Ballet Manila @30: The Pearl Gala Revisited
Celebrating its 30th year, Ballet Manila reaffirmed its reputation as the Philippines’ premiere classical company with its season-opener, Ballet Manila @30: The Pearl Gala last March 7 at the Aliw Theater. The program, BM artistic director Lisa Macuja Elizalde explained, was especially chosen to highlight the technique, strength and artistry of the company.
The curtain opened to Paquita whose variations are considered among the most difficult of the 19th century. The classical technique highlighted BM’s Vaganova heritage with the stunning performance of principal dancers Abigail Oliviero and Mark Sumaylo as the leads, complemented by the unparallelled strength and grace of the female corps.
This was followed by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Bloom which premiered in 2015. This contemporary piece led by principal dancer Joshua Enciso and soloist Stephanie Santiago put the spotlight on the male corps of the company resulting in a powerful, yet sensuous performance of a choreography based on an Indonesian flower ritual.
The evening ended with the world premiere of Pearls choreographed by Macuja Elizalde with Martin Lawrance. Combining classical techniques with contemporary movements, it aptly illustrates the artistic director’s vision for the company she co-founded 30 years ago with the late Eric V. Cruz and Osias Barroso.
In this video is a slideshow of photographs from the opening night of The Pearl Gala taken by Erickson Dela Cruz.
