A Rich Tapestry -- Ballet Philippines Draws On Its Nation's Diverse History In A Celebration Of Its Independence From Spain
------------------------------- DANCE PREVIEW
Ballet Philippines 8 p.m. today through Saturday, Meany Theater, University of Washington, Seattle; $16-$32, 206-543-4880. -------------------------------
It has been a hundred years since the Philippines declared its independence from Spain, and during that time it has been under the dominion of the United States and, for a short period, Japan. The many countries that have been part of Philippines history have made for a distinctive culture.
Tonight at the University of Washington's Meany Theater, Ballet Philippines showcases the dance elements of this rich ethnic heritage, as interpreted through the medium of contemporary dance.
"Our program is something very different," said Cecile Manikan, executive director of Ballet Philippines. Since April, she and the company have been touring the U.S., Europe and Japan as part of a Philippine Centennial Celebration.
"Based on all the feedback from these tours, people have been fascinated," Manikan said. "They know the language of modern dance and yet, because of the very Philippine inspiration, it's something they've never seen before. Tribal dances, which would have a very definite folk style, have been transformed into contemporary expression. It's an interesting mix of neo-ethnic and post-modern works."
The program will cover the 100-year evolution of Philippine dance, and the influence of both indigenous and foreign cultures. "We have thousands of islands. We have tribal influences, we have Muslim, we have Chinese, we have Spanish, and we have American," Manikan said.
"Babalyan," one of the ballets featured in the Meany Theater program, re-enacts a tribal exorcism ritual set to music by Japanese composers. It won the Prince Takamado Grand Prix award for choreography and the silver medal at the Tokyo International Choreographic Competition. "Several Japanese composers sent their music to choreographers in more than 53 countries," Manikan said of the contest. "The rule of the competition was that the piece would have to be choreographed to this music. So it's interesting that here you have avant-garde Japanese music melding into a tribal Filipino dance, with post-modern expression and it won two awards."
A "Babalyan" is a healer or priestess who performs cleansing rituals. "This is the sort of cleansing ritual that takes place even today before the rice festival, after a good harvest," she said. "The Babalyan drives all the evil spirits into a trance. She puts a black veil over her head and calls the higher spirit to enter her body. The people will bring a very sick person or a dying person to her and she is supposed to heal them."
"Babalyan" is choreographed by Agnes Locsin, Ballet Philippines artistic director.
Another featured ballet, "Swimming the River Pasig," with choreography by Alden Lugnasin, has a movement vocabulary inspired by synchronized swimming and is a social commentary on the polluted central river of the Philippines.
"It is our attempt to boost an environmental campaign to clean up this river, which is important to the Philippines, much like the Rhine is to Germany or the Nile to Egypt," Manikan said. "This piece will recall the dynamic times when the Pasig was very healthy, vibrant and fresh, and when the life of Manila was centered on it."
In honor of the centennial, the program will close with an excerpt from "La Revolucion Filipina," which is about the struggle against colonial domination of Spain that culminated in the declaration of Philippine Independence in 1898.
Despite Ballet Philippines' contemporary and modern repertory, the dancers are all classically trained and perform many of the 19th- and 20th-century ballet standards. The company's first assignment upon return to Manila this month will be its annual "Nutcracker." -------------------------------
QUICK FACT Free demonstration There will be a free lecture / demonstration about the Ballet Philippines program tomorrow from 10:30 to 11:50 a.m. at Meany Theater on the University of Washington campus.