‘Snow White’ is Ballet Manila’s Christmas treat
Merriment is the name of the game for the Seven Dwarfs. Photo by Jeanne Young
Mirror, mirror on the wall, what fairy-tale ballet should be watched by all?
Snow White, that’s what!
Snow White (Shaira Comeros, right) is tempted by the Evil Queen (Marinette Franco) to take an apple which she has poisoned. Photo by Jeanne Young
Ballet Manila brings back Lisa Macuja Elizalde’s Snow White as the featured production of its Holiday Cheer Series 2024, with daily performances from December 25 to 29 every 4 p.m. at Aliw Theater, Pasay City.
Infused with elements of fantasy, romance, adventure and humor, the fairy-tale ballet is ideal viewing fare for the whole family this Christmas season.
“I always try to choreograph with the audience in mind. I always want to create a ballet that they would want to come back to again and again because of all the good feelings the performance evokes,” said Macuja Elizalde who premiered her adaptation of Snow White in 2017.
Snow White stars principal dancers Shaira Comeros and Joshua Enciso in the lead roles, with soloist Stephanie Santiago as the Evil Queen and principal dancer Romeo Peralta as the Huntsman.
The ballet begins with a compelling scene dubbed as “The Queen’s Facial.” Here, the Evil Queen is being pampered and beautified by her retinue while she admires herself in the magic mirror where her “reflection” – portrayed by another dancer – aptly mimics her movements.
Jealous of her stepdaughter Snow White’s youth and beauty, the Queen orders the Huntsman to kill her. But having become like a second father to the princess, he instead tells her to flee to the forest. There, she encounters assorted animals whom she plays with. Later on, she meets and befriends the Seven Dwarves – Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Doc, Sleepy, Sneezy and Bashful.
But the wily queen, who is also a witch, finds Snow White and tricks her into biting a poisoned apple, causing her fall into a death-like sleep. The Prince saves the day and awakens her with a kiss. And of course, they live happily ever after!
Ballet Manila artistic director Lisa Macuja Elizalde is ready to sink her teeth into another staging of her choreography of Snow White. Photo by G-nie Arambulo
Snow White is characterized by the Russian ballet tradition that Macuja Elizalde is most familiar with, having graduated from the Leningrad Choreographic Institute and having danced as a soloist with the Kirov Ballet. “It uses the classical steps and style because I believe in sticking to what you know. I know my classical ballets very well and I have a wealth of classical ballet steps in my dancer’s vocabulary.”
The musical score is a combination of Jules Massenet, popular nursery rhymes and familiar melodies from the Disney film, while the look of the ballet takes inspiration from Hans Christian Andersen.
“From the first scene of The Queen’s Facial to the end with the wedding scene, this ballet just came happily alive. It is a ballet I created specifically with families in mind as my audience. I wanted people to smile, laugh and fall in love – and it has worked magic for all of us!” said Macuja-Elizalde.
Tickets to Lisa Macuja-Elizalde’s Snow White are available at popular prices through TicketWorld via this direct link: https://bit.ly/BMSnowWhiteBuyTickets.
