picture perfect and the pensive looks caused me to have shivers on my spine. Antonino Sutero showcased his talent as he sustained his energy and dramatic flair even after all those clean brise's. Virni Toppi in Act 2 was ethereal yet kept a bit of her sweet self. She did have a few technical flaws in this section. Her adagio was a bit shaky to say the least. She remained calm and whimsical through it all.
When the curtains came down, I was reminded of this quote that I came across not so long ago. It said " She was mad. But she was magic. There is no lie in her fire" by Charles Bukowski. I thought the show was memorable. It was not what quite what I expected but because there was so much honesty in the performance, the madness just worked. Bravo La Scalla Ballet.
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