Art & Design

Ballet Philippines offers a new ‘Swan Lake’ experience

On March 4, Swan Lake will be celebrating the 140th anniversary of its premiere. To commemorate the event and cap off its 47th season, Ballet Philippines restages the ballet, featuring three extraordinary pairings for Odette/Odile and Prince Siegfried: multi-awarded guest artists Candice Adea and Joseph Phillips, BP principal dancer Denise Parungao and company member Garry Corpuz, and soloists Jemima Reyes and Victor Maguad in their first lead roles in a classical ballet.

The show opens on February 24 at the CCP Main Theater (Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo). Other performance schedules are on: February 25 at 2 PM & 7 PM, February 26 at 3 PM, March 3 at 8 PM, March 4 at 2 PM and 7 PM, and March 5 at 3 PM.

Tchaikovsky’s beautiful and moving score (what Phillips claims to be one of the reasons for the ballet’s enduring popularity), will be performed by The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Yoshikazu Fukumura on the February 24, February 25, and March 3 shows.

swan-lake
Your new Odette/Odile and Prince Siegfried: (left) Denise Parungao and Garry Corpuz; (right) Jemima Reyes and Victor Maguad Photos by Justin Bella Alonte)

Swan Lake is regarded as the summit of achievement in the theater for every major classical ballet company,” says Ballet Philippines artistic director Paul Alexander Morales. “Nowadays so many versions and interpretations of the ballet are available online, so audiences will likely have their own ideas of what Swan Lake is and what it should be like. It is our challenge to come up with an entirely new experience of this ballet.”

Swan Lake is restaged by Nonoy Froilan after Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov. Set designer Ohm David shall combine grandness and psychological intimacy. His magnificent designs pit Edwardian splendor against the spectral beauty of the white acts. James Reyes’ dramatic costumes shall emphasize the contrast between human and spirit worlds.

From the first yearning bars of Tchaikovsky’s score, Swan Lake shall beckon you to another world — it’s the ultimate night at the ballet.

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Connect to Ballet Philippines online by following @balletphilippines on Facebook and Instragram, and @balletph on Twitter and YouTube. Use the hashtags #balletph and #swanlakeballetph to joing the conversation. For tickets, call Ticketworld at 891-9999.

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