Umbrella season

In a tropical country like the Philippines, umbrellas are considered year-round essentials, rain or shine. It offers protection both from the searing heat of the sun or from the relentless showers that come during the typhoon months. For Ballet Manila, umbrellas have also served a purpose, providing eye-catching flashes of color or at times even helping to move a story along. In this special feature, we look at the instances when these everyday objects literally had their unfolding moments on stage.

With the bright hues of a vinta as a backdrop, the Umbrella Dance, with other excerpts from Alamat: Si Sibol at Si Gunaw, represents Mindanao in the Luzviminda Suite featured in Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika (2014). With gold trimmings and accents, the umbrellas exude a distinct and colorful flavor that fittingly underscores the grand wedding of the goddess Luningning and the mortal king Kapuy. Photo by Ocs Alvarez

In Osias Barroso’s Pinocchio, the lovable Jiminy Cricket – the polite and gentlemanly talking cricket from C. Collodi’s book who helps the puppet Pinocchio become a real little boy – is danced by ballerinas. Jasmine Pia Dames takes on the role in 2015, dancing while twirling Jiminy’s signature prop: an umbrella that also doubles as a cane. Photo by Ocs Alvarez

The cowardly Huwan (Michael Divinagracia) is the protagonist of Anting-Anting, one of the featured tales in Tatlo Pang Kuwento ni Lola Basyang (2013). Gullibility and superstition prove to be a potent combination as Huwan carries an umbrella for no justifiable reason, as his friends hold him aloft and parade him around. Photo by Jojo Mamangun

The rainy weather doesn’t dampen the enthusiasm of a young couple’s first encounter. Caught in a sudden downpour, the umbrella-wielding Rudy De Dios helps Dawna Reign Mangahas who drops her books as she hurries to find shelter. Aptly set to the Eraserheads’ Tuwing Umuulan at Kapiling Ka, the scene comes from Pangarap, a number choreographed by Francis Jaena and included in T.L.C. with Papa Jack, a suite of dances featured in Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika (2014). Photo by Ocs Alvarez

In Gerardo Francisco Jr.’s Ang Munting Pangarap, Ballet Manila’s show at Star City with free weekend performances, the street vendor Purita (Jessica Pearl Dames) dreams of becoming a ballerina and works hard to attain the seemingly impossible. When she finally gets to wear that tutu, the big moment is highlighted by festive umbrellas that open up to each reveal a star, signifying what the young girl seems destined to be. Photo by Mark Sumaylo

A version of La Fille Mal Gardee (The Naughty Daughter) was choreographed for Ballet Manila by People’s Artist of Russia Sergey Vikulov in 2005. Set in the English countryside, it tells the story of Lise whose mother, Simone, is opposed to her choice of Colas and who wants to marry her off instead to the rich Alain. To celebrate the pairing, the villagers join a grand picnic in the fields. But the clumsy Alain (played in 2008 by Niño Guevarra) inexplicably zips over the villagers while holding an umbrella as a storm cuts the party short. Photo by Ocs Alvarez