Don Quixote: Mercedes and Espada take centerstage
Francis Cascaño danced as the toreador Espada the most number of times in Ballet Manila’s full-length season performances of Don Quixote, as seen in these photos taken in (clockwise from top left) 2004, 2006, 2009, 2012 and 2017. Photos by Ocs Alvarez
Of the many minor characters in the lengthy roster of Don Quixote the ballet, no one heats up the dance floor like Mercedes and Espada do. This fun and passionate couple can give the lead characters – Kitri and Basilio – a run for their money with their showstopping variations. It is impossible to imagine Don Quixote without this pair but if one turns to the novel, The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha, these two cannot be found.
The street dancer Mercedes comes alive through the portrayals of (clockwise, from top) Ea Marie Torrado (2004), Gabrielle Conde (2004) and Gabriella Galvez (2006). Photos by Ocs Alvarez
Of the book’s 1,072 pages, the ballet version of Don Quixote focused only on two chapters – taking minor characters like Kitri and Basilio and turning them into lead personalities. Thus, even more obscure characters often only described as friends of the leads suddenly find themselves thrust into the limelight with more substantial roles. That was the case with Mercedes and Espada who were only mentioned in passing in the book as a street dancer and a bullfighter, respectively.
Their rise to prominence in the ballet came slowly. During the earlier versions – from Franz Hilverding to Alexander Gorsky – neither character had names ascribed to them. Slowly, as more and more choreographers added to, tweaked, or completely reimagined the piece, the street dancer and the toreador gained more importance both in the unfolding of the narrative and the creation of a more engaging choreography. The pair has become particularly effective in scenes where distractions are needed to divert the innkeeper’s attention from his daughter Kitri’s trysts with Basilio – a match he vehemently disapproves of.
Mercedes is a scene-stealer, strutting about with her fan and weaving through a row of wine bottles on pointe. This character has been performed by (clockwise from top) Eileen Lopez (2006), Rissa May Camaclang (2017), Yanti Marduli (2012), and Sarah Abigail Cruz (2009). Photos by Ocs Alvarez
Recent pre-pandemic performances of Don Quixote include that of the Royal Opera House in 2019 which was positively reviewed by Broadway World UK’s Vikki Jane Vile who wrote: “…The evening does not just belong to the two starry Principals…. Laura Morera is a vivacious treat as street dancer Mercedes, and Ryoichi Hirano reaches great heights in the extravagant leaps and jumps of Espada the Matador... and that's all just in Act I.“
Flipping his cape with inimitable flair, the bullfighter Espada commands attention as seen in the performances of (clockwise from top left) Jonathan Janolo (2006), Mark Sumaylo (2017), Nazer Salgado (2006), and Marcus Tolentino (2004). Photos by Ocs Alvarez
Critic Camille Bacon-Smith was also all praises for the Mercedes and Espada of Pennsylvania Ballet’s Don Quixote: “Act 1 is suitably busy for a farce, but Sterling Baca and Lillian DiPiazza rivet our attention in the roles of Espada and Mercedes. Baca, in white, leads the black-clad toreadors in a dance of posturing bravado with swirling capes. The dance ends when Baca skims his cape across the stage. It stops, outstretched, at the feet of his Mercedes, and we can imagine Espada in its place, if he were not so proud. In contrast to (Maraya) Pinierob (as Kitri) and Arian Molina Soca’s (as Basilio) cat-and-mouse dance of courtship, Baca and DiPiazza sizzle when they come together.”
At Ballet Manila, Francis Cascaño danced Espada in the company’s full-length season performances the most number of times. He partnered five Mercedeses, namely Ea Marie Torrado in 2004, Gabriella Galvez in 2006, Sarah Abigail Cruz in 2009, Yanti Marduli in 2012, and Rissa May Camaclang in 2017. Other BM Espadas include Marcus Tolentino, Nazer Salgado, Jonathan Janolo, and current principal dancer Mark Sumaylo.
Abigail Oliveiro and Mark Sumaylo form a passionate pair onstage as Mercedes and Espada in Don Quixote. Abi’s performance in 2017 won her the Gawad Buhay Outstanding Featured Female for Classical Dance the following year. Photo by Ocs Alvarez
Elline Damian, Melanie Motus, Gabrielle Conde and BM rehearsal mistress Eileen Lopez were among the ballerinas who performed as Mercedes. For Lopez, taking on the role of this passionate street dancer was a dream come true. It did not matter that it was not the lead role: “If you do the dance well, that is okay,” she declared.
In 2017, becoming Mercedes was also particularly meaningful to then soloist Abigail Oliveiro who would later bag the Gawad Buhay Outstanding Featured Female for Classical Dance for her performance. That win, along with her many achievements, led to her promotion to principal dancer.
From their humble beginnings as nameless characters, Mercedes and Espada have gone a long way in redefining bit parts and turning them into showstoppers. Truly, this passionate pair deserves their turn on centerstage among classical ballet’s most treasured roles.
