Ballet fever on the rise

Ballet is at its best on the magnificent stage of the CCP Main Theater. After the conclusion of Ms. Saigon I’m glad to see dance companies landing behind that proscenium once more with eye-popping charm.

Following France’s Junior Ballet of the Conservatory of Paris comes Canada’s world-renowned Royal Winnipeg Ballet. This ballet company, founded by Gweneth Lloyd and Betty Farrally in 1939, is the longest operating ballet company in North America. We all know that keeping a dance company alive is risky and expensive yet here is the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, 61 years old, and still dancing.

We used to watch snippets of these foreign ballet companies on video when I was a young dancer. We scrutinized the technique, style and interpretation of the dancers in various classical and modern ballets, rewinding, forwarding and pausing the footages endlessly. Live performances came few and far between then… as as they do now. At last, a celebrated company is here once more for our young artists to watch.

One of its former artistic directors, John Meehan, was a frequent guest artist of Ballet Philippines in the ’80s. I remember working with him in the Sleeping Beauty with American Ballet Theater’s Eleonor D’Antuono and in the Nutcracker with Leslie Browne. What an inspiration it was for us to work with a gifted artist. Meehan was appointed artistic director of the RWB during the company’s 50th anniversary in 1990 after Henny Juriens who lost his life in a tragic car accident with his wife. Meehan’s term ended after three years when he opted to return to his home in New York in 1993.

Now it’s Andre Lewis heading the company. With a 25-year affiliation with RWB that began in 1979 the new artistic director is reputed to bolster the company’s repertoire with commissioned full-length ballets.

Another familiar name to local balletomanes would be principal dancer, Evelyn Hart. The award-winning ballerina is one of Canada’s most treasured artists described by New York Post’s Clive Barnes as "a gem… with an ineffable image of greatness about her." Although we won’t see her in the classic ballerina roles in Giselle, the Sleeping Beauty, or the Nutcracker (three of the full-length ballets offered by RWB for their 2001-2002 season along with Carmina Burana) she is sure to be as enthralling in the company’s neo-classical touring repertoire.

The company arrived yesterday and will be rehearsing tomorrow for their big night, June 19, 8 p.m. at the CCP Main Theater. Usually these rehearsals are closed to the public but RWB has generously opened it (by invitation) to ballet dancers and students. It is rare that a touring group would seek to interact with local artists given their hectic touring schedules. I heard that an interaction with the young dance students of the Philippine High School for the Arts was a particular request of the RWB administrators.

It is encouraging too that 50 percent discount tickets are available to all students. Good news is that dancers affiliated with ballet companies, schools and academies can avail of the same 50 percent discount for balcony 1 and 2 seats. One hundred extreme orchestra side seats will be available to them with the same 50 percent discount on a first-come-first-served basis.

CCP president Mita Rufino and artistic director Cora Iñigo are quick to receive ideas and suggestions. This is great news for the local artists who made the request for discounted tickets. To purchase a single ticket one has to show his professional I.D. at the CCP box office for proof of affiliation with a company or school. This privilege will not be honored in ticket outlets other than the CCP Box Office.

This special performance of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet is made possible by the Cultural Center of the Philippines in cooperation with the Canadian Embassy. Without the sustaining efforts of the CCP, the various embassies, social institutions and sponsors such as the Heritage Hotel Manila (the official residence of the RWB here), SNC-Lavalin International, Sun Life of Canada (Philippines), Inc., Harris Corporation, Sun Life Financial and Air Canada, this unique performance would not have been feasible. I might thank them in behalf of all our local artists and hope that the success of this project will encourage them to continue promoting the arts in the country.