Ballet Manila marks its 30th anniversary—its Pearl Year—with one of the most romantic ballets in its performance line-up: Swan Lake. Featuring a cast of acclaimed, cosmopolitan ballet luminaries, each show promises to enchant its audiences with a fresh, spellbinding rendition of an enduring classic.
Photos: Prince Siegfried and Swan Princess Odette, taken from the excerpt performances by Warren Limbo/DZRH Digital
Taking on the daunting dual role of Odette (White Swan) and Odile (Black Swan)—dramatic character foils—Katherine Barkman returns to Ballet Manila as a “tribute to her roots and a testament to her growth,” the classical ballet company said in a press release.
Photos: Prince Siegfried being seduced by the Black Swan, Odile. Taken from the excerpt performances by Warren Limbo/DZRH Digital
Barkman began her professional journey in Ballet Manila, where she trained under Liza Macuja Elizalde (known as the “Ballerina ng Bayan” and is the founder of and artistic director for the ballet company) for over three years and earned the title of principal dancer. She then joined The Washington Ballet, and eventually, the San Francisco Ballet, where she is presently a first soloist.
“I feel like my approach to the characters has shifted the most,” Barkman said. She first played the role at age 19. “With experience comes more of a fearlessness. I take more risks—I don’t worry so much if it’s perfect or not. I would rather my dancing be exciting to watch than safe and predictable.”
Photos: Swans in Odette's flock. Taken from the excerpt performances by Warren Limbo/DZRH Digital
Moreover, she shared that technique infuses emotion into her performances.
“If there’s one thing I truly believe, it is that technique is to be used to express emotion. Every step should say something,” she revealed.
Photos: Top, Prince Siegfried and Swan Princess Odette; bottom, Odile, enchanted by her father Von Rothbart to appear like Odette as the Black Swan. Taken from the excerpt performances by Warren Limbo/DZRH Digital
Esteban Hernández, who will be playing the role of Prince Siegfried, hails from Guadalajara, Mexico and trained at The Royal Ballet School. Renowned for his “technical brilliance and expressive storytelling,” he is described by Macuja as “the complete package.”
“Last year, his performance as Basilio (in Ballet Manila’s Don Quixote) was simply perfect. But Siegfried is a very different character—elegant, noble, restrained. He has been a principal dancer for quite some time now, so his depth of experience, technique, and artistry will work all very well for him as Prince Siegfried,” Macuja said.
Photo: Taken by Warren Limbo/DZRH Digital
She also recalled that Barkman and Hernández had previously been paired as the tragic lovers in an earlier production of Swan Lake, and expressed confidence that the two will be “very effective in their roles.” Barkman agreed, recounting that Hernández was an “amazing partner,” whom she loved working with.
Photo: Taken by Warren Limbo/DZRH Digital
Macuja Elizalde, having played the demanding dual role as a prima ballerina, knows better than anyone the intricacies of staging a full-length Swan Lake.
“It is a very Russian ballet, so the dancing needs to be technically strong and artistically sound,” she explained. “But our dance company practices the unique Vaganova training, so the over-all strength of the legs and backs of the dancers are developed by the technique, allowing the dancers to hold poses well, jump high and turn fast. This is ingrained and practiced with the dancers in daily class and translates into everyone, especially the swan corps de ballet, moving as one onstage.”
Photos: Top, the Spanish boys; bottom, a swan. Taken by Warren Limbo/DZRH Digital
For the Pearl Year’s Swan Lake, Macuja Elizalde selected two pairs of brilliant leads. The second features Abigail Oliveiro—a principal dancer for Ballet Manila—who will bring the White and Black Swans to life, and Nathaniel Remez—a soloist from San Francisco Ballet—as Prince Siegfried.
Macuja Elizalde shared she was looking forward to witnessing Oliveiro and Remez’s chemistry onstage.
“What I am also excited about is Nathaniel’s impending partnership with Abi. She will learn and grow so much in her interpretation of Swan lake when she explores the choreography with a new partner like Nathaniel who, height wise, is perfect for her.”
Photos: Top, The excerpt performance cast taking a bow with Liza Macuja Elizalde; bottom, the Swan Lake press conference (behind, left to right: Nathaniel Remez, Katherine Barkman, and Esteban Hernández; front, left to right: Noah Esplana, Pearl Damez, Mark Sumaylo, Abigail Oliveiro, Liza Macuja Elizalde, Shaira Comeros, Joshua Enciso, Rodney Catubay). Taken by Warren Limbo/DZRH Digital
Katherine Barkman and Esteban Hernández will be performing on May 30, at 8 p.m., May 31 at 5 p.m., and June 1 at 5 p.m. Meanwhile, the matinee performances starring Abigail Oliveiro and Nathaniel Remez will be on May 31 and June 1, both at 1 p.m. The performances will be staged at Aliw Theatre, Pasay City.
