Ballet Manila stages Phl's world-class choreographies / Bolipata performs in BelAir

For Ballet Manila, variety is the spice of its life. Diverse, original productions come one after another within amazingly brief periods, and even more amazingly, with a huge cast. All this owes to the intense training and discipline which artistic director Lisa Macuja-Elizalde and her associate Osias Baroso impose (after the Vaganova method) on the ensemble.

In “Lab Ko ‘To”, except for the opening ‘Santanilla’ from ‘The Venetian Carnival’ by Petipa after Mazil, the program, veering away from the standard classic and romantic ballets, consisted of world-class compositions by Filipino choreographers.

In ‘Santanilla’, the star quality of Hanna Oh, securely partnered by Harold Salgado, was obvious  what with her fluid grace, lightness, clarity and charm. The four ballerinas  Zarla Cosico, Ja Young Kang, Stephanie Cabral and Martina Manalo/Sarah Abigail Cruz  conveyed a distinctive unity of style which, defining that of Balle Manila’s entire cast, was exhilarating to watch.

‘The Morions’ by Gerardo Francisco, inspired and derived from the Moriones Festival, featured Gerardo himself, Alvin Santos, Roduardo Ma, Niño Guevarra, Michael Divinagracia and Ricardo Mallari, their exotic masks exuded an air of mystery. Virile, Jerky, staccato movements, intense vigor and vitality calling to mind the brisk precision of gymnasts, were utterly energizing. Indeed, how exciting and magnetic! No wonder, Francisco won a bronze medal in South Korea’s World Maskplay Contest, and garnered plaudits in the 2012 Ten Drum International Festival in Taiwan.

Against a stage setting of curved bamboo poles gracefully criss-crossing, and a full moon whose waxing and waning dictate the movements of the ethnic Pangalay (here highly stylized) dancers, appearing like stealthy, eerie shadows, created a gloomy, primitive, almost overpowering ambiance enhanced by the thunderous percussions of the Kalayo Band. “Alon ng Buwan” by Max Luna made a tremendous impact.

Augustus Damian’s “Last Poem” defied logic! A ballerina, very nearly in her death throes summons enough energy to dance. There is of course artistic license reminiscent of Puccini’s ‘La Boheme’ wherein the frail, consumptive Mimi sings arias with enthralling fortissimos. In the pas de deux with Rudy de Dios, Lisa further set logic aside, evoking the very picture of poignancy and tenderness, she danced seamlessly, her turns breathtaking, her arabesques sculptured to perfection, the lifts spectacular.

As an aside, ballerina assoluta Margot Fonteyn performed in Manila at age 53. Lisa, 46 and a mother of two, will sparkle for many more years as Ballet Manila’s rare gem.

The web of vivid activities in Manuel Molina’s ‘Buenos Aires’ expressed love, passion, dismay, disappointment, yearning through solos, duets, trios, ensembles. With the dancers attired in fetchingly attractive red-and-black costumes, their vibrant movement, eloquent miming, stances and poses conveyed widely-ranging moods and emotions. In her brief role in “Lomings”, Lisa again shone as a matchless jewel.

The roster of alluring ballerinas and dynamic danseurs  technically skilled and dramatically emotive, follows: ‘The Picture’ - Gerardo Francisco, Alvin Santos, Ricardo Mallari; ‘Longings’ - Lisa, ‘Romances’ - Yanti Manduli, Czarina Villegas, Michael Divinagracia, Glenn Regal. ‘Wings’ - Gerardo Francisco. ‘The Rose’ -Hanna Oh. ‘Jilted’ - Marvin Medina. ‘Champion’ - Rudy de Dios, Niño Guevarra. ‘Passion - Sofia Sangco-Peralta, Nazer Salgado. All dancers were in the opening number ‘Streets’.

Music was by Piazolla who has drastically converted the music of his country into almost unrecognizable forms while retaining its essential substance and flavor. Molina’s arresting and compelling dances similarly retained the basic South American quality.

The brilliant staging of the dance compositions in “Lab Ko ‘To” is a tribute to our choreographers, and will immeasurably elevate their stature before balletomanes and the cognoscenti here and abroad.

“Lab Ko ‘To” ended up everyone’s “Lab” with sparklers and confetti raining as the curtains closed on the huge ensemble amidst soft thunder claps.

Alfonso “Coke” Bolipata, one of the country’s leading international violinists, will perform tomorrow, Sunday, at 7 p.m. in the BelAir Village auditorium, Makati, with the young musicians of Zambales’ Pundaquit Festival programs.