This Month in BM History: November 2015
Ballet Manila’s expanded Pinocchio production served as a fitting offering for the Christmas season in 2015, as shared in this announcement. Clipping from the Ballet Manila Archives collection
The beloved children’s classic, Pinocchio, was a perfect choice to include in Ballet Manila’s 20th performance season in 2015. The season, after all, was called From Page to Stage and featured literary tales translated into ballet.
Pinocchio (Alvin Santos) meets dolls, harlequins and clowns in his adventures as told in Osias Barroso’s extended ballet version of Pinocchio. Photo by Ocs Alvarez
With Osias Barroso’s Pinocchio choreography for BM already popular since the original premiered in 2002, the company decided to extend and upgrade the production.
The two-act version now included part of the story taking place in Pleasure Island where the puppet-come-to-life Pinocchio interacts with acrobats, stilt walkers, aerialists and jugglers. Moreover, a new character was introduced – the Pink Fairy – who serves as the narrator.
What’s unusual about Pinocchio is that instead of a lead ballerina, the title role required a small and compact danseur. As artistic director Lisa Macuja-Elizalde listed in her director’s notes then, the qualifications for that dancer were quite stringent: “…a highly skilled technician with the stamina of a horse – but at the same time, cute and lovable.”
Anselmo Dictado, who shared the title role of Pinocchio with Alvin Santos, graces the cover of the souvenir program. Program from the Ballet Manila Archives collection
They found all these in Alvin Santos, who turned out to be a perfect choice back in 2002 and again in 2015. Macuja-Elizalde noted, “The fact that he was handpicked to debut as Pinocchio and will continue to perform the role in its full-length version is testament to the quality of training he has received in BM using the Vaganova Method.”
The Blue Fairy leads her winged assistants in working her magic to transform the puppet Pinocchio into a boy. Photo by Ocs Alvarez
The choreographer Osias Barroso, for his part, shared why Pinocchio was close to his heart in a newspaper interview. “My take on the ballet is really more for children, but the lessons can still be for adults. I made it mine because the play is basically me — I’m a jolly person. I’m a happy person; I always find time to laugh about life’s problems.”
A new character was introduced – the Pink Fairy, portrayed by actress/ singer Tippy dos Santos, who narrated the story. Photo by Ocs Alvarez
