Mariinsky Ballet’s real-life couple to dance together in ‘Giselle’ for the first time with Ballet Manila
Fluent in Russian, Ballet Manila artistic director Lisa Macuja Elizalde (center) served as interpreter for husband and wife dancers Renata Shakirova and Alexei Timofeyev at the press conference for Giselle.
By Leah C. Salterio
Since Ballet Manila has its resident dancers who are regularly featured in its season performances, it is rare that the company invites artists from abroad to dance in its productions.
However, for Giselle, one of the most cherished works in classical ballet, world-renowned principal dancer Renata Shakirova and soloist Alexei Timofeyev of the Mariinsky Ballet in Russia, have been flown in to the Philippines to perform with Ballet Manila.
Renata Shakirova and Alexei Timofeyev, principal dancer and soloist of the Mariinsky Ballet, will be dancing together in Giselle for the first time as Giselle and Albrecht.
Giselle is the third offering in Ballet Manila’s 26th performance season dubbed “Ballet Masterpieces.” Though a tragedy, the two-act ballet is considered special by Ballet Manila artistic director Lisa Macuja Elizalde. “It’s sad but it’s beautiful and one of the most romantic ballets of all time.”
With the haunting music of Adolphe Adam and the timeless choreography of Jean Coralli, Jules Perrot and Marius Petipa, the ballet is the story of a village girl, Giselle, who falls in love with Albrecht, not knowing he is already engaged.
When she finds out, Giselle dies of a broken heart and joins the souls of girls – known as the Wilis – who have been similarly wronged by their men. The repentant Albrecht visits the grave of Giselle, who protects him from the vengeful queen Myrtha.
When the opportunity presented itself, Lisa did not think twice about inviting the dancers from Russia and bringing them over for Ballet Manila’s latest staging of Giselle. “It’s always a beautiful learning experience for a company to welcome these artists and experience a ballet with guest artists who are new, who are special and will give a different dynamic to the performance,” said Lisa.
“I feel that my company needs to be able to also experience this kind of performance with really special guest artists all the way from Russia,” added Lisa, who traces her Russian ballet roots to the Leningrad Choreographic Institute (now the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet) in St. Petersburg, the school she studied in from 1982 to 1984.
Lisa actually has a special kinship with Renata as they share a teacher, though decades apart. “I feel like a big sister to Renata. I consider (Merited Artist of Russia and former Kirov ballerina) Tatiana Udalenkova as a second mother. I graduated under Tatiana in 1984 and she (Renata) graduated in 2015.”
Before buckling down to rehearsals for Giselle, Renata (left) and Alexei (right) get a taste of “paradise on earth” as BM artistic director Lisa Macuja Elizalde (second from left) hosts them in Boracay. Also visiting the Philippines is People’s Artist of Russia Sergei Vikulov who is like a second father to Lisa.
Last March, Lisa – together with husband, Manila Broadcasting Company chairman and Ballet Manila patron Fred J. Elizalde – went on a sentimental journey to St. Petersburg. There, she had a reunion not only with her beloved teacher Tatiana, but with her husband, People’s Artist of Russia Sergei Vikulov, and their son Alexander Vikulov – her second family with whom she lived back in the 1980s. She and Fred also had the chance to watch Renata in a performance of Giselle at the Mariinsky Ballet, partnered by Philip Styopkin.
Renata and Alexei “met” Lisa online earlier in March. “I wrote an e-mail to Renata’s Instagram account,” Lisa said. “I knew of Renata from my teacher, Tatiana, but Renata and I never met before. I introduced myself online and invited her to dance Giselle for us.”
The first thing that Renata did was to look at their performance calendar and check if they could make it to Manila.
“Thank God, they were free to do Giselle,” a relieved Lisa recalled.
Four years of living in Russia – first as a student and later as a soloist of the Kirov – made the prima ballerina fluent in conversing in Russian. And she readily served as interpreter for the couple at the press conference for Giselle held in Aliw Theater.
Though both Renata and Alexei have danced Giselle before, it is the first time that husband and wife are dancing in the full-length ballet together as Giselle and Albrecht.
“Since we are dancing Giselle together for the first time, personally, it’s a very interesting part of our history together,” said Renata. “As dancers, we are very excited to be able to dance this ballet together.”
Convincing the couple to come to the Philippines for the first time and perform onstage together, wasn’t such a tall order for them.
“We heard so many beautiful things about the Philippines,” Alexei said. “When the possibility came for us to dance for Ballet Manila and we learned we were free to come, that was fate.”
Renata added, “Lisa was full of energy, so it was very hard to say no to her. We treasure the fact that we’re working with Lisa and Ballet Manila.
“To be able to experience your culture, traditions, your kindness, this a country that’s very far from Russia. Philippines is very exotic. For us to experience the Philippines, we had to say yes.”
Alexei is very good friends with Mikhail “Misha” Martynuk, the artistic director of Ballet Philippines and the latter had wonderful things to say about the country to him.
Lisa at curtain call after making her debut in the full-length Giselle with the Kirov Ballet in 1985: “The ballerina must make it look like she’s a spirit floating lightly on air.”
Misha had initially come to the country upon Lisa’s invitation, for him to partner her in her Swan Song Series in which she gave her final performances of such ballet classics as Giselle, Don Quixote and La Bayadere.
“He experienced the Philippines and described it as ‘paradise on earth.’ So when the opportunity came, we are now in paradise on earth,” said Alexei.
He admitted the male lead of Albrecht in Giselle is challenging. “Albrecht is one of the hardest parts for a male dancer to perform because of the physical and technical choreography. Act II will be difficult, but I definitely will not die,” he jests. Turning serious, he added, “I’ll be dancing the role of Albrecht with my wife for the first time. So it will be true love.”
Renata considers it a great experience to be in the country. “I treasure the fact that we’ll be working with Lisa and Ballet Manila, which has upheld strict traditions of classical ballet in the Philippines.”
As the standard of any classical ballet, Lisa noted, one doesn’t look at the principal dancers or the soloists, but at the corps de ballet. Giselle is counting on its corps de ballet who all have to dance as one.
For Lisa’s Ballet Manila, that is more challenging today. During the pandemic, she lost dancers who had to return to their home countries while some transferred to other groups and even went abroad.
“Dancing as a group, it becomes better the more you dance as a cohesive unit,” Lisa said. “It is really difficult to be able to create this illusion of 18 girls dancing with all the same style, with all the same line in their arabesque, with all the same line of arm.
“That needs a lot of rehearsals, a lot of work and is especially challenging because we kind of had to stretch these two levels. We meet in the middle and they become one unit when they perform.”
Lisa, who had the chance to debut in the full-length Giselle with the Kirov Ballet, as Mariinsky was previously known in the 1980s, pointed out the role must be danced again and again as it polishes one’s skills over time.
She stressed that Giselle serves as an ultimate test for the ballerina who steps into the title character. “It demands the utmost energy and acting ability, because when Giselle is dancing strenuously difficult parts, the ballerina must make it look like she’s a spirit floating lightly on air.”
Ballet Manila presents Giselle on August 31, Saturday, at 8 p.m. and on September, Sunday, at 5 p.m. featuring Renata Shakirova and Alexei Timofeyev. Ballet Manila principal dancers Abigail Oliveiro and Mark Sumaylo will also headline a special matinee performance on August 31 at 1 p.m. All performances will be held at Aliw Theater.
Renata says of performing in the Philippines: “I treasure the fact that we’ll be working with Lisa and Ballet Manila which has upheld strict traditions of classical ballet.”
