Philippine Ballet Theatre's The Nutcracker

Veronica Ylagan

The Philippine Ballet Theatre recently staged The Nutcracker, which was their closing production that capped the company’s Silver year celebrations. During the gala night performance of this classic ballet featuring the equally timeless music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, the main lobby of the Cultural Center of the Philippines was bedecked with Christmas decorations and numerous booths making it seem like I was at a mini-bazaar. The atmosphere was really festive which was nice but I was there primarily for the ballet and also for the music. I do think that the atmosphere at the lobby carried over inside the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater) because PBT did deliver a very enjoyable presentation of this well loved ballet.

Tiffany Mangulabnan

I initially hoped that the music for the gala night would be performed by an actual orchestra like their season opener of Romeo and Juliet which I unfortunately missed. Sadly, it wasn’t meant to be although my initial disappointment was completely replaced with satisfaction and elation once I left the theater and hung out at the lobby for the meet and greet sessions.

Lobreza Pimentel

Going back to the ballet itself, the gala night performance featured Veronica Ylagan as Clara, Peter San Juan as the Nutcracker Prince, Lobreza Pimentel as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Tiffany Mangulabnan as the Dew Drop Fairy. It was interesting to note that Tiffany danced the role of Clara’s mother and was also one of the Snowflakes during the first act. And when I looked at the programme, I found out that Veronica and Lobreza also danced other parts during the other shows. Veronica looked very much like a little girl who probably still believed in Santa Claus who exuded joy upon receiving the nutcracker has her gift. Tiffany, on the other hand was very much a woman and she was very striking and had the presence and the charisma. Eyes are instantly drawn to her whenever she dances. Lobreza on the other hand had one of the most demanding parts in the entire ballet and I truly awaited the Pas de deux which she did quite well with Peter. Other highlights of the ballet were the Trepak with the Russian Dancers consisting of Mark Pineda, Matthew Davo and Jefferzon Comeros and the Waltz of the Flowers featuring Tiffany and the rest of the company. Both numbers were the most applauded in the evening.

The Mouse King

I’ve always enjoyed the music of Tchaikovsky and this work was one of the earliest pieces of orchestral music that I’ve heard and loved. This was also very instrumental in my current passion for classical music which is the main reason why I couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to watch a performance of this. Although the lack of live music didn’t diminish the production that much, I would’ve been in seventh heaven had it been otherwise. But as I’ve mentioned earlier, my reservation about this was completely abolished when I immersed myself in the revelry that happened after the performance. For not only did the PBT have a successful staging of the ballet, but the overall experience in itself was top notch. There were quite a number of kids in the audience and I am pretty sure that they would have nice memories of this evening and would probably want to watch more ballet productions in the future.

Philipine Ballet Theatre Company Members

After the show, the dancers hung out at the lobby and they were swamped with audience members wanting to take photos. I remember quite well the time when they were presented to the media during the height of the controversial exhibit at the CCP months ago. Tiffany somehow became the unofficial spokesperson for the PBT when the media asked her questions regarding the controversy and the threat of budget cuts. And she didn’t look very comfortable back then. But after the gala night performance, she was all smiles and in her element as people kept on congratulating her. And it was very much the same for the rest of the company. The production, re-staged by PBT's Artistic Director Ron Jaynario also featured kids from the Sayaw Foundation and they did provide some cute moments during the first act. And these same kids contributed to the jolly mood at the lobby which reminded me that Christmas is indeed fast approaching. Congratulations to the Philippine Ballet Theatre for their 25^th Anniversary and their successful season.