MANILA, Philippines — Ballet Manila beautifully staged its world premiere of "Pearls," the highlight of its 30th anniversary, cementing the company's reputation as a formidable ballet institution.
It beautifully translated, through the medium of dance, how grains of sand turn into a beautiful gem and, in so doing, created a parallel as to how ballerinas and danseurs are honed through the passage of time.
An original piece choreographed by Ballet Manila's chief executive Lisa Macuja-Elizalde, with co-artistic director Martin Lawrence, to the enchanting music of Giusseppe Verdi, the neo-classical full-feature employed movements that simply celebrated the legacy of Agrippina Vaganova, the visionary artiste who developed the Vaganova technique.
Macuja-Elizalde learned of this method while studying at the Leningrad Choreographic Institute, also known as the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet.
The Vaganova method is the purest form of teaching classical ballet. Thorough and methodical techniques afford ballet dancers the skill by learning the proper use of muscles, as they move with control, dexterity, and grace without exerting tension on the wrong muscles.
"Pearls," loosely based on George Balanchine's "Jewels," features dance vignettes that depict the similarities between the evolution of a dancer's mastery and acumen with that of a pearl's formation. The comparison is brought to the fore with the gradual shift in color in the performers' costumes — from white to gold. Grace and strength can only result from a cultivation over time.
"Pearl" showcased all the styles that the company has performed. As a collaboration with gem company Jewelmer, spectators were also reminded that the gold pearl is our national gem!
Catch Ballet Manila's next offering on May 30, 31, and June 1 with "Swan Lake," featuring Katherine Barkman and Esteban Fernandez of the San Francisco Ballet Company.