This Month in BM History: September 1998
Two tragic tales, a ballet set in hell and a nature-inspired piece made up Ballet Manila’s third offering for its performance season in 1998. Poster from the Ballet Manila Archives collection
Just three years old in 1998, Ballet Manila had become the busiest ballet company around, with its leaders not even realizing it. Artistic director Eric V. Cruz and co-artistic director Lisa Macuja Elizalde said as much in their notes for Petrushka and Other Ballets, the third offering in its third season, which also happened to be their their first season in a new venue – the GSIS Theater.
Pan (Osias Barroso Jr.) is about to barge in on a trio of dancers (Melanie Motus, Eileen Lopez and Sandralynn Huang) in this scene from Walpurgis Nacht. Photo by Ocs Alvarez
“It was a bit shocking for us to note during our mid-year evaluation that Ballet Manila had danced in more than 50 performances between January and June 1998. This is a record number of shows that many European and American companies cannot duplicate,” the directors wrote.
And how does one celebrate such a feat? By dancing even more! Petrushka and Other Ballets brought back Spanish choreographer David Campos’ version of the tragic Petrushka, a story of unrequited love where the clown doll pines for the Arabian doll who in turn only has eyes for the toy soldier.
Campos also had a new piece up his sleeve, the nature-themed Velvet Wings which had its world premiere in the production. The 25-minute piece only took the choreographer eleven days to create – inspired by butterflies flitting about in his mother-in-law’s garden.
Another returning number was People’s Artist of Russia Sergey Vikulov’s interpretation of Romeo and Juliet – with only five pivotal characters giving life to the Shakesperean tale. The difference is that, instead of focusing on the tragic ending, the ballet toasts the triumph of love amid all obstacles.
The fourth feature was the ballet excerpt from Act 3 of the opera Faust called Walpurgis Nacht as restaged by guest ballet master from Moscow, Viktor Saveliev. Walpurgis Nacht portrays an evening of abandon, set in hell, where all the devils and she-devils are in a delirious state as they indulge in excessive drinking and dancing.
A story in BusinessWorld describes the fare showcased in Petrushka and Other Ballets. Clipping from the Ballet Manila Archives collection
