MANILA, Philippines - Ballet Manila presents its 19th performance season this month, featuring a repertoire comprised of the classics and new choreographic works.
Prima ballerina Lisa Macuja-Elizalde, Ballet Manila artistic director, said while the company is known for classical ballet presentations, they also want to keep introducing contemporary pieces by in-house talents and international choreographers.
“We will always perform traditional favorites because it’s the foundation of Ballet Manila and that’s what our audience will look for. But at the same time, we want to showcase our versatility by highlighting a range of new pieces,” Macuja-Elizalde says.
Ballet Manila kicks off its 19th season with a celebration of Original Pilipino Music (OPM) dubbed Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika: An OPM Festival. Gala night is on Aug. 22, 7:30 p.m. at Aliw Theater, CCP Complex, Pasay City. Other performances are slated on Aug. 23, 24, 29, 30 and 31.
The first part of the program features the Luzviminda ballet suite, composed of three pieces representing the country’s major island groups Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. The second part is billed as TLC (True Love Conversations), a series of vignettes exploring love and relationships created by in-house choreographers Gerardo Francisco, Francis Jaena, Jonathan Janolo and Michael Divinagracia. Based on the popular radio series aired on 90.7 Love Radio, TLC will also feature its host Papa Jack.
On Oct. 10, 11 and 12, the production titled Two! bares a pair of the most notable names in British dance. Jonathan Watkins and Martin Lawrance create new works especially for Ballet Manila.
The company then brings back Swan Lake on Nov. 14, 15 and 16, with Maxim Chaschegorov and Katherina Markowskaja of the Bavarian State Ballet as guest artists. In this gripping tale, Prince Siegfried falls in love with a bewitched princess, Odette, who turns into a swan by day. The prince pledges eternal fidelity to her but mistakenly proposes to another woman, Odile, when evil sorcerer Rothbart casts a spell.
For its Christmas presentation, Ballet Manila bares Nutkraker: Pasko na Naman Muli. Slated Nov. 28, 29 and 30 and Dec. 5, 6 and 7, it combines excerpts from an international ballet favorite, The Nutcracker, with local holiday-themed numbers.
The 19th season wraps up with BM 2.0: Ballet Manila’s 20th Anniversary Concert on Feb. 20, 21 and 22, 2015. The retrospective is composed of classical fare, original modern choreography and excerpts from Filipino productions that have become the company’s trademarks. The show also premieres the work of Colombo-Belgian guest choreographer Anabelle Lopez Ochoa specially made for the company.
Ballet Manila’s 19th performance season is co-presented by Manila Broadcasting Company and sponsored by Aliw Theater, Star City and BPI Express Credit.
For tickets, call Ballet Manila at 525-5967 or 400-0292, email info@balletmanila.com.ph, visit www.balletmanila.com.ph; or Ticketworld at 891-9999 or ticketworld.com.ph. There is an ongoing season subscription promotion for BPI credit cardholders via Ticketworld.