Fan-fare at the ballet

From practical to ornamental, fans serve a variety of purposes. In real life, they’re the best accessories to keep cool in the heat of summer while also serving as a means to highlight design and craftsmanship. At the ballet, fans add that certain flourish to a scene, with a heroine fluttering one to communicate secretly with her partner, a character signifying superiority over others or a group flashing it in unison as a symbol of wealth, elegance or status.

As this year’s sweltering summer draws to a close, we celebrate the fan and take a breezy look at the varied forms and functions this implement has taken in Ballet Manila’s productions.

These maidens in the environmental fable Alamat: Si Sibol at si Gunaw (2009) execute a colorful fan dance to kick-start the festivities marking the mortal king Kapuy’s marriage to the goddess Luningning. Photo by Ocs Alvarez

The playful nature of Kitri (Lisa Macuja Elizalde) shines through as she moves her fan in a rapid and festive mode on her way to meet Basilio in this scene from Don Quixote (2012), part of the prima ballerina’s Swan Song Series in which she said goodbye to her favorite roles. Photos by Jojo Mamangun

Waving a native fan while twirling about, Jonathan Janolo (left) is the coquette who tries to catch the attention of Marcus Tolentino’s barrio gent – and succeeds – in Pista, a joint choreography of Osias Barroso Jr. and Gerardo Francisco Jr. which premiered in Halo Halo Supreme: A Fiesta of Filipino Ballets (2008). Photo by Ocs Alvarez

Fans are at the core of Ianne Damian’s Mosquerade, a stylized interpretation of the traditional wedding dance from Mindanao where bride and groom (Lisa Macuja Elizalde and Osias Barroso Jr.) later engage in a fast-paced singkil. Photo by Ocs Alvarez

Mercedes (Eileen Lopez), the scene-stealer in Don Quixote (2006), shows off her remarkable skill of weaving around the upright wine bottles on pointe while using her fan to emphasize her movements. Photo by Ocs Alvarez

In Lisa Macuja Elizalde’s La Traviata (2020), the courtesan Violetta (Abigail Oliveiro, third from left) lives a charmed life, leading her friends in an exuberant dance in their vividly colored dresses with matching red folding fans. Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag

Fans are the essential symbol of royalty in this scene from La Bayadere (2004), where a pair of fan-bearers (right) are ready to spring into action as needed while they stand behind the Rajah, his daughter Gamzatti and her betrothed Solor as they watch Nikiya dance. Photo by Ocs Alvarez