SUPERSTARS from the San Francisco Ballet in the United States will be gracing the home stage of Ballet Manila, the Aliw Theater, for its production of the iconic Swan Lake.
The ballet will be headlined by Katherine Barkman and Esteban Hernández who are the first soloist and principal dancer of San Francisco Ballet, respectively. Their performances will be on May 30 at 8 p.m., May 31 at 5 p.m., and June at 5 p.m.
Meanwhile, Ballet Manila’s principal dancer Abigail Oliveiro will pair up with San Francisco Ballet company artist Nathaniel Remez for matinee performances on May 31 and June 1, both at 1 p.m.
Ballet Manila’s artistic director Lisa Macuja-Elizalde said at a May 20 press conference that having Mr. Hernández perform as Basilio in Ballet Manila’s staging of Don Quixote in 2023 proved that he was “the complete package.”
In Swan Lake, he takes on the role of Siegfried.
“Siegfried is a very different character — elegant, noble, restrained. Esteban and Katherine have already danced Swan Lake together, so I think that they will, as a principal couple, be very effective in their roles,” said Ms. Macuja-Elizalde.
Ms. Barkman’s excitement to take on the dual role of Odette and Odile reflects her confidence as an experienced dancer.
“I feel like my approach to the characters has shifted. With experience comes more of a fearlessness. I take more risks. I don’t worry so much if it’s perfect or not. I would rather have my dancing be exciting to watch than safe and predictable,” she said.
It will be Ms. Barkman’s homecoming to Ballet Manila, the stage where her professional journey began. She and Mr. Hernández, known as a trailblazer from Guadalajara, Mexico, have danced Swan Lake before in the United States.
Ms. Macuja-Elizalde added that the other pair — Ms. Oliveiro and Mr. Remez — is a perfect match due to their height.
“Abi will learn and grow so much in her interpretation of Swan Lake when she explores the choreography with a new partner like Nathaniel. Their partnership is one I’m really looking forward to,” she said.
A DIFFERENT SWAN LAKE
Ms. Oliveiro explained that she is looking forward to giving “a little more soul” to her performance now that she has done Swan Lake three times.
“I’ve had many opportunities to refine my technique, my nerves, and my artistic qualities,” she said. “Now, I feel like I have a different story to tell, even though it’s the same story. It’s a different Odette, it’s a different Odile for me.”
Ballet Manila describes Swan Lake as “a timeless tale of love and the eternal juxtaposition of good and evil.” For its two pairs of dancers, each partner delivers something new in terms of chemistry.
“Every time you get to perform it, it’s a different version, so I’m excited to discover what this is going to be,” Ms. Oliveiro said.
For Ms. Macuja-Elizalde, having played the role of Odette/Odile during her prima ballerina days, this full-length Swan Lake will reflect changes that she found necessary to make for “the story to be clearer” and to ease the burden on the women, given the number of shows.
“Four acts for the women en pointe is not a joke, so I really wanted this version of Swan Lake to have a little bit more shared responsibility between the boys and the girls,” she explained. “We also changed the ending so it’s a new Ballet Manila Swan Lake.”
Ms. Macuja-Elizalde concluded by saying that Swan Lake, as the “gold standard that any classical ballet company must mount,” shows Ballet Manila’s strengths, particularly as the ballet company is marking its Pearl or 30th anniversary.
“When I was planning The Pearl Year last year, I asked myself, ‘What classical ballet do I program for The Pearl Year that signifies that Ballet Manila has truly recovered and arrived after the pandemic?’ And hands down, it was Swan Lake,” she said.
All performances will be staged at the Aliw Theater, CCP Complex, Pasay City. For tickets, visit www.ticketworld.com.ph. — Brontë H. Lacsamana
