PUSONG WAGAS

Ballet Philippines' Pusong Wagas

Ballet Philippines ends its 42nd Season with undying love in the all-new contemporary ballet, “Pusong Wagas” on February 17 to 18 at the CCP Little Theater.

BP resident choreographer Alden Lugnasin creates his original contemporary ballet based on the legend of the city of Mandaluyong, with libretto by Nicolas B. Pichay and original music by independent music icon Cynthia Alexander.

Set in pre-colonial Manila, the story highlights the exemplary love of Luyong, a gifted carpenter, and Manda, a tribal princess, and their sacrifice in the face of the coming foreign invaders. This work is co-produced by the City of Mandaluyong and Hon. Mayor Benjamin Abalos Jr.

Contact Details:

For tickets call Ticketworld at (63 2) 891-9999; Ballet Philippines at 551-1003, 551-7919, 624-5701; CCP Box Office at 832-3704

LAB KO ‘TO

Aliw Theater

Star City

Vicente Sotto cor. Magdalena Jalandoni Sts., CCP Complex

Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines

Ballet Manila wraps up its 16th season with the ballet gala Lab Ko 'To, a collection of world-premiere pieces by choreographers Max Luna III, Augustus Damian and Manuel Molina, combined with a classical favorite, Satanilla Pas De Deux (from The Venetian Carnival), and a touch of the exotic in Morions, an international award-winning piece by BM choreographer Gerardo Francisco.

THE SLEEPING BEAUTY

Bring the whole family to Ballet Philippines’ The Sleeping Beauty

From December 2 to 11, 2011, Ballet Philippines will perform one of the most beloved classical ballets, The Sleeping Beauty, at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater). Perfect for the whole family, it will have 17 performances, including 13 matinees at 10am and 3pm, where children as young as 3 years old can watch. Tickets range from Php200 to Php600 on matinees, and student and senior citizen discounts apply.

Audiences of all ages will delight in the familiar music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, which was used in the 1959 Disney cartoon. Songs such as “Once Upon A Dream,” and “Hail to the Princess Aurora,” and soundtrack themes such as the battle scene and the bright and perky melody introducing the fairies are straight from Tchaikovsky’s score.

The Sleeping Beauty first premiered in 1890 at the Maryiinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, Russia. Based on Charles Perrault’s fairy tale, the ballet’s music was composed by the great Tchaikovsky, and was choreographed by Marius Petipa, the duo behind Swan Lake and The Nutcracker.

The ballet begins with the royal christening of the infant Princess Aurora, with her fairy godmothers bestowing gifts upon her. The festivities come to a sudden halt when the dark fairy Carabosse arrives, furious because she was not invited. She curses the princess and dooms her to prick her finger and die. The good fairies protect her only enough to soften the curse, and instead promise 100 years of sleep, which will only be broken by the kiss of true love.

The kingdom spends the next years protecting the Princess Aurora from her fate, but the evil Carabosse is determined to cast her spell. The good fairies, led by the Lilac Fairy, shine their light on the whole kingdom, and ensure that the princess and the whole kingdom get their happy ever after.

With opulent sets and costumes, and beautiful music, the ballet is sure to enchant audiences of all ages. Here, royalty and fairies walk the halls of the grand palace, and royal guests are well-loved fairy tale characters such as Puss n’ Boots and Little Red Riding Hood. There is also a lot of spectacular dancing such as the Bluebird pas de deux, whose music is more familiar as Princess Aurora’s song in the woods in the Disney cartoon.

The Sleeping Beauty was last performed by Ballet Philippines in October 1988, with then CCP Artist-in-Residence Lisa Macuja and BP principal dancers Cecile Sicangco and Nonoy Froilan in the lead. Latvian ballet dancer Aivars Leimanis was international guest artist.

The 2011 staging will have BP ballet master Victor Ursabia as restager, and principal dancers Carissa Adea, Candice Adea and Katherine Trofeo as Princess Aurora, and Jean Marc Cordero in the role of Prince Desire. He will alternate with international guest artist Nobuo Fujino, former principal dancer of Hong Kong Ballet, who will perform for two nights only.

The Sleeping Beauty will begin with a fundraiser Gala Night on December 2, featuring international guest artist Nobuo Fujino partnering our very own international award-winner Candice Adea, with the Manila Symphony Orchestra playing live.

The Sleeping Beauty will have 17 performances from December 2-11, 2011. For more details visit www.balletphilippines.org. Buy tickets online and get exclusive promos and free tickets to BP’s next production, Wagas. For tickets call Ticketworld at (632)891-9999; Ballet Philippines at (632)551-1003, (632)624-5701; CCP Box Office at (632)832-3704.

BALLET PHILIPPINES’ THE SLEEPING BEAUTY

Ballet Philippines’ The Sleeping Beauty Features International Guest Artist Nobuo Fujino

On December 2-11, 2011, Ballet Philippines will present the well-loved classical ballet, The Sleeping Beauty at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater). The performances will kick off with a fundraiser Gala Night on December 2 featuring international guest artist Nobuo Fujino partnering our very own ballerina, USA International Ballet Competition silver medalist Candice Adea. The Manila Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Jeffrey Solares will perform the music of Tchaikovsky live.

Born in Japan, Mr. Fujino studied at the Egawa Ballet School in Kobe, Japan. He won a scholarship to the Australian Ballet School by winning the Idemitsu Scholarship Award at the 1995 Asian Pacific Ballet Competition. In 1997, he joined the Hong Kong Ballet and became principal dancer in 2002, and joined the Australian Ballet in 2005 before returning to Hong Kong in 2008.

As former principal dancer of the Hong Kong Ballet and senior artist of The Australian Ballet, Mr. Fujino has portrayed roles such as the Prince in Cinderella, The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker, Albrecht in Giselle, Solor in La Bayadere, the title role in Spartacus and Basilio in Don Quixote. He has also performed principal roles in George Balanchine ballets such as Concerto Barocco, Rubies, and Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, Frederick Ashton’s La Fille Mal Gardee, William Forsythe’s Step Text, and Jiri Kylian’s Forgotten Land, among others. He has received awards such as the Rising Artist Award by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, Hong Kong Dance Award by Hong Kong Dance Alliance and was nominated for the Prix Benois de la Danse from the Bolshoi Theatre.

The role of the Prince from The Sleeping Beauty is one that is quite special to Mr. Fujino, as it was the role he was performing when he was announced to become principal dancer for Hong Kong Ballet. He has performed the role just once more after that.

He says, “This character, ‘the prince’ is well known as ‘prince charming,’ who was chosen to give a kiss to awake the sleeping princess. So the most difficult thing for me to interpret the character is a prince that has no background. He is a simple ‘prince charming’ and I always try to imagine what a ‘perfect man (prince)’ would be.”

Originally choreographed by Marius Petipa with music composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, the duo also known for Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty is based on Charles Perrault’s fairy tale La belle au bois dormant about a Princess who was cursed to die by a resentful dark fairy. However, good prevails over evil, and instead, the Princess falls into a long sleep, to be awakened only by the kiss of true love.

The Sleeping Beauty will have 17 performances from December 2-11, 2011. For more details visit www.balletphilippines.org. Buy tickets online and get exclusive promos and free tickets to BP’s next production, Wagas. For tickets call Ticketworld at (632)891-9999; Ballet Philippines at (632)551-1003, (632)624-5701; CCP Box Office at (632)832-3704.

TALES OF THE MANUVU

Ballet Philippines: Tales of the Manuvu with Our Waltzes

Ballet Philippines’ 2nd offering for its 40th Anniversary season features an exciting musical journey that begins with Venezuelan piano music in the international ballet classic Our Waltzes and culminates in a contemporary production of Alice Reyes’ groundbreaking pop rock opera ballet Tales of the Manuvu.

The return of Manuvu promises a definite feast for the eyes and ears as we employ multi-media technology in our retelling of the Manobo myth of creation. With vibrant sets and costumes, celebrity singers (Robert Seña, Banaue Miclat, Jaime Barcelon, Guji Lorenzana, Al Gatmaitan, Eladio Pamaran, Jai Sabas Aracama), soloists from the UP Concert Chorus and the Makiling rock band, Manuvu folklore melds seamlessly with dance to bring us a tale of our origins, our mortality and with the separation of Heaven and Earth, the lesson on how one must be the master of his own fate. Written by National Artist for literature Bienvenido Lumbera with music by Dero Pedero, Manuvu features the OPM platinum hit song “Noong Unang Panahon.”

To open the performance, Ballet Philippines presents Our Waltzes with live accompaniment joining the dancers on stage. It features the choreography of world-renowned Venezuelan dancer Vicente Nebrada. This famed neo-classical dance has been performed by more than 30 companies worldwide. It is famously known as the 1-ton ballet due to the number of lifts required by male partners in this work. Showing the expressive possibilities of ballet, Our Waltzes has aspects that can be compared to ballroom dancing but with a style that is more humanistic. Infused with Latin influences, its movements are graceful and lilting, exploring the theme of the romantic waltzing of love.

Performance dates: October 23, 24 and 25, 2009 CCP Main Theater
For tickets call: Ballet Philippines 551-0221, 551-1003 or Ticket World 891-9999

NEO-FILIPINO

BALLET PHILIPPINES TAKES A BOW THIS SEASON WITH NEO – FILIPINO!


Ballet Philippines (BP), the country's premiere dance company, takes a grand bow as they culminate their rousing 39th Anniversary Season with NEO – FILIPINO, electrifying dances that serve as homage to the vast riches of the Filipino cultural heritage with the revival of a repertory favorite and two world premieres.

One of the main highlights of NEO-FILIPINO is the highly-anticipated revival of founding artistic director, Alice Reyes' Amada, which was inspired by the stories written by National Artist Nick Joaquin's Tatarin and Summer Solstice. Amada explores the mysteries of the Tatarin ritual.

Live music by Kalayo (formerly Pinikpikan) will serve as inspiration for the world premiere of KatiTaog by Ballet Philippines ' Artistic Director, Max Luna III - his first work created especially for the company.

The world premiere of Ulaging – Daog-dog Sa Sang Libong Kulog by BP Resident Choreographer, Alden Lugnasin, draws on a fusion of live music, ethnic instruments, movement, drama and contemporary dance to expose the plight of the indigenous Lumads of Mindanao. The music for Ulaging is an original composition of Roberto Aves, with vocals by Grace Nono.

For this season –ender production, BP is pleased to once again offer discounts to Students with ID (50% off) and Seniors (20% off). Special discount rates are also available for School Groups.

This production of Neo – Filipino is made possible in part thanks to the support of Ayala Land Premiere, Globe Telecom, SGV Foundation, Inc., Rene Barbier and Freixenet Cava Wines

For ticket information, call: Ticket World Outlets:+632 891-9999 ;CCP Box Office: +632 832 3704l; and Ballet Philippines : +632 551-0221/551- 1003//832- 6011 or , please visit BP online at www.balletphilippines.org.