Flights of Fancy: Ballet Manila's 22nd Season Lineup

Once upon my childhood dreams, I wanted to be a ballerina. Fast forward now, I live that dream through occasional ballet classes, somewhat ballet moves in pole dancing, practicing my point and splits, and watching a ballet show. Last year, I had the privilege to watch several ballet shows in Ballet Manila's 21st season, Revenge of the Classics, which takes a ballet company's growth up a notch by showcasing an entire season full of classics. This time, Ballet Manila's 22nd performance season, which they named Flights of Fantasy takes you up in the air with popular tales, a timeless classic, and ending the season with love songs that transcends time.

Ballet Manila brings the gift of dance to everyone, and not just the elite artsy crowd or the dance world. They curate shows that everyone sure would enjoy whether you're a ballet geek (I'm looking at one of my friends right now so to speak), a person who once had or maybe still has #dancerdreams, or the one the two previous drags along to watch a show. When I looked at the lineup of this season, I pretty much blocked like four Saturday nights of my life from this month to February.

The 22nd season opens with a story reminiscent of a classic Filipino folk tale. We all had to read it at one point in our class and there have been probably several movie and stage adaptations. I'm talking about Ibong Adarna.

For those who don't know the story, it is a tale of three princes in search of a magical bird whose song can cure their father. The two older brothers, who had some sort of attitude problems fail, but the youngest brother, who has a good heart, succeeds in capturing the very hard-to-get bird with a few tricks learned from a wise old man that he helped. Depending on the adaptation, the story ends with the father being well and the bird becoming an enchanted princess and marrying the youngest or the story continues with a love story somehow intertwined with that.

From a dance point of view, I'm pretty much excited with the choreography since this involves leaps and jumps and power moves which probably made every rehearsal day for the dancers a major leg day. I'm also wanting to know how this version of our high school Filipino literature assignment would unfold. Also featured in the production is Gia Macuja Atchinson as the singing voice of Ibong Adarna.

Swan Lake is the classic for this season, and also the first time for me to see it as a full-length ballet production. Swan Lake is familiar to most of us, even if we haven't watched it as a ballet. As kids, we probably watched animated versions of it, dialed down for younger audience, such as Swan Princess or Barbie Swan Lake. As adults, we have probably seen Black Swan with Natalie Portman and probably had a Halloween or Christmas Party photo wearing the Black Swan costume. There's also a Jim Carrey SNL spoof of that as well. The story features the original Lev Ivanov choreography with new costumes created by fashion designer Michael Miguel and live accompaniment from the ABS-CBN Philharmonic orchestra.

Last year during Christmas season, I enjoyed a fairy tale come to life in Cinderella featuring familiar songs from the Rodgers and Hammerstein version as well as the Disney version. A classic Disney princess comes to life in Snow White. This is the second full-length choreography of Lisa Macuja Elizalde and this is pretty much the show to bring every member of the family to. It's fun, heartwarming, and definitely one we need in life right now. Just like Cinderella, this story is very relateable and brings concepts from Disney and the classic fairy tale read to us from children's books.

The world needs love and so love and dance come together with the season ender Ballet &  Ballads, with classic and popular love songs interpreted through ballet. This would be happening in February 2018, just in time for Valentine's day. Date night for the ballet nerd and the signficant other perhaps?

I would be watching Ibong Adarna this weekend and pretty much I'm excited with the choreography, costumes, makeup, and how this story would be unfolding to us and which version the story would take. I'm looking forward to leaps and jumps and #splitgoals in life to work on my hanuman more.

Excited for this season, yet? Come watch a show and bring friends. All shows would be shown at the Aliw Theater in Pasay City. You can call Ticketworld at 891-9999 or visit www.ticketworld.com.ph for tickets.

Learning Ballet Again

Lately, I've been trying to get myself back to dancing again, as in really dance. I try to include dance whenever I practice pole on my own. In classes,  I tend to focus more on tricks, spins, getting stronger, trying to not fall or get injured, or trying to convince myself to not wuss out of a trick or combo.  There are times where I find music that I would like to dance to, although lately, I kind of feel I'm running out of steps and transitions.

Going back to ballet after how many years and having no less than Lisa Macuja herself refresh my ballet memory.

I really took the opportunity to say yes when I was invited to try out Ballet for Fitness class to be conducted by no less than Lisa Macuja, the country's prima ballerina. This one-time pop-up class was held at Yoga+ Express in McKinley Hill.. I did take a short 30-minute class before in her newly-opened school in Fisher Mall. This class, however, would be longer (yet still beginner-friendly) and have more moves to learn.

Ballet-ready!

Ballet for Fitness is a class developed for people who would want to learn ballet as a form of exercise. just like how we learn Zumba or ballroom dancing. Although pro ballerinas start their ballet journeys at the tender ages of 6 or 8, it's definitely never too late to dance, even ballet! Ballet is actually one of the hardest (if not, the hardest) dances. Ballet teachers would even say that if you can do ballet, it's easy to dance any other dance.

For ladies' ballet, comfortable exercise clothes are recommended, such as leggings or yoga pants and a comfortable top you can dance in. I had ballet shoes with me since I like the cushioning during floorwork but barefoot is also fine.

Since we didn't have ballet barres so we did the moves sitting down as well as some center work (standing at the center of the room). We were reminded of  the proper ballet form also includes proper posture, shoulders and hips forming one rectangle, or as some dancers would call, within the box.  To visually illustrate the box, check out the form of one of my dance idols, Misty Copeland:

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A photo posted by Misty Copeland (@mistyonpointe) on Nov 11, 2016 at 9:57am PST

Come to think of it, this is actually very good posture. It even makes you look taller and more confident.  With this established, we did arm exercises, or what is known in ballet as port de bras. In moving the arms, we were also taught how to execute the movement well with our lines, our thumbs hidden touching the line on our middle finger, and elbows slightly bent, like hugging a beach ball.

We did plies (bending the knees) and tendus (exteding the leg out) sitting down and already, I felt the activation of my quads and adductors, reminding me to work on active flexibility.

Lisa explains the proper hand position, where we hide the thumbs to maintain a dancer's line. In Russia, young dancers in training hold coins to remind them of the proper hand shape and position. 

So much things to remember even while seated

Resting adductors. Ballet is an ultimate leg workout.
(notice I kept my toes still pointed, My pole dance teachers would be proud)

Standing up, we applied what we learned seated while standing up as well as combining techniques. We also learned other new techniques like the jete (brushing the leg out, remaining the pointes) and releve, which really tested my balance (and reminded me to keep working both sides), and a surprise, the saute in classical ballet, which is a jump. In this jump, we learn to land safely by landing with soft knees and no sound. This technique is useful in our jump-forwards in yoga, in burpees, or coming out of flips.

I was more sore in this class than our last class in Fisher Mall, probably because we did more things and exercises. As my legs were pretty warm, I used this time for a split practice after class.

As a pole dancer, a refresher ballet class such as this can help increase my dance vocabulary and help me work on my floorwork more so I can combine several combos with some dance floorwork to come up with choreography, meaning better Wednesday choreo videos. Hopefully, learning these dance moves can also improve my muscle memory, so that staying within my box would be natural as well as keeping my hands in the proper position and my knees locked for pretty, long lines. 

Do you have to be a dancer to take this class? No. You can even come to class with zero fitness experience. All you have to do is just show up. These low-impact, flowy classes can exercise both the body and the mind, making dance a fun way to stay fit as well as to keep the brain healthy preventing dementia and Alzheimer's disease. We all start at level 0 and build up as we get stronger and more coordinated. Just have fun, and make it about the journey. 

Are you curious about Ballet for Fitness classes? Then head over to The Lisa Macuja School of Ballet Manila at the 4th Floor of Fisher Mall, Quezon Avenue. Quezon City. Try a class and see if you like it!






Image Credits:
Class Photos by Luther Abcede
Misty Copeland Photo: http://instagram.com/mistyonpointe 

A Night Of Magic With Cinderella

There's something about fairytales that still enchants us, no matter what age we may be. Despite many re-tellings and adaptations of various fairytales, we view each version with fresh eyes, as if it would be the first time to watch, no matter how much the story was read  to us as children. I've both read and watched several versions of the story Cinderella. When I was a child, there was a constant debate with an old playmate on who was the better princess - Snow White or Cinderella, which went on for months it needed grownup intervention. I liked Cinderella more because of the story and the songs. Maybe it's her affinity towards animals (errr, maybe except the part that she's friends with mice) or she had super cute shoes and she had a calming voice as she sang "Sing Sweet Nightingale" while doing her house chores.

Just last night, I watched yet another version of Cinderella, this time a full-length ballet production brought by Ballet Manila. This show is choreographed by none other than Ballet Manila's artistic director herself, Lisa Macuja-Elizalde (who also portrays Cinderella's Fairy Godmother).

Lisa Macuja Elizalde portrays Cinderella's Fairy Godmother.
Photo by Ocs Alvarez 

As a ballet dancer,  Lisa herself has never had the chance to portray Cinderella (describing this role as "the one that got away") .  Now, she interprets not just the role of this princess but also the other characters that make up this story as she, along with Osias Barroso choreograph this full-length ballet show.

Cinderella with her evil stepsisters. 

The fairy tale Cinderella teaches us to continue dreaming and believing as well as to have courage and be kind. As Danielle de Barbarac (in Ever After, a movie also based on Cinderella), she takes matters as well in her own hands and takes charge of her life. Being a very popular fairy tale and whatever version you might remember, Cinderella has a way of reaching out to us. What makes this ballet version of Cinderella special is that this has a universal appeal to both adults and children alike. The musical score includes familiar music from two very popular versions of the fairy tale - the Disney version (A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes, Bibbid-Bobbid-Boo, Work Song, So This is Love, etc)  and the Rodgers and Hammerstein version (Ten Minutes Ago, Stepsister's Lament). I remember during the press preview, the little girl beside me was so excited when "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes" played and was humming to it. Using music from the popular versions makes it easily appreciated even by those who do not watch ballet on a regular basis. It sort of ties everything together making it relatable from parents to children and even to someone who would be watching a full-length ballet for the first time.

A bit of magic, hope, and love. The Fairy Godmother arrives and gives Cinderella comfort.

colorful costumes as Cinderella meets her prince at the ball

The costumes and sets were full of color and all things gorgeous and sparkly. Cinderella's blue ball gown costume kind of reminds me as well of the gown the princess wore in the movie version, the one with Lily Cole (at one point, I looked if there would be a glass slipper version of pointe shoes). I must also commend the costume change from Cinderella's rags to her ball gown that happened in the finale of Act 1 because that was literally almost like magic happening onstage.  The costume of the Evil Stepmother (played by Jonathan Janolo in drag who gave the role a very lighthearted comedic flavor) reminded me as well of Lady Tremaine in the cartoon version, from the hair with the white streak down to the maroon dress. The atmosphere was very happy and light and with all the colors and sparkles, it kind of reminded me of happy childhood, reliving an old classic fairy tale we grew to love.

The Dance Tutor, Cinderella, and her Evil Stepmother
Photo by Ocs Alvarez

They also added several elements and characteristics  that give nod to modern times, such as the Dance Tutor who taught the Stepsisters how to dance for the ball. That probably had to be one of my most favorite scenes I was amused at the characterization of the dance instructor which actually reminds me of super stereotype  "fasyon" type of artist during modern times.

I was really enjoying the whole play I didn't realize the show would almost be over. The show was an entertainment to everyone.  The children in the audience were very happy and identifying characters and getting excited. This is so perfect in welcoming December and the Holidays are coming and amidst the Christmas rush and the stress and the horrible traffic that gets worse every single day of our lives, we just need something that make us feel good and just feel happy. With what's happening, we certainly need good vibes and optmism and just relive the magic we enjoyed as kids.

Cinderella by Ballet Manila would have another show today at 3 pm as well as two other shows next weekend: Dec 3 at 8 pm and another one on December 4 at 3 pm (perfect for a whole family affair as the children won't stay up past bedtime). I promise a wonderful family affair for everyone.

The Story Of My Jade

I guess when the split gods decided to shower their blessings in the world, I was tucked in pike position, legs closed and asleep in bed. There are just people who were born to split, and others needed a bit of effort to get in there. Baby ballet and baby gymnastics didn't help widen my hips and when some of my classmates were naturally in a wide 180-degree straddle, I was still struggling to reach forward with a flat back. Studying in a Catholic all-girls school didn't help though because when our bones, joints and ligaments were still pliable, the straddle had to be snapped back closed because ladies should always sit with crossed legs. As a result, over the years, my already tight and stiff joints stiffened up and as a result, flexibility went from 1 to 0.5.

How should I know that years later, I'd be taking up dance regularly and then later on would be doing things which would require a split? Of course, day 1 in pole dance didn't require a split, but eventually, we started working on our splits by home exercises and flexibility classes because later as we progress, there would be advanced tricks that would need a good split to make it prettier.

Such that I share with everyone the story of my Jade.

A jade is a pole trick that we start learning at Beginners 2 level in Polecats Manila - when you finally get your basic invert and outside leg hang and get stable with your pole sit and hip hold. At first, it will start first as a V shape (or L-shape to some of us) and eventually, progress to a very pretty and flat line like this, shown by pole champion Crystal Lai.

photo taken from Crystal Lai's Facebook page. In a perfect and splitty world, it should look like this

In a perfect world, it should look like an inverted split. The jade just doesn't entail an automatic split. You need to know how and where to grip and the points of contact to stay there. 

As for my jade story, having no split to start off with, here I'll show you my jade progress:

Erratum on the July 2011 photo. It's actually July 2012.

I remember last year, CD had a Jade campaign thing going on in class where her mixed class on Mondays would be working on flexibility, jades, and splits and working on flat jades come Christmas time. And yes, it's possible to finally get that flat because there are girls who don't have splits to begin with that eventually got their splits and their jades. So I knew there was hope because 1. I got a split already on my right side thanks to exercises 2. There are exercises to be done that can work and open the hips and finally 3. there are ways to make a flat jade even if you don't have a split to begin with. With a bit of patience, I was able to get to a quite picturesque jade come Christmas of 2012.

A flat jade was actually in my Christmas list, and I worked harder towards flatness, with 3 teachers hammering it too. It obviously didn't make it to my list of tricks come my first-ever pole competition.

It did make an improvement come summer of this year when I met Crystal herself and took her Pole Artistry workshops where she taught us tricks to make it prettier and more even and to make our numbers look badass and effortless.

 Here she is spotting me making sure I'm all pretty and even as I struggle to get my split right and my body not topple over.

Several flexibility classes and homework later, I revisited that trick that I've been working on for 2-1/2 years a while ago, compiling what I have learned from the now four instructors who have helped me hammer my jade to flatness:

1. point those toes and lock those knees (a must!)
2. push the hip with my left hand.
3. pull the front leg close to you
4. squeeze the butt like it's closed for business
5. squeeze your hoo-ha

and by miracle of all miracles, this is my latest Jade photo dated June 28, 2013:

From all the photos, it's a big improvement from the jades of my past, and I know that it will get better. It's so much flatter and more symmetrical. It just pinches a lot on my left thigh but when did pole dance ever not hurt?

I remember the very splitty Margaret of Polecats Manila say that we will all eventually get to our goal tricks as long as we keep working and trying to. With effort, I will work on it getting prettier and eventually get into an oversplit soon, and eventually work on my other side jade.

As I write this post, I'm currently having my left foot propped on a block for more oversplit madness, but that's another story.