Ballet Manila Moments: Remaking a pirate ballet
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.
Marius Petipa (1818-1910) may not have choreographed the original Le Corsaire. That honor went to Joseph Maxilier when the pirate adventure had its world premiere in 1856 in Paris. But when the ballet made its premiere in Saint Petersburg, Russia in 1858, Petipa did double duty – as a dancer, taking the lead Conrad opposite prima ballerina Ekaterina Friedburg as Medora, and as a choreographer, restaging it together with Jules Perrot. In doing the latter, he made an indelible mark on the show and added it to the list of classics attributed to his name such as Don Quixote, Swan Lake and Giselle.
Not only did Petipa revise the swashbuckling adventure’s key dances but also introduced two new dance numbers. The first was a pas de deux for the first scene entitled Pas d’esclave which would become one of the most famous pieces in Le Corsaire. Originally, it featured two anonymous slaves who have no other part in the ballet. In many productions today, the Pas d’esclave is performed by the characters Gulnara and Lankadem.
The second number that Petipa created was a pas de trois for the second act entitled the Pas des odaliques. Originally a waltz performed by a group of harem girls, he revised and expanded the piece into a classical pas, first performed by the ballerina Anna Prikhunova and the famous twins Nadezhda and Anastasia Amosova.
This clip from Ballet Manila’s 2018 production features excerpts of the two key numbers credited to Petipa (who, in a career spanning 60 years, would stage four revivals of Le Corsaire), as well as of other choice scenes.
