‘Swan Lake’ sells out fast for Ballet Manila’s pearl year
Within a week of TicketWorld opening sales for Ballet Manila’s (BM) 30th-anniversary “Pearl Year” shows, “Swan Lake” achieved P1 million in advance sales, despite performances being scheduled for May 31 and June 1.
BM’s artistic director and CEO, Lisa Macuja-Elizalde, attributes this early success to “Swan Lake’s” enduring popularity as a classic, stating, “It brings people to the theater.”
The company’s 30th-anniversary repertoire focuses on its strengths: classic ballets. While some ballet aficionados might perceive the choices as predictable for such a significant milestone, Ballet Manila justifies its selections with practical reasons.
A press launch at Shangri-La Plaza Mall offered a preview, beginning with excerpts from the “Pearl Gala” from March 7 to March 9. To be held at Aliw Theater, this gala will showcase pivotal pieces from BM’s history.
The program opens with “Paquita,” the company’s virtuosic showcase that opened its 1995 breakthrough performance.
Annabelle Lopez-Ochoa’s “Bloom,” inspired by Hindu devotional rituals and blending ballet with martial arts, is another highlight. Originally created for Ballet Manila, “Bloom” has since been performed by companies worldwide.
The gala concludes with the premiere of “Pearls,” an abstract ballet exploring the nuances of pearls, choreographed by Macuja-Elizalde and British choreographer-in-residence Martin Lawrance.
Describing “Pearls,” Macuja-Elizalde said: “It starts with waves. The Black Pearl couple walks across the stage, looking back, then moving forward. There’s a part when their eyes are closed. It’s like it signifies the pandemic when everything was shut down.”
The ballet also features sections dedicated to White Pearls and Gold Pearls, the signature color of BM’s partner, Jewelmer.
Dancers to watch
“Swan Lake” stands as the season’s major attraction, driven by its enduring narrative of Prince Siegfried and Odette, the swan princess trapped in human form by night, and their tale of forbidden love. Macuja-Elizalde highlighted the challenge of staging “Swan Lake,” noting that few Southeast Asian companies possess the necessary large and skilled corps de ballet for the swan scenes.
BM last performed “Swan Lake” in 2017, featuring then BM principal Katherine Barkman. Now a soloist with the San Francisco Ballet (SFB), Barkman will reprise her role, partnered by Esteban Hernandez, an SFB principal and guest artist from BM’s “Don Quixote” production.
The second cast will present BM principal Abigail Oliveiro and SFB artist Nathaniel Remez, Barkman’s boyfriend. Mark Sumaylo will portray the evil sorcerer Rothbart.
The season culminates with “Don Quixote” on Aug. 22 to Aug. 24. Following her acclaimed performance in BM’s “Giselle” last year, Renata Shakirova, principal dancer of the Mariinsky Ballet, will perform her signature role as Kitri. Elizalde and Shakirova share a common training lineage, both having studied under Tatiana Udalenkova at the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet. Shakirova offered to dance with BM’s danseurs in the role of Basilio, with Joshua Enciso, BM’s youngest principal at 25, selected for the lead. “He’s a technician, and is the strongest at the moment,” said Macuja-Elizalde.
BM last staged “Don Quixote” in 2023. Given Shakirova’s limited time in the Philippines, performing Kitri was facilitated by the similarity between the Mariinsky’s version and BM’s, which was restaged by People’s Artist of the Year 1976 Sergei Vikulov.
Enciso has consistently secured lead roles due to his fluid technique and charismatic stage presence. He began dancing at age 11 at Southernside Montessori School Dance Theatre in Muntinlupa City and represented the school at the 2015 Asian Grand Prix. The late Osias Barroso, BM’s associate artistic director, recognized his potential and invited him to join BM’s summer intensive program.
To illustrate the company’s technical prowess, the artistic director cited the dancers to watch: Rafael Perez, silver medalist in the 2018 Asian Grand Prix, and Benedict Sabularse, who received training at the Pole National Supérieur de Danse of Marseille and danced with the Hong Kong Ballet.
Moving on
The company’s 30th anniversary marks a period of significant changes. “We talk about BM Before Fred (Elizalde, the patron) and After Fred. We also talk about BM Before the Fire and After the Fire,” Macuja-Elizalde explained, referring to the devastating loss of the home venues, the Star Theater, and the partial damage of Aliw Theater. “And now, AFP—After the Fire and Pandemic.” This new chapter signifies BM’s expansion.
Building on successful international tours to Malaysia, Indonesia, and Taiwan, the company will again present Macuja-Elizalde’s ballets abroad. “Cinderella” will be staged at the Petaling Jaya Performing Arts Centre in Selangor and Graha Bhakti Budaya in Jakarta, while “Sleeping Beauty” will grace the Taoyuan Cultural Center. Macuja-Elizalde expressed her delight at the continued invitations and the warm reception from international audiences.
BM’s strength lies in its ability to uphold the classical tradition while also showcasing a rich collection of original Filipino ballets and contemporary styles, highlighting the company’s versatility. One remaining aspiration is to feature a superstar guest artist, such as Kimin Kim, the acclaimed Korean principal dancer of the Mariinsky Ballet.
Elizalde revealed that Kim’s coaches, Margarita Kulik and Vladimir Kim, her longtime friends, had urged her to extend an invitation well before the pandemic. However, Kim’s schedule was fully committed this year. “Perhaps in the future,” she said.
