This Month in BM History: February 2012
A newspaper announcement describes the Lab Ko ‘To repertoire. Clipping from the Ballet Manila Archives collection
Ballet Manila’s end-of-season productions are reserved for something new and different as the company engages in collaborations with different Filipino artists.
A trio of choreographies premiered in Ballet Manila’s 16th season-ender dubbed Lab Ko ‘To. Souvenir program from the Ballet Manila Archives collection
In 2012, a trio of such choreographies premiered as part of the production dubbed Lab Ko ‘To. The title, as one reviewer put it, could be taken to mean two things – in the literal sense, as an expression of the love of dance; or in a deeper sense, as a venue for testing something fresh (as in a “lab” or a laboratory).
Alon ng Buwan by Max Luna III is a modern piece that draws inspiration from the centuries-old Filipino dance form, pangalay. The featured seven pairs even took special sessions with indigenous Filpino dance expert, Raymund “Rama” Marcaida, just to get the hand gestures right.
Augustus “Bam” Damian’s The Last Poem is a dance-drama where a woman awaits her lover to grant her dying wish.
Manuel Molina’s Buenos Aires challenges the company through Piazolla’s tangos in a series of string solos, breathtaking duos and relationship roundabout in pas de quatres.
The repertoire was rounded out by Gerardo Francisco’s Morions, bronze medalist in South Korea’s World Maskplay Competition, and the classical Satanilla Pas de Deux from The Venetian Carnival.
Max Luna III’s Alon ng Buwan premiered in Ballet Manila’s Lab Ko ‘To in 2012. Photo by Ocs Alvarez
Critic Rosalinda Orosa commented that variety is the spice of Ballet Manila’s life. In her column, Sundry Strokes, in Philippine Star dated February 25, 2012, she wrote of Lab Ko ‘To: “Diverse, original productions come one after another within amazingly brief periods, and even more amazingly, with a huge cast. All this owes to the intense training and discipline which artistic director Lisa Macuja-Elizalde, and her associate, Osias Barroso, impose (after the Vaganova method) on the ensemble.”
Inspired by the Argentine tango, Manuel Molina’s Buenos Aires is an intense expression of love and passion. Photo by Ocs Alvarez
