Death allures in Ballet Philippines' Opera

From the moment that I set foot at the Main Lobby of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, I couldn’t help but be awed by the scale and especially by the grotesqueness and eeriness of the sculptures by Gabriel Barredo that greeted me. Mannequins each bearing a unique alteration and/or mutilation rendered them not quite human. And being the inanimate objects that they are, they emitted a sense of harsh coldness. Without a doubt, I’ve already stepped into the world of Opera, Ballet Philippines’ closing production for their 46^th Dance Spring Season.

Once inside the theater, I thought that I would be overwhelmed by the set pieces on the much larger stage. But, choreographer Redha opted to start the ballet almost in total darkness with just a lone dancer, Death (Denise Parungao) fluidly moving underneath a set piece of a womb bearing twins. Soon enough, The Mother (Carissa Adea) pregnant with twins enter the stage. And with the subsequent birth of The Twins (Victor Maguad and Erl Sorilla), so did the stage light up revealing the intricate pieces assembled on stage that dwarfed the one at the lobby.

One by one, the dancers started to emerge from the sets as if the artworks were being brought to life. This spark of life was such a direct contrast from the inanimate coldness that I felt before. But there was a catch, the life that flows through these Imperfect Creations is flawed and the movements were jolty, clumsy, and spastic. And as if Redha is sticking to a theme of contrasts, the movements of The Watcher (Jean Marc Cordero) and his eyes were more deliberate and finished.

One of the most striking contrasts were seen during Act II, entitled Sex. The first such act involved the younger Twin (Erl) character with the Homunculus (Earl John Arisola) which was violent, further highlighted by the pounding pulse of the music and the flood of vibrant red lights. While when the older Twin (Victor) did it with one of The Watcher’s eyes, it was a lot tender accompanied by lyrical strings and bathed with softer lights.

While all this was happening, I was always drawn to Death who has never looked so alluring and tempting. It puzzled me when I saw her shadowing the movements of The Homunculus earlier on and then doing the same with The Mother during the latter part. I had to ask Redha what those movements meant. Was Death mimicking the others or was she the one pulling the strings all the while? And when Death claimed The Mother, all the frantic, complex and intricate dancing calmed down. From it, came a funeral procession that was very orderly and peaceful. When I caught up to Redha after the show, he said that the shadowing movements is but a reminder that Death is just around the corner. And for the funeral march that had the most sense of order throughout the whole ballet, Redha responded cryptically that Death is the most natural thing in the world.

I came in to the theater anticipating Gabriel Barredo’s art brought to life by the Ballet Philippines dancers. And what a life they brought to the stage. As for the music by Malek Lopez, the insistent pulse, sometimes calm and at times racing, was like the blood pumping through the veins of the body. But it was still Death that mesmerized me. Gabriel Barredo’s Opera showed that having Death lingering around makes me see what Life is all about more clearly.

Art and dance give birth to Opera, Ballet Philippines’ 46th season ender

 

February 13 & 14, 2016, 6:00 PM

February 16, 2016, 8:00 PM Fund Raising Gala

Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater)

Cultural Center of the Philippines

CCP Complex
Pasay, Metro Manila

The dancers initially move slowly across the rehearsal hall, each scantily dressed in flesh-colored tights implying nudity. Their movements, soft and tender one moment, and then agitated, tense, deliberate, and even violent the next. The music, mostly atmospheric but with an underlying thumping rhythm like a heartbeat coming from underground. The dancers then occasionally group into multiple tableaus at different areas, each vying for one’s attention yet composing a complex, bigger picture. Yet through it all, a lone female dancer, the only one fully clothed among them, walks casually, weaving her way in a slow, fluid and controlled fashion as if she belongs to different plane than the rest of the dancers.

This was my first glimpse of Opera, Ballet Philippines’ closing production of their 46^th Dance Spring season. Combining Gabriel Barredo’s groundbreaking installation with Redha's choreography, Opera will have its world premiere on February 13, 2016, 6:00 PM at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Main Theater.

After the watching an excerpt from the ballet, it was off to a sneak peek of some of Barredo’s sculptures to be used on stage and also for the exhibit at the Main Theater lobbies happening concurrent to the ballet’s limited run. What greeted me and other members of the press were hundreds of mannequins, each bearing distinct alterations making them look like mutant specimens, grotesque cadavers, or at times, intricate machines. I couldn’t help but be drawn to a couple of huge eyeballs and the recurring eye motif. This made me feel as if I’m being continually watched. There I learned that the exhibit Opera was originally presented at Silverlens Galleries in January last year and was toured in Singapore for the opening celebrations of the National Gallery Singapore just last November. And the pieces that I saw were a new set of sculptures specifically made for the ballet.

Having the tour of the sculptures and other set pieces gave me a better understanding of what’s to come. My initial reaction was that they are a physical manifestation of the body focused more on the musculature and machinery. And they are given life by the dancers. Speaking of dancers, Victor Maguad and Erl Sorilla lead the cast as the Twins, joined by Jean Marc Cordero as the Watcher and Earl John Arisola as the Creation. After an injury sidelined her during most of the season, Denise Parungao makes her first appearance this season dancing the role of Death. And after a residency in New York through an Asian Cultural Council grant, former principal dancer Carissa Adea returns to Ballet Philippines as the Mother.

The rest of the creative team includes librettists Yvette Tan and Erwin Romulo, composer Malek Lopez, lighting designer John Batalla, costume designer James Reyes, associate choreographer Ronelson Yadao, and Film Pabrika Inc. for the video production.

Gabriel Barredo’s Opera will have its limited run on February 13 & 14, 2016, 6:00 PM and a Fundraising Gala on February 16, 2016, 8:00 PM all happening at the CCP Main Theater. Opera is presented by Ballet Philippines with Silverlens in cooperation with the Embassy of France.