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.
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.
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.
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.
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 25th
Anniversary and their successful season.
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