The Ballet Manila Archives is the repository of documents, print, photographic, audio and video materials and memorabilia relating to the history of Ballet Manila and the life and career of its founder, prima ballerina Lisa Macuja-Elizalde. This site is powered by Ms. Elizalde and Project Art, Inc.
It’s April Fools’ Day! What better way to mark this day of pranks than with a feature about the character that elicits laughter with his bag of tricks, a bit of buffoonery and plain old silliness. Whatever you may call him – a clown, a jester or a harlequin – he’s the one who’s been injecting fun and humor in many a ballet scene. Let’s take a look at some of these rib-ticklers from Ballet Manila productions over the years!
Harlequin (Anselmo Dictado) amuses his lady love Columbine (Jessa Balote) with his playful moves in the Harlequinade pas de deux featured in Heart to Heart: Ballet & Ballads (2014). The Harlequinade ballet takes the commedia dell’arte approach that combines elements of mime and comedy. Photo by Jojo Mamangun
Two clowns (Jerome Espejo, left, and Aldrin Villanueva) try to win the favor of a beautiful fairy-doll princess (Sofia Sangco) in Fairy Doll. With choreography by Nikolai and Sergey Legat set to music by Joseph Bayer, the pas de trois was premiered by Ballet Manila during its second Mindanao tour in the late 1990s and has become a staple in the company’s repertoire. Photo by Ocs Alvarez
As the Jester in Swan Lake (2011), Glenn Ragel leads his troupe in regaling palace guests at the ball celebrating Prince Siegfried’s twenty-first birthday. Photo by Ocs Alvarez
It is Christmas Eve in The Nutcracker (2004) and Uncle Drosselmeyer has taken it upon himself to provide the night’s entertainment. He has brought along a selection of life-sized toys, including the Harlequin whose performance manages to catch the children’s attention. Photo by Ocs Alvarez
It’s not only the clown that has come to town but a whole bunch of circus acts. For Pleasure Island (2015), a Christmas show at Star City excerpted from Ballet Manila’s Pinocchio, ballerinas Katherine Barkman, Abigail Oliveiro and Dawna Reign Mangahas are joined by mimes, unicyclists, jugglers and the ringman. Photo by Ocs Alvarez
In Swan Lake (1996), the Jester (Eduardo Espejo Jr.) fulfills his duty to the hilt. His key role for the monarch is to keep the crowd entertained at the royal court. Ballet Manila teamed up with Krasnoyarsk Ballet so they could have a full cast to bring the classic to life. Photo by Ocs Alvarez
