Yes, their pearls are real! Ballet Manila celebrates three decades of dance in a series of performances that features Filipino and foreign ballet stars. Witness how this troupe unraveled through layers to reveal its luster and shine as one of the country’s finest.
A series of stellar productions featuring world-renowned ballet superstars from the US and Russia marks Ballet Manila’s 30th year celebration at the Aliw Theater in Pasay City.
The performance season dubbed “The Pearl Year” opens with The Pearl Gala on Mar. 7, 8 p.m., and on Mar. 8 and 9, 5 p.m. Showcasing exquisite performance pieces from Ballet Manila, the gala features the world premiere of Pearls choreographed by none other than Ballet Manila’s CEO and artistic director Lisa Macuja-Elizalde, along with fellow award-winning choreographers Martin Lawrance and Gerardo Francisco Jr.
Enciso, Romeo Peralta and Junmark Sumaylo, CEO and artistic director Lisa Macuja-Elizalde, principal dancers Abigail Lynn Oliveiro and Shaira May Comeros, artistic associate Gerardo Francisco Jr and event host Mitch Valdez
“This is a wonderful opportunity to emphasize our mission of bringing ballet to the people and people to ballet, as well as highlight ballet as a beautiful art form,” shared Macuja-Elizalde.
Ballet Manila’s The Pearl Gala will open with Paquita, which was first performed by Ballet Manila during its first ballet concert 30 years ago. The dance company is performing it once again to display the collective strength of its corps de ballet.
From the very classical Paquita, the gala will present Bloom, originally choreographed by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa in 2014 and performed by American companies such as Cincinnati Ballet and Los Angeles Ballet. Once again, the number will showcase the diversity and strengths of the company in its 30th year, with the unique presence of a male-dominated corps de ballet this time.
(FROM LEFT) Ballet Manila’s The Pearl Gala featuring Benidict Sabularse, Francesca Nicole Raypon and Jessa Balote; Ballet Manila’s Paquita Adagio featuring Noah Esplana and Shaira May Comeros
Pearls will complete the gala to show how the development of a pearl is similar to that of a dancer.
From The Pearl Gala, Ballet Manila continues the performance season with the classical ballet production of Swan Lake on May 30, 8 p.m., and on May 31 and June 1, 5 p.m. A special matinee on May 31, 1 p.m. will feature Ballet Manila principal dancer Abigail Oliveiro and San Francisco Ballet company artist Nathaniel Remez as the leads.
A fitting choice for the company’s 30th year, the difficult and demanding choreography of Swan Lake stands for Ballet Manila’s commitment to excellence as it showcases its Russian Vaganova training. Former Ballet Manila principal dancer and now San Francisco Ballet soloist Katherine Barkman and principal dancer Esteban Hernandez will perform on stage.
Hasegawa, Romeo Peralta and Ris May Camaclang
Closing the performance season is Don Quixote, another classical ballet featuring the return of ballet superstar Mariinsky prima ballerina Renata Shakirova.
“We have a very packed and exciting performance season, and I’m excited for the audience to finally see what we have worked so hard for on our Pearl Year,” Macuja-Elizalde said.
All performances will be staged at the Aliw Theater, Pasay City. For tickets, visit www.ticketworld.com.ph.To learn more about Ballet Manila and its shows, visit www.balletmanila.com.ph
