Literature often becomes a source of inspiration for art and life in general. In the field of dance it is a solid pillar that continues the legacy of ballet narratives. Hence the practice is considered perpetually relevant and even necessary for dance evolution. However, when choreographers turn to pages, it is usually to reconnect with a familiar story that they wish to dissect and bring to life through movement. For its season opener, Ballet Manila does not offer a Filipino epic, a Shakespearean Classic or an E.L James modern tale. The Company chose to work with intrinsically Filipino stories from Severino Reyes' collection of jewels. Consistent with the Company's well publicized commitment towards minimizing the gap between ballet and the people, they chose to immortalize short stories for children. They chose stories they believed would be memorable enough to entertain, educate and inspire.
The story tellers on pointe started off with "Ang Prinsipe ng mga Ibon" choreographed by Osias Barroso. It is a story that revolves around a princess in love with the mythical Prince of the birds. Despite proving the depth of his love to the Princess and her Father, the King remained firm that the union could not be allowed. The Princess tried to protect her beloved Prince and her pure love for him transformed her into bird. Soon enough they flew away to their happy ending. The curtain rose and revealed a grandiose set worthy of mention. It quickly set the asian tone of the story. With its extravagant set I reckon it would be easy to get visually drowned but Prinsesa Singsing played by Katherine Barkman entered the stage with a commanding presence. The set quickly embraced her and she took her place as the ornament on spotlight. Barkman was an entrancing princess with a winsome smile and expressive sweeps. She splendidly executed lyrical extensions. Her feet are noticeably well arched and are easy on the eyes. Her technique is obviously solid despite her young age but this is not exactly what made her a star that night that I watched. I rarely see a dancer that gives 100% heart. A hundred percent heart on stage for some results to a few technical steps left amiss or a few counts late, possibly lack of awareness of space because emotion completely takes over logic and sensibility. Very few can afford to literally dance perfectly with a free heart. I believe she did just that. Maybe it's her youth, maybe it's her solid technique or maybe she really does just have the gift. Definitely, she secured her place in the company with her entertaining debut. Principal dancer Rudy De Dios took on the role of Prinsipe ng mga Ibon. He ably partnered Barker and matched her emotional investment to the story. With the combined technical ability of the two, Barroso's clever choreography was glorified. The choreographer's wealth of knowledge in partnering and technique is obvious as there were several lifts with silky transitions. It was a dream to capture so many picturesque pas de deux moments.
The second offering was the story "Ang Kapatid ng Tatlong Marya" which is a result of a choreographic collaboration between Lisa Macuja, Osias Barroso, Ernest Mandap and Gerardo Francisco. The story is about three sisters who were separated from their parents because of a tragic mistake. A devilish snake wreaked havoc when she fooled Teong (the patriarch) and convinced him that if he cut the healing tree he will be rewarded with all the healing leaves of the tree. What happened instead was he lost his daughters who were taken away by the snake.
Pedro his youngest son was tasked to find his sisters when Teong was struck with sickness. Pedro traveled far and wide to different lands to eventually find his sisters and bring them back home to their family. Pedro was played by Alvin Santos. He was charismatic as he knit the story together. His leaps were exciting as they consistently showed off his flexibility. The three sisters were played by Ballet Manila's usual frontliners. Marya Loleng (Queen of the Eagles) was performed by Abigail Oliveiro, Marya Upeng (Queen of the Lions) was performed by Dawna Mangahas and Marya Trining (Queen of the Sharks) was played by Joan Emery Sia. It was splendid to watch these three girls because together they represent a new generation of dancers for the company. Junior Principal Dawna Mangahas was ever so elegant. Her movements were rich and velvety as she confidently silenced the lions and the crowd with her attitudes. Abigail Oliveiro was delicate and endearing as she played the exotic queen of the Eagles. She moved with a spring on her step as she executed weightless grand jetes and partnered lifts. Her expression was as rich and colorful as the feathers of the birds. Joan Emery Sia seemed to be able to liquefy her steps. Particularly memorable were her arabesque pencees that were consistently and comfortably placed on 6 o'clock. All three textured their characters well and were able to adapt to the choreography's musical challenges.
"Ang Mahiwagang Byulin" closed the show with a bang. The story is about Rodrigo who is a maltreated worker seeking to give his family a comfortable life. He shares his earnings with an old lady who then repays his kindness with a magical violin that helps him get his coveted happy ending. Choreographed by the late Tony Fabella, the audience witnessed his winning formula. The story telling master used clear and simple quick witted steps. Peppered with humor and musical accents, the piece was all comedy. Rodrigo was played by seasoned dancer Gerardo Francisco and the Boss from hell Ahab was played by Michael Divinigracia. Both solid dancers, they performed the choreography with comedic clarity. Francisco's energetic vibe was contagious. Divinigracia had his game face on and was committed to securing laughter from the crowd.
To be constructive, there were scenes in all three sections where I found it too busy and hard to concentrate on the dancing. Perhaps less feathers, less lions and less people would have given me an opportunity to zoom in on the technical dancing of the leads. I also think some of the scenes could have been cut short as there was enough body of work in each section. After all the stories are practically narrated in full by Lola Basyang herself. While I enjoyed the spirited dancing of Missy Macuja Elizalde as one Lola Basyang's apos, I found the interaction of the children and the stories a bit awkward and out of place. Nonetheless these are just minor production sags that were not big enough to compromise the show.
The premise being it was primarily based on pieces that catered to children poses a question about its acceptability to the rest of the adult audiences. For a millenial adult like me who was not exposed to the glory days of Lola Basyang, I was not particularly initially drawn by its novelty. The show had to offer something other than that to fill the thirst for art. Thankfully, the production was a whirlwind of dazzling color coming from all directions. It had something whimsical for every age. There were no pink tutus but the show had the charm of the Nutcracker divertissement. Replacing the colorful tutus were the sparkling exotic costumes. The sets and lighting style were both dynamic dancing flawlessly with the music and the dancers. The amount of talent on stage was encouraging and even inspiring. They had something new (new recruits), something old (their bevy of seasoned dancers), something borrowed (Severino Reyes' stories) and they had not just a sea of blue but a rainbow of colors. Sounds like they prepared for a wedding but it was more like a feast. It was a feast that I enjoyed. Bravo Ballet Manila.
