Ballet Manila back in full swing in 2024
Principal dancers Abigail Oliveiro and Mark Sumaylo perform as Giselle and Albrecht in the ballet classic Giselle as part of Ballet Manila’s 26th season. Photo by Erickson Dela Cruz
By Leah Salterio
From a trio of ballet masterpieces to the world premiere of a Filipino literary classic dance adaptation and the restaging of another one, then on to a much-loved fairy tale.
Ballet Manila has announced its full slate of performances for 2024 in a media conference at Aliw Theater. Joining artistic director Lisa Macuja Elizalde (seated, center) at the event by (seated, from left) British choreographer Martin Lawrance, principal dancer Abigail Oliveiro, guest singer-actress Mitch Valdes, co-artistic associate Gerardo Francisco Jr., principal dancers Pia Dames and Shaira Comeros, (standing, from left) soloists John Balagot and Sean Pelegrin, principal dancers Mark Sumaylo and Joshua Enciso, company artist Noah Esplana and soloist Anselmo Dictado. Photo by Erickson Dela Cruz
It will indeed be a hectic year for Ballet Manila as revealed in a media conference by artistic director Lisa Macuja Elizalde, noting that the full slate of performances is a tribute to her late beloved dance partner, co-artistic director and friend Osias Barroso Jr. who passed away last December 16.
She called the company’s 26th performance season dubbed Ballet Masterpieces as auspicious, as it is comprised of three of their most well-received productions over the years – the pirate adventure Le Corsaire (February), the blockbuster extravaganza Tatlong Kuwento ni Lola Basyang (May) and the ethereal classic Giselle (August).
“I really like it very much that we open every season at the start of every year,” said Macuja Elizalde, who made the change in BM’s season calendar in 2023 as the company cautiously emerged from the pandemic. “Announcing a new season at the beginning of the new year also gives us a sense of confidence, excitement and hope.”
Principal dancer Joshua Enciso dances as the brave and loyal slave to Conrad in Le Corsaire. Photo by Erickson Dela Cruz
While she had described the company as “lean and mean” when it staged its comeback with Rise! in 2022, she noted it has since been growing in leaps and bounds. “We didn’t expect things to move this fast and this strongly,” she enthused. “Certainly, Ballet Masterpieces, our 2024 season, is going to be a busy one. (But) we have an off-season that’s not very off because sometimes, we are even much busier than during the regular season.”
Ballet Manila – which is marking its 29th anniversary this month – opens with Le Corsaire (The Pirate) as re-choreographed by Macuja Elizalde herself, with shows on February 24 and 25 at Aliw Theater, its performance home.
Principal dancer Shaira Comeros and company artist Noah Esplana are Gulnara and Lankadem in Le Corsaire.
“I always wanted to change many things in Le Corsaire,” admitted Macuja Elizalde. “So when the opportunity came, I pounced wholeheartedly and I could say the results will delight you.”
The romance between lead characters Conrad and Medora develops amid scenes involving kidnapped damsels and a scheming slave trader, of pirates having fun and then engaging in duels, and a dreamy dance sequence in a fantasy garden.
“For me, the main draw and importance of staging a Le Corsaire is the fact that there are many principal characters that all have their respective times to shine and show off technical and virtuosic feats as the ballet unfolds,” Macuja Elizalde said.
The second masterpiece in the season is Tatlong Kuwento ni Lola Basyang, based on the stories of Severino Reyes as retold by Christine Bellen and released by Anvil Publishing. The trilogy has enjoyed unprecedented success since its premiere in 2008.
Principal dancer Pia Dames is Prinsesa Singsing to soloist Sean Pelegrin’s Prinsipe ng mga Ibon in one of the tales showcased in Tatlong Kuwento ni Lola Basyang. Photo by Erickson Dela Cruz
Tatlong Kuwento ni Lola Basyang” consists of Ang Prinsipe ng mga Ibon, Ang Kapatid ng Tatlong Marya and Ang Mahiwang Biyulin, which will have shows on May 11, 12 and 18. Veteran singer-comedienne-actress Mitch Valdes takes on the role of Lola Basyang, an iconic figure who tells stories to her grandchildren.
In a statement, Anvil Publishing president Xandra Ramos Padilla said she considers Ballet Manila’s staging of the Lola Basyang series as an excellent opportunity to instill pride among local theater-goers. “We hope it reaches and inspires more people to appreciate and support different forms of local art and culture. An original Filipino story performed through dance is something that the Philippines can be proud of. The whimsical illustrations in the picture books transport you to magical worlds – a visual spectacle successfully translated onstage by Ballet Manila.”
Ballet Manila will also restage Giselle, one of the most romantic ballets of all time, with shows on August 31 and September 1. “My teacher once told me, when planning a season, to always include a romantic ballet in the repertoire, because it is in dancing the classics that the company grows stronger, gets better and stays longer,” said Macuja Elizalde.
Principal dancer Gerardo Francisco Jr. and soloist John Balagot are the pair at odds, Rodrigo and Ahab, in Ang Mahiwagang Biyulin, featured in Tatlong Kuwento ni Lola Basyang.
Giselle is quite memorable for Ballet Manila as it was the production it was set to perform in October 2019 when fire razed the Star City complex where Aliw Theater is located. Fortunately, a venue grant from the Cultural Center of the Philippines which is just across Aliw allowed the company to still perform Giselle then.
This October, Ballet Manila will present the world premiere of Florante at Laura, based on the well-known work of Francisco Balagtas, with shows on October 12, 13 and 19. It will be co-choreographed by Gerardo Francisco Jr. who created the ballet version of another literary gem, Ibong Adarna, and Martin Lawrance who was behind BM’s contemporary retelling of Romeo & Juliet set in urban Manila. Florante at Laura takes the stage on October 12, 13 and 19.
Macuja Elizalde said Florante at Laura is completely new, in answer to audience demands to see fresh fare all the time, adding that the company is up to the task as its dancers always welcome the chance to offer something different. “A world of risk-takers is always ambitious and extra challenging,” she noted.
Veteran singer-actress-comedienne Mitch Valdes plays the iconic storytelling grandmother in Tatlong Kuwento ni Lola Basyang.
Meanwhile, in its continuing partnership with Areté, Ballet Manila will next bring Gerardo Francisco Jr.’s Ibong Adarna to the arts venue in Ateneo de Manila University in November.
Finally, for its Holiday Cheer series, the company celebrates the Christmas season with family-friendly fare through Lisa Macuja Elizalde’s Snow White, which will run from December 25 to 30.
Expressing optimism at what lies ahead, Macuja Elizalde said, “I am sure it’s going to be a great Year of the Dragon. Incidentally, I am a Dragon. And for this 2024, hear us roar!”
Soloist Anselmo Dictado as Pedro goes on a search for his three sisters in Ang Kapatid ng Tatlong Maria, in Tatlong Kuwento ni Lola Basyang.
