Katherine Barkman on fire in Ballet Manila's Don Quixote

Principal dancer Katherine Barkman was on fire and could do no wrong on her second successive night as Kitri in Ballet Manila’s 21^st season ending production of Don Quixote.

With porcelain like features more suited for ingénue roles like Giselle, Katherine was initially a hard sell for me as Kitri when the company announced months ago their 2016-2017 Revenge of the Classics line up with Don Quixote capping the season. But she dispelled my doubts come actual performance night. One of my favorite moments of her performance was when her face lit up as she was about to complete those notorious fouettés realizing that she has nailed them.

Katherine’s most impressive performance to date almost made me forget her Basilio which was portrayed by the guest danseur Mikhail Martynyuk of the Kremlin Ballet Theater. Mesmerizing was his pirouettes wherein he pulled his free leg in making for a lightning fast last couple of rotations with his ankles close together. Martynyuk’s spotting while rotating was so crisp and precise that I couldn’t help but be drawn to his head instead of his feet.

Katherine’s Kitri and Martynyuk’s Basilio shone individually but they weren’t as fluid during their partner work. The lifts looked like they played it safe and one could see the hard work being done with the assisted pirouettes. I learned only after the show that got paired only a few weeks before. The other Kitris of this run, Dawna Mangahas (who was originally paired with Martynyuk) and Pia Dames, both encountered injuries weeks before the show opened that even put into question whether they’d be able to perform on stage at all. But the two of them recovered on time and danced at the matinee performances.

Don Quixote’s other pair of lovebirds, Mercedes and Espada, was portrayed by real life sweethearts Abigail Oliviero and Mark Sumaylo. The long limbed Abigail exuded sultriness and sensuality and her back bends defied human anatomy. Mark cut a dashing figure as a matador requiring almost no effort from him to stand out. The numerous times these two had to lean back whenever they were on stage made my back hurt although I was just seated comfortably at the Aliw Theater.

The vision scene featured not just a breath taking backdrop but also Joan Sia and Tiffany Chiang as the Dryad Queen and Amour respectively. The two ladies’ solid variations showed the depth of Ballet Manila’s company of dancers.

With the spotlight of the ballet towards the young lovers Kitri and Basilio, the quest of Don Quixote (Niel John Mag-aso) accompanied by his squire Sancho Panza (Kenneth del Rosario) served as a sort of book ends and interludes loosely weaving the main narrative together. And as the ballet ended with Don Quixote continuing his search for his Dulcinea (Alison Black), I got reminded yet again of my quest to finish reading the novel by Miguel de Cervantes.

With a very limited one weekend run, I wasn't able to catch Dawna and Pia's take on Kitri as well as their respective Basilios, Rudolph Capongcol and Gerardo Francisco as well as Katherine's original partner Rudy de Dios. Like I said earlier, imagining Katherine as Kitri was difficult but this isn't the case with Dawna and Pia. I wish I could've seen these two and see for myself how they, along with Katherine, follow in the footsteps of Lisa Macuja-Elizalde and shape the future of Ballet Manila in years to come.