Ballet Manila Moments: A quiet strength on pointe
Since 1995, Ballet Manila has been creating unforgettable performances on stage. As the acclaimed storytellers on toes, they have breathed life to an amazing range of classical and contemporary fare. The Ballet Manila Archives celebrates some of those moments from the company’s first 25 years through this series.
The understated elegance of Augustus “Bam” Damian III’s Sotto Voce makes it one of the most challenging pieces in Ballet Manila’s arsenal. True to its title, there are no big jumps and fireworks in Sotto Voce. Every movement is an expression of grace, subtlety and nuance.
Yet it also demands utmost strength and stamina. A minute into the piece, the lead ballerina stands on her toes and stays that way for the rest of the choreography that runs for over six minutes. The rest of the dancers enter one by one already on pointe and stay on their toes throughout as well. The gentle movements of the arms and hands give no clue to the strength required of the lower body throughout the performance.
Sotto Voce, which premiered in 2009, is a signature piece of the company that has been performed in many national and international tours. It is the contemporary choreography that has become the shared experience of every BM ballerina. The original six Sotto Voce ballerinas were Jenny Olayvar, Yanti Marduli, Kateri Gelvoria-Cascano, Sarah Abigail Cruz, Marika Capati-Anonuevo, and Czarina Villegas. Since then, many dancers have performed the piece including Sofia Sangco-Peralta, Tiffany Chiang-Janolo, current BM company members Shaira Comeros, Marinette Franco, Emma Harris, Nanami Hasegawa, Kotomi Narai, Akari Ida, Xiu Ling Tan soloists Rissa May Camaclang, Jessica Pearl Dames, and principal dancer Joan Emery Sia among many others.
In this video are three different casts of Sotto Voce performed as part of Ballet Manila’s various productions: World Stars of Ballet (2012), Iconic 1.0 (2018) and Tour de Force (2019).
