FIREBIRD and Other Ballets, My Take on BP's Gala Performance

August 19 was the date of the official opening of Ballet Philippines’ 47^th season with a very special production of Firebird and Other Ballets.  Along with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO), the opening night was a festivity of sights and sounds.

As you enter the main lobby of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, various visual art pieces are on display for the enjoyment of those attending the show.  Photographs, sketches and art works were all in display!  People were also dressed for the occasion!  Despite the rain outside, the stars have left heaven for a while and decided to be part of the celebration that night.

With the PPO playing all the musical scores that night, under the baton of Olivier Ochanine, the audio treat is definitely set.  From the first note of the National Anthem down to the last note of Igor Stravinsky’s “Firebird”, PPO truly made that night more enchanting to the audience and perhaps more to the performers.

The first dance presented that night was Carlo Pacis’ Weighted Whispers.

Garry Corpuz and Rita Winder

It’s a show stopper!  The emotional weight of the dance may be heavy but the story was clear!  It was a true pleasure to see two long limbed dancers paired and danced beautifully.  The Garry Corpus and Rita Winder pairing were exquisite to behold!  The extensions and the marvel of the twist being done by this two were truly something to watch out for.  I am not saying that the two other dancers who paired off with them were not good, what I am saying is the effortless matching of moves when to physically matched dancers were seen on stage.  Rita was quite something to see in this piece that night!  She was basically displaying her emotions on her sleeves, so to speak.  The pain, sorrow and desire were all presented clearly by Rita for us to see and feel.  It may be emotionally heavy but it was one dance piece truly worth watching. 

Thank you Carlo Pacis for this extended version of Shifting Wait now known as Weighted Whispers!  Your creation was divine and breathtaking.

Up next was the playful dance of Dwight Rodrigazo entitled Moving Two.

I love the booty!  That red and with a hint of black in their dance costume was just the right mix to capture every one’s attention.  The piece has humor and playfulness that allowed the dancers to truly let go but still showing their hard earned discipline.  The movements were precise that it was in a near perfect sync knowing that it is a pas de deux.  The story of the piece? That you have to see.

Ne Neh Ledej or Do Not Look Any Further by renowned choreographer David Campos, took the curtains down for the first part of the program that night.

This is a dance that has a cultural mix into it.  The music was lively that you get to be captivated by it with its opening chord. The movements were snappy yet fluid and playful that you see humor in it.  I would say, laughter was one key ingredient in the creation of this piece.  The mix of cultural beat and classical rhythm is truly remarkable!

What is fascinating with this piece is how two different things gets to be combined and works well.  The stage design and light played an important part to it too.  Ne Neh Ledej is no comic piece but you will definitely feel happy and glad that you have watched it!

After 20 minutes of intermission, now come the piece de resistance, the Firebird – choreographed by Georgian born US citizen George Birkadze (who is by the way a mix martial artist also).

Firebird - Denise Parungao as the Spice Princess

The 2016 version of the Firebird is not a far cry in terms of interpretation from its classical predecessors.  The difference?  How it was visually interpreted by Mark Higgins, this production’s costume designer and president of SLIM’s Fashion School.  He took his inspiration from different known elements during the trade industry of the pre-colonial era such as spices, porcelain and gold.  Visually, the costumes were beautiful!  It was also strong enough to deal with the demands of the choreographer and dancers.  No wonder it would be displayed in some SM Malls after the weekend run of this production.

How do I find the Firebird?

The costumes are beautiful!  The way the original music was played was exquisite (thank you PPO!)!  The choreography was clear and precise.  The interpretation somehow fell a little short from its intended mark.  Why do I say this?  I have seen a sample dance of it during the press launch which took place some weeks back and the sample was remarkable!  The dancer was a bird in the making already.  The evil magician already emitted menace at that time.  The enchanted princesses look like dolls – porcelain dolls to be exact.  All this were not evident that night.

The fight scene - Rita Winder as the Firebird

The bird was not a bird but a confused character.  Trapped with being a bird or a woman, the movements were not showed-off properly.  The bird like nuances’, which were evident during the press launch, was like a flickering bulb that night.  It was there, it wasn’t there.  The evil magician became soft in his interpretation somehow.  That personality of evil became simply a shadow that blended with the shadows on stage.  The masks used to denote enchantment placed on the princesses look like a misplaced Phantom of the Opera inspiration.  Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE PotO very much but that mask was a visual blunder.  The princes’ face pieces were far way better in showing enchantment was placed on them.  The chase scene between the Pearl Merchant and the enchanted princes was somehow comedic, for the steps used was similar to that of a ballet themed for kids which I saw some time back.  Knowing also that most of them performed in the other dance pieces that night, proper energy release is a must.  Somehow you feel a subtle lack of energy in some performers which made this piece soar but not to the height it should soar. 

Koschei, the evil magician with the enchanted princesses, the
Pearl Merchant (Garry Corpuz) and the Princess from the
Land of Spice (Denise Parungao)

Is this a case of too much dancer’s freedom or communication hindrance between choreographer and dancers?  Why do I say dancer’s freedom?  From the horse’s mouth, they say that they were given the liberty to experiment and try some moves.  That is good, for the creation of a masterpiece calls for two-way clear communication. But was the experimentation right?  That night, it came out not the way you expected it to be.  I saw some post in social media of the choreographer coaching the dancers during rehearsals and I saw the same pose between the dancer and the choreographer but the emotions exuded were different.  I saw this group of dancers perform some of George’s work before and have done it with panache so I don’t think there is a communication gap somewhere.  I have some other thoughts about it but I leave it to those who have seen it also to understand where I am coming from.

Do I like George Birkadze’s interpretation of the Firebird?  Yes I do.  His way of creating a story was evident in the moves given per scene.  Did I enjoy it that night?  It is a yes and a no.  Yes, because it was given new taste, a very George Birkadze style.  No, because his interpretation didn’t reached the height I expected it to be delivered.  It flew but not high enough.

As a whole, Firebird and Other Ballets was a blast nonetheless!  It was a fitting season opening piece for Ballet Philippines 47^th season.

*All images used were provided by Ballet Philippines.