Caesar Vallejos
EBC Correspondent
They flew, fluttered and floated with invisible wings in a flight to push the boundaries of Philippine dance.
Ballet Philippines, the country’s flagship classical and contemporary dance company opened its 47th performance season with “FIREBIRD and other ballets”, a mixed bill of contemporary and neoclassical works.
It featured the pieces by David Campos, Dwight Rodrigazo, and Carlo Pacis, and an all-new “Firebird”, choreographed by George Birkadze.
“Birds, dragons, fairies and angels fascinate us with their ability to rise above the earth to soar and fly. Our desire for flight mirros our wish to transcend our lives, to break through and experience an enriched version of our selves,” Ballet Philippines Artistic Director Paul Alexander Morales explained in his message.
Asian inspiration
Russian-born choreographer George Birkadze reimagines the Russian folk tale of “The Firebird” and brings it into a pre-Hispanic Philippine setting. “My ‘Firebird’ is from an Asian perspective. I took some inspiration for the Philippine Sarimanok and Ibong Adarna, Chinese phoenix and Indian peacock,” Birkadze noted.
Painter Mark Lewis Higgins, taking inspiration from historical documents such as the Boxer Codex, and using elements such as gold, spices, and porcelain designed the ballet’s costumes. His sketches were on display at the CCP Lobby.
‘Do not look any further’
Renowned Spanish choreographer David Campos draws from the company’s unique strengths as he reworks “Ne Neh Ledej” for the cast. The title means “do not look any further” in Czechoslovakian language.
The classic aesthetics of refined white suits represented by tutus and pointe shoes shake hands with other wonderful and mysterious and exotic cultures.
“Moving Two” by Dwight Rodrigazo is a contemporary pas de deux originally choreographed for Jean Marc Cordero and Candice Adea after their victory at the USA International Ballet Competition in 2011.
Carlo Pacis’ “Weighted Whispers” explores a complicated situation wherein a woman has to make decisions that have deep and lasting consequences.
Among the other collaborators include Maestro Olivier Ochanine and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra who recently conducted the first Filipino orchestra performance at the world-renowned Carnegie Hall in New York.