Ballet Manila’s ‘Swan Lake’ bags Aliw Award for Best Dance Production
Ballet Manila’s first post-pandemic staging of Swan Lake showcased its formidable corps de ballet composed of dancers who have the stamina, technique and artistry to dance all four acts. Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag
Ballet Manila’s Swan Lake – its first staging of the classical warhorse after the pandemic – bagged the Aliw Award for Dance Production in a program held December 16 at The Manila Hotel.
Principal dancer Abigail Oliveiro – one of two performers who took on the challenging dual leads of Odette and Odile in Swan Lake – received the trophy on behalf of the company and its artistic director, Lisa Macuja Elizalde.
Principal dancer Abigail Oliveiro receives the Aliw Award on behalf of Ballet Manila and artistic director Lisa Macuja Elizalde. Photo by MarBi Photography
“This recognition affirms the dedication of the dancers and the artistic team in bringing this ballet to life,” Oliveiro said in her acceptance speech.
Swan Lake tells the story of Odette, a princess cursed by the sorcerer Von Rothbart to be a swan by day. While wandering in the forest one night, Prince Siegfried sees her and falls in love with her. He is later tricked by Rothbart into believing that his daughter Odile is Odette. Realizing the deception, the prince reunites with Odette and they choose death together over being separated.
Ballet Manila presented Swan Lake last May and June at Aliw Theater, featuring guest artists from San Francisco Ballet – principal dancer Esteban Hernandez and first soloist Katherine Barkman partnering each other, and soloist Nathaniel Remez partnering Oliveiro.
For Macuja Elizalde, being able to perform Swan Lake is a sign that a ballet company is formidable and a true classical ballet company in every sense of the title. “This is because Swan Lake demands a good strong corps de ballet. At least 20 strong girls who have the stamina, technique and artistry to dance all four acts, switching from court maidens to swans to court maidens and back to swans. A good Swan Lake is a company’s triumph,” she stated in a media conference last May.
San Francisco Ballet soloist Nathaniel Remez partners Abigail Oliveiro in Ballet Manila’s Swan Lake. Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag
Post-pandemic, the artistic director bided her time before bringing back Swan Lake to the stage so that Ballet Manila’s corps could grow in strength and number and move again as one. In 2023, as theaters reopened and the performing arts started getting back on its feet, she had to contend with fewer dancers and a leaner company. She worked on a gradual build-up, while also still striving to present the classics that Ballet Manila has been identified with – Don Quixote in 2023 and Le Corsaire and Giselle in 2024.
The return of Swan Lake came at an auspicious time as the company is marking its 30th anniversary this year. Tweaking the classic’s choreography, Macuja Elizalde described the process as a “true upgrade.” She said then: “Audiences can expect a clearer story line. Some really great corps dancing in Act 1 and 3. And a flock of swans to die for in Acts 2 and 4. Our soloists are also tackling their roles of Pas de Trois and the Jester with formidable technique and artistry. Over-all, this is a Swan Lake that is a fitting example of what 30 years of performances has brought Ballet Manila to achieve.”
In a review for theaterfansmanila.com, critic Marge Enriquez commended the triumph of the company’s Swan Lake ensemble for hewing close to Lev Ivanov’s 1895 revival which, she said, is known for its demanding precision in style. “BM’s corps lived up to it as they floated across the stage with a flawless unison to create the illusion of swans. The synchronized undulating ‘swan arms,’ which rippled through the ranks, along with the tilting of their heads and shoulders to evoke the bird-like movements, was breathtaking. Without missing a beat, these dancers seamlessly traversed through the geometric formations representing the swans swimming on the lake, taking flight, and protecting their queen, Odette. The corps de ballet’s unison arabesque jumps rose with commanding precision, each dancer reaching skyward with fully stretched feet.”
