Beyond winter wonderlands, holiday imagery can often include the ballet and the fantastical world of fairy tales. On the local stage, these elements come together in Ballet Philippines’ latest Yuletide offering Christmas Fairytales, where childhood tales come to life, along with a touch of twists that are yet to unfold.
READ: What You Need to Know About Ballet Philippines’ “Christmas Fairytales”
From December 15 to 17, the country’s preeminent classical and contemporary dance company makes its holiday return at the Theatre at Solaire, with classic bedtime stories unraveling through ballet. In Christmas Fairytales, narratives of iconic heroes, villains, myths, and fantasies are woven together, including the likes of Ali Baba and the Thieves, Cinderella, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and Sleeping Beauty.
The Ballet Philippines show spotlights a young girl named Tala, who, on Christmas Eve, wakes to a magical world and comes across the Master of Time. She’s met with the harrowing task of saving fairy tale characters from the brink of disarray before midnight, with the show’s three acts delving into Ali Baba on the run, a shoeless Cinderella, Prince Siegfriedsearch on his search for the Black Swan, a bewitched Sleeping Beauty, and the Nutcracker attacked by the viscous Rat King.
“After the pandemic, we wanted to give our viewers productions that were light and heartwarming,” Ballet Philippines President Kathleen Liechtenstein said in a statement. “Christmas Fairytales is just that. It is a happy ballet full of magical elements incorporated into the costumes, sets, stories, and music.”
Ballet Philippines Artistic Director Mikhail “Misha” Martynyuk takes the helm as the show’s choreographer and writer, who incorporated several musical suites and famous ballets into his original libretto, such as selections from Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, and The Nutcracker by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
“The music I used was the real inspiration for the choreography,” he said. “It has a very clear and simple plot. We have a few scenes which I think our audience can easily relate to. Scenes that will make them remember both good and bad experiences in their life.”
READ: Ballet Philippines Collaborates with Pinto Art Museum for “Ballet in Pinto”
However, the artistry also begins outside of the stage. The show marks a hallmark moment for Ballet Philippines, as they’ve partnered with Pintô Art Museum for the special exhibition Ballet in Pintô.
Set to honor the long-lasting relationship between ballet and the visual arts, the exhibition will feature 35 contemporary Filipino artists’ paintings, as commissioned by Pintô Founder Dr. Joven Cuanang and acclaimed artist and curator Ferdie Montemayor.
According to Dr. Cuanang and Ferdie, the chosen artists were tapped to interpret “dance gestures” on canvas or through sculptures.
“We asked the artists to attend and take photographs of the dancers as they rehearsed, practiced, and performed,” said Ferdie, who recounted the collaboration. “I see this as two hearts beating as one. Two art forms are coming together as one—the performing arts and the visual arts.”
The Ballet in Pintô exhibition will run from December 15 to 17 at the Theatre at Solaire lobby, simultaneously with the Christmas Fairytales show. The proceeds earned from the upcoming exhibition will benefit the causes supported by the Pintô Museum and Ballet Philippines.
Christmas Fairytales will run on December 15 at 8:00 p.m., with subsequent shows on December 16 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., and December 17 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. For tickets prices and more information, visit Ballet Philippines’ official website.
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