Ballet Philippines: A whirlwind of creative energy on International Dance Day
T hanks to Ballet Philippines, we were able to revel in one of our most beloved art forms last April 29, the day specifically dedicated to the celebration of dance all over the world. That day happens to be the birthday of 18th century French dancer and ballet master Jean-Georges Noverre, the creator of modern ballet. It was only fitting that International Dance Day be honored with contemporary pieces by the new breed of artists from the country’s premier dance company.
Titled “The Young Choreographers & Dancers Showcase,” the presentation was held at Studio 1, the company’s new satellite studio beside the Folk Arts Theatre at the CCP Complex. Studio 1 has an industrial edge to it — constructed from repurposed metal containers donated by one of the company’s shipping line patrons — making the venue the perfect setting for the show which included some bold themes like “homotragedies” and sexual fetishes. The staging of original choreographies from BP always excites us because it’s usually fresh, experimental and fearless. Their imagination has free rein and there are no borders, definitely in keeping with the IDD’s aim of crossing all political, cultural and ethnic barriers to bring people together in a shared language.
Take “Rabbit Hole,” the opening number by Gilliane Therese Gequinto which references the 19th century novel Alice
in Wonderland written by English author Lewis Carroll but set to the song Switch by Amon Tobin, a Brazilian composer of electronic music. Although jazzy in parts, the music cannot be categorized into any one particular genre, much like the choreography of Gequinto’s piece. Mark Anthony Grantos as the rabbit comes out in an all-white sleeveless shirt and jeans but with his face made up like a wayang
kulit Indonesian puppet mask. There’s a certain authority and deviousness in his movements as he entices Alice (Joanne Therese Sartorio) who wears a girly stretch mini and moves like an ingenue. While the rabbit has sure steps, she dances in a frenzy — creating a tension that is visually engaging.
Ian Nick Tiba, a BP company apprentice, choreographed a fellow apprentice, Danilo Dayo Jr. in Room, which he says is about the dilemma of a person who wants to leave but is dragged down by responsibilities that prevent him from doing so. Although we’ve seen the use of a chair in dances many times before, there were some interesting movements and sequences and Dayo is a technically good dancer who was a delight to watch as he balanced and maneuvered around the piece of furniture that anchored him to the ground but was later a springboard for liberation.
Dayo also has his own ideas about dance which he explored in “Metamorphoo,” an excerpt from his thesis at the De La Salle College of St. Benilde where he was originally enrolled in a dance program. Adapting the Greek myth, Pyg- malion and Galatea, Dayo chose the perfect soundtrack: Palladio by Karl Jenkins, a composition for string orchestra that was inspired by the 16th century Italian architect Andrea Palladio whose work epitomizes the Renaissance celebration of harmony and order. The music evokes the classical world of Greece while the choreography delineates the discipline, persistence and passion of the Cypriot sculptor who relentlessly worked on carving the perfect woman out of ivory. Subsequently falling in love with his creation, he asks help from the gods to make her human. Dayo builds up the excitement as Pygmalion, (Louise John Ababon) transforms the lifeless statue (Carmela Gumban) into Galatea, the woman of his dreams.
One of our favorite pieces in the showcase is “Maniera” by Bonifacio Guerrero, another BP apprentice who recently joined the WiFi Body Choreographers Competition. Maniera is the Italian word for mannerism, a period in painting in the 1500s that favored compositional tension and instability, elongated forms and precariously balanced poses. Guerrero used Eloisa Jessa Tangalin, a lone dancer, to interpret these mannerist characteristics. A BP scholar, Tangalin is a perfect fit with the choreographer, having worked together on previous collaborations. Wearing multicolored cubist print body tights, she mesmerizes with her primeval movements which may call to mind Agnes Locsin’s style in their ethnic angularity but done in a completely new way and with a different context.
In “Harmonic Souls,” Edana Mae Labitoria explores how life develops through the two opposing poles of male and female, using two male dancers — Erl Emmanuel Sorilla and Christopher Nino Royeca. Using two males may give it a homoerotic color but using a male and a female would be too trite. Using the male as the classical ideal, Labitoria illustrates the two sides that struggle within. “The Here and After” by Jun Miyake provides a haunting melody for the now melding, now separating, then colliding, bodies that elegantly interact on stage to dramatize the human condition.
Richardson Yadao has been a familiar figure on the CCP stage as BP’s principal dancer for the last few years so news of his recent departure made many ballet devotees sad but it’s good to know that he is still with us through his choreographies. With his experience as a dancer and working with some of the best choreographers, it’s no wonder that he is able to craft a beautiful piece of work like “Survivor: How Do We Move On?” With a stylized neo-classical forms and movements he comes up with a poignant dramatization of how war over religious beliefs and cultural differences have left victims scarred, doing whatever they can just to survive each passing day. Monica Amanda Gana, a recently promoted soloist who portrayed the title role in Alice Reyes’ Cinderella last December and Lester Reguindin, a BP company member, were in perfect form and had good chemistry in this eloquent piece.
In keeping with BP’s unique curriculum that encompasses various dance styles and techniques, Margherita Vasselli, a Hip Hop International Elite judge, was invited to teach at the BP Dance School. Just like rap in music, hip-hop seems to be here to stay and modern dance cannot ignore it. Vasselli, who is also the judge director of the same organization in Italy, Brazil and the UK, presented “NRG,” a new choreography featuring BP Dance School scholars and BP Crew, the Dance School’s hip-hop performing arm. Vasselli teaches New Style hip-hop through the creation of new choreographies like “NRG,” letting dancers alternately move through and hit the music’s beats, utilizing their bodies’ flexibility. The choreography actually develops and evolves depending on the different styles and attitudes of the dancers in relation to the music, making each piece a unique, collaborative exercise with smooth, effortless dance moves.
There’s probably nothing more joyous for a finale than having shirtless men in tutus but Erl Emmanuel Sorilla’s “Requiem to a Cygnet” is actually what he calls “a mass for the dead” — concealing a ‘homotragedy.’” Traditionally female in Swan Lake, the swans became male dancers in Matthew Bourne’s version because he observed that although swans may look calm and graceful, they actually have strong, masculine characteristics and can even be vicious.
For Soriila’s take on the classic, he alludes to the established symmetry of four swans but diminishes them to three to symbolize the death of a part of their identity — a loss of the true self when one is forced by society to conform. These deeply felt sentiments of loss are conveyed in graceful forms and movements, danced with precision and sensitivity by Victor Maguad, Bonifacio Guerrero Jr. and Louise John Ababon.
One memorable sequence has them gathering the white ashes of the fourth swan from the tutu on the floor as they circled around it in mourning. It was a most moving piece, with an energy delivered with such force that the audience may have been affected not just at that moment when they stood to applaud but even moments or days after when images of that beautiful dance come to mind. It recalls what Spanish choreographer and dancer Israel Galván de los Reyes said in his message for International Dance Day: “Carmen Amaya, Valeska Gert, Suzushi Hanayagi, Michael Jackson … I see them as energy- generating turbines and it makes me think about the importance of choreography on that energy of the dancer. The important thing is probably not the choreography, but specifically that energy, the whirlwind which it triggers.”