Nostalgia, romance, enchantment, and sophisticated rhythmic movements. These are the highlights of Ballet Manila’s upcoming production of Snow White.
The show, which will open the company’s 24th season “On Pointé," will feature an all original choreography by prima ballerina Lisa Macuja-Elizalde.
Since Snow White, unlike the other installments of the Princess Trilogy (Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty), has no existing ballet performance, Macuja-Elizalde has decided to create an entirely new take on it.
“I chose Snow White to be the second ballet because it has never been done before. It was something completely new that I wanted to do,” she said.
From the music and choreography to the costume and sets, Macuja-Elizalde was hands-on to perfect her masterpiece and give the viewers a new interpretation of the classic fairy tale.
She said, “For me, as a choreographer, the most important thing is the music, and that was the problem with creating Snow White—it has no preexisting musical score.”
“What I did was I listened to a lot of music, and the first thing I heard was the music during the chasing scene between the dwarves and the evil witch. That was from Jules Massenet. So I decided to use a collection of suites by Massenet for the rest of the ballet.”
In addition to the music of Massanet, it will also feature melodies from the Disney animated film. Meanwhile, the overall look took inspiration from the story based on the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen.
“I was very inspired by my cast of dancers and my prospective audience of children. I always try to choreograph with the audience in mind. Wanting to create a ballet that they would want to come back to again and again because of all the good feelings the performance evokes,” added Macuja-Elizade.
Following the September 7 (2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.) and September 8 (3:00 p.m.) shows of Snow White, are Giselle, a romantic ballet in two acts; Sleeping Beauty, the last installment in the Princess Trilogy; and Carmina Burana and La Traviata, a collaboration of opera, ballet, and live orchestra music.
To buy tickets, call (02) 891-9999 or go to www.ticketworld.com.ph. Visit www.balletmanila.com.ph for more information.
