Normally
when we talk about classic tragedy love stories, it will always end in
tragedy. Like Romeo and Juliet, The
Little Mermaid, and The Hunchback of Notredame, they all ended up with the lead
character dying or dead. With Giselle,
it may have the same element to a point but what makes it different is the
essence of love that went beyond from the grave so to speak.
Part of the Blue
Moon Series this September of the Ballet Philippines, who is currently
celebrating its 45th Anniversary this year, they opened the whole
series with the performance of Giselle last September 19, 2014.
Despite the
weather condition at that time, I braved the typhoon to watch the said ballet at
the Cultural Center of the Philippines – Main Theater (Tanghalang Nicanor
Abelardo). Initially dressed for the
worse weather situation, gala outfit was packed well in my bag, I travelled
from San Pedro Laguna to Manila hoping to reach the venue in a semi-dry
state. And I did! I arrived at the CCP with ample time to
change into my gala outfit (satin shirt and malong) and enjoy the view of
people coming in to give their support to Ballet Philippines.
Initially,
the performance that night was set to be accompanied with the live performance
of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra but because of the weather conditions,
it was not to be so. Even if that was
the case, people still came in to give their support and enjoy the ballet.
The
performance that night was made special for three (3) reasons: (1) It was the
start of the Blue Moon Series; (2) it was a fund-raising event to help our
local ballet dancers; and (3) it showed the long history of good relationship
between Ballet Philippines and the American Ballet Theater – performing that
night were American Ballet Theater Soloist Stella Abrera and Principal Dancer
James Whiteside as Giselle and Albrecht respectively.
The
Ballet:
Giselle
is a two-act ballet that calls for both the technical and artistic
prowess of a dancer. May you be the main
dancer or part of the chorus, it doesn’t matter for every dance piece demands
your best when you hit the stage.
It is a love
story that tells about the different phases that a girl goes to when it comes
to love; the falling into, the hurt, the betrayal and the acceptance. What makes it different is the element of
love being depicted beyond death. As
mentioned by Stella Abrera during the press preview event of the Blue
Moon Series: “There is a Giselle
is all girls.”
“Touted as one if ballet’s greatest, is a
classical romantic tragedy of loss, forgiveness and love beyond death. Her story is a familiar one – two men are in
love with her, but she chooses to surrender her heart to Albrecht, the suave
newcomer who, as Giselle later finds out , is engaged to be married.
Ignoring her suspicions and the well-meaning
advice of Hilarion, her other suitor, Giselle eventually discovers the truth
and ultimately, her heartbreak results in her demise. Yet she chooses to forgive her lover and save
his life.”
Except
of press release provided by Mr. Toots Tolentino
The
performance:
The 1st
Act was the introduction of all the “living” characters of the ballet. How Giselle and Albrecht fell in love, their
courtship, the joy of the people with their union, the jealousy of Hilarion
that led to the betrayal of Albrecht to Giselle’s love and her death. The 1st Act was a display of the
male dancers (chorus) prowess on stage.
It was also the key to understand the depth of the 2nd
Act.
The 2nd
Act tells the story of Giselle’s love that goes beyond death. It also shows the demise of Hilarion, the
price he has to pay for his jealousy, and the love of Albrecht asking for
forgiveness. If the 1st Act
was showing the prowess of the male dancers, the 2nd Act was 80% girl
power. Here you would see the female
chorus dancers giving their all, Giselle’s full dance pieces, Queen Myrthe’s
stage moments and Albrecht’s woe. In the
2nd Act, you would see the love of Giselle for Albrecht as she saves
him from the hands of Queen Myrthe of the Willis.
Stella
Abrera, as Giselle, was a delight to see on stage. She is a slim tall dancer compared to some of
the company dancers of BP but she was able to project that image of a young
girl in love. You can see in her Giselle
as a young girl in her teens being in love believing that it is truly true
love. She knows how to own and share the
stage. She shines during her solos, her
pas de deux with Albrecht and even with the company. She is one dancer who dances not only to show
what she is capable of on stage but also for the people watching her and people
she is with onstage.
Her body
length is a huge advantage when she does her arabesque and pas de deux. Her jumps were exquisite for she has control
and consciousness on her landings. Her
arches showed her control and strength. She is something to behold on stage.
A phrase to describe James Whiteside is
controlled energy. His jumps and
landings were something to behold and hear!
Why hear? It was basically noiseless!
Being a frustrated dancer myself, I used to dance – interpretative dancing
and jazz is my forte, one thing that my previous coach always tells me is to
make sure that there won’t be any sound when you make your landing. Something that my theater acting coaches also
tells me – when you walk on stage, make sure that you don’t stomped or make
that thumping sound on a wooden floor. Something that I apply whenever I am onstage before. He, James Whiteside, has it down pat.
He knows
when to take the light and share it with his co-dancers. The way he dances on stage shows his joy and
enjoyment in what he does. Though not
much in facial expression but his body movement displayed his emotion and
message loud and clear.
Rita Winder
is also a wonder to behold! Doing the
role of Queen Myrthe of the Willis, Rita showed her prowess as a dancer in both
form and projection. No wonder she was
recognized as the Female Featured Performance in a Classical Dance in the 2013 Gawad Buhay by Philstage. To describe her character (Queen Myrthe) would be someone
who is cold, distant and authoritative all at the same time but capable of
reaching out the viewers; something that she is capable of doing when she is on
stage. Even with the corps de ballet on
stage, she stands out! Her presence is
felt!
The female
dancers (chorus), were something to watch also for they were all in-sync in their
movements. A little more control, in
terms of landing – for you get to hear not just the sound of the wood part of
the ballet shoes when they land, but their gliding was a beauty to
witness. They literally floated on stage
like a spirit, as their role demands.
As a whole,
this was a performance worthy not only of my time but also the experience! It was worth braving the typhoon.
The opening
of the whole Blue Moon Series couldn’t have been made any better with the
performance that night of the Ballet Philippines. Not only is Giselle a ballet piece
that is truly considered a classic but the message it gives breaks
boundaries. Kudos to the whole company,
Ballet Philippines, and to both Stella Abrera and James Whiteside! This was a performance worthy to be part of
their Sapphire Season!
Photos:
(Picture used were provided by Ballet Philippines and Mr. Toots Tolentino)
 |
| Stella Abrera and James Whiteside |
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