Soaring leaps, and utterly fearless dives.
Those are the two overwhelming visceral images that this audience member clearly remembers from the evening watching Alice Reyes Dance Philippines’ CARMEN AND OTHER SPIRITS.
An evening with ARDP continues to be a cut above other ballet offerings, not just because of the high level of technical difficulty (such precision in the ensemble’s angles of raised legs), but mainly because the dancers combine skill and grace with absolute fearlessness. When a dancer jumps without hesitation off the third rung of a bleacher (eliciting gasps from the audience), such confidence and trust is only possible because of countless hours spent at rehearsal with her fellow dancers. This visual placing of one’s life in the ensemble’s hands was the unforgettable starter in a four-course offering, done to mimic the dive of a swimmer.
In SWIMMING THE ILOG PASIG, choreographer Alden Lugnasig created a movement piece that seemed, to this former competitive swimmer, utterly authentic in its recreation of movements meant to propel our earthbound bodies through water. What struck me most, apart from the visceral shock of the life-defying leap at the beginning, was the celebration of the power of rippling muscle. There is grace, yes, but power above all. This is the resolution of human will made manifest through sinew as we defy land-bound constraints and forge our way through unfriendly water. It’s an artist’s bold vision of a possible future dependent on how much collective will we muster.
Reeling from the first dance, audiences were next treated to a pas de deux by Ronaldson Yadao accompanied by strains of Vivaldi, simply entitled TWO. Utterly lovely, it proves that one does not need grand sets nor dozens in the corps de ballet. All you need is two, if they’re this good, this true to the artist’s vision of going through life with an echo of one’s soul.
The third offering, for me, was the best jewel in the evening’s four-star collection. And it was a good thing that the intermission came afterwards, because Lester Reguindin’s NOW tore at our hearts and had many audience members frantically sniffing back tears.
We’ve all seen and heard environmentalist Greta Thunberg, perhaps to the point of apathy because of so much exposure over the years.
But to hear her words again, played over the beautiful music by Olafur Arnalds and Luke Howard, and to see the visualization of one tiny girl against all those corporations and grown ups in suits, was to strip away the veneer of familiarization and experience them as if for the first time. To truly hear her passionate pleas is to feel them hit with all the force of a bullet, and to realize the urgency of acting now, to save this world with such glorious dance and art in it.
This third piece is what will linger in memory, for it showed the best of what art can be. This is art on a mission, art with a purpose. Art that truly touches hearts.
An intermission allowed us to discreetly dry our teardrops from the front of our LBD’s, and we were prepared to be impressed when the curtain rose with National Artist Salvador Bernal’s set.
From the beginning, it was clear that this was markedly different from the more familiar Bizet opera. We begin in a dark prison cell. A despairing Don José starts to tell his story to a writer before his execution at dawn.
The set brightens to reveal sun-soaked Seville, and we see Carmen in flaming red dance brilliantly, all toned leg and wide hips, drawing all the males’ gazes (and the audiences’, as well).
Macel Dofitas truly was Carmen, as her beauty came from her power and essence, and less from superficial facial symmetry. This is a woman of fire, a woman who cannot be tamed (though Richardson Yadao as Don José tries).
I was struck with the passionate elegance of the choreography. A lot of opera productions now show Carmen as vulgar and sensual. However, Macel Dofitas managed to portray the sensuality without coming off as cheap, still dignified despite her all-consuming free love. In her, Carmen is full of grace, her love adding to the sum of her being instead of cheapening her.
The familiar story then plays out like the opera, with the ballet ending a bit differently with an execution. This, then, is what it means to die for love.
The only note that marred an otherwise perfect evening was the splicing of the different tracks for Carmen. To its credit, ARDP looked for arrangements of the familiar arias with Spanish guitar instead of the orchestral accompaniment, although there were still a few pieces from the opera itself. However, one could really hear the awkward and abrupt silences where tracks were cut, which temporarily distracted this viewer and brought me back to reality. This happened several times over the course of the evening. Still, this is easy enough to fix.
Also I think I saw a male danseur stumble badly enough to be unable to disguise the pain. But this is a testament to the breathtaking stunt-level choreography, and ARDP’s dancers’ commitment to give their all.
CARMEN AND OTHER SPIRITS teach us audiences that ARDP performances are unmissable, as they combine a rare degree of technical near-perfection with the unmistakable brand of Filipino artists’ passion. Synchronicity is a given, as is the commitment to excellence we have learned to associate with National Artists like Alice Reyes. Brava, maestra! And bravi, ARDP!
Thank you so much to Theater Fans Manila for the ticket!
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