Love moves with Ballet Manila and Christian Bautista in‘Ballet & Ballads’
Ballet Manila closes its 22nd performance season with the perfect tribute to the month of Love: a spectacular restaging of its most enduring concert series, Ballet & Ballads, featuring top balladeer and musical theater artist Christian Bautista.
“It’s a fitting production for the Valentine season because Ballet & Ballads was actually a gift of love from my husband,” reveals BM artistic director Lisa MacujaElizalde, who is married to media mogul Fred J. Elizalde, chairman of the Manila Broadcasting Company. “On our first year of marriage, he began thinking of how MBC can partner with Ballet Manila in bringing first-rate ballet performances to more audiences throughout the country. He decided that the best way to do this was by sponsoring a touring concert that combined the magic of classical ballet with the mass appeal of pop music in a colorful and exciting production that’s meant to draw a larger and younger crowd.”
Since 1998, Ballet & Ballads has become BM’s longest running series with well over 200 successful performances like nationwide, school campuses both in theaters and malls. and Through in non-traditional the years, venues it has also seen the company collaborate with some of the country’s most successful musical artists such as Basil Valdez, Ariel Rivera, Janno Gibbs, Jaya, Nyoy Volante, Lani Misalucha, Toni Gonzaga, Luke Mejares, Bugoy Drilon, and Side A Band, to name a few.
In celebrating 20 years of Ballet & Ballads, Macuja-Elizalde has chosen to partner with multi-awarded pop superstar, Christian Bautista, whose remarkable international following has given him the moniker Asia’s Romantic Balladeer.
“Fingers crossed, this collaboration might just pave the way for bringing Ballet & Ballads on an international tour,” she reveals. “With Christian’s star power as a musical artist and BM’s growing network of regional alliances, it’s a production that we can easily stage in key cities across Asia and beyond. It has a lot of potential for entertaining audiences anywhere in the world with its tasteful blend of contemporary Filipino music and dance with classical favorites.”
As with previous productions, ballet remains to be at the heart of the program, with exciting new choreographies waiting to be unveiled. Among them are the world premiere performances of Martin Lawrance’s
Aria and Augustus Damian III’s El Adwa, along with brand new works by resident
Ballet & Ballads also features guest artists from the Klassikal Music Foundation: baritone Andrew Fernando, sopranos Jade Riccio and Stephanie Aguilar, mezzo soprano Krissan Manikan Tan, tenor Leo Lanuza, and the very special participation of KMF founder and tenor, Dr. George T. Yang. The ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra provides symphonic delight under the baton of Maestro Joshua Dos Santos.
Ballet Manila’s Ballet & Ballads goes onstage with gala shows at 6 p.m. on Feb. 10 and 17, and matinees at 3 p.m. on Feb. 11 and 18 at the Aliw Theater.
For tickets, visit any TicketWorld outlet or online at www.ticketworld.com.ph, or call 891-999.