New dance talents in Ballet Manila’s ‘Le Corsaire’

If there’s any ballet that should be a success with any staging, it is the grand ballet Le Corsaire, a swashbuckling tale of pirates, slave maidens and sword fights. A great success in its first production in the mid-19th century, it has since been revised by a number of choreographers, notably the legendary Marius Petipa.

Ballet Manila artistic director Lisa Macuja-Elizalde calls Le Corsaire a “testosterone” ballet because of the number of male leads in the cast. Any dance company intending to mount this production must have competent male dancers for the roles of Conrad, Ali, Lankadem, and Birbanto, as well as an adequate male corps to people the slave market and pirate scenes. Of course, the ballet also has female leads, namely Medora and Gulnara, Greek women who are abducted and sold into slavery. It is their abduction that fuels the story’s movement.

Ballet Manila staged Le Corsaire for the fifth time this year since it first presented it in 1998. The company has distinguished itself for presenting an all-Filipino cast, and it has kept the ballet in its active repertoire, a feat no other local ballet company can claim. Indeed, BM has been very lucky to have an able corps of male dancers to successfully mount this difficult ballet. While the draw to any BM production would be Macuja-Elizalde’s assumption of the female lead, for this production the attraction also lay in the accomplishment of its male danseurs. Performing in the first cast were Nazer Salgado, who took on the role of Conrad for the first time, Rudy de Dios, Gerardo Francisco, Francis Cascaño, and in the second cast Niño Guevarra, Alvin Santos, Marcus Tolentino, and again Cascaño. That’s seven danseurs taking on lead roles; I’m sure that in due time, many of its other company members would be ready to assume the ballet’s different roles, too.

Macuja-Elizalde was in fine form as Medora, injecting more than just the required oomph to the role. As always, she gave much attention to the details of her role, little dramatic touches and gestures that distinguished her performance. It was in the Act II pas de deux that she showed her mettle, pushing herself to such energetic dancing. In her variations, she executed such punishing fouettes that it has to be seen to be believed. On the other hand, the Act III pas de fleurs saw her in concentrated dancing that contrasted greatly with the pas de deux.

Alternating as Medora in other shows was Mylene Aggabao and she herself was challenged to difficult dancing. In the Act II pas de deux, she might not have been as aggressive as Macuja-Elizalde, but her dancing was not low-key, either. She had a charming presence that was in character, and her fouettes were solid and secure. She has risen well as one of BM’s lead soloists, proving to be more than just an adequate ballerina.

As Gulnara, Yanti Marduli and Jennifer Rose Olayvar were the perfect foils to the Medoras, providing brilliant dancing to complement those of their female partners. Marduli, as Macuja-Elizalde’s Gulnara, may lack the star power her senior has, but when it came to dancing, one could not find fault with her execution. Olayvar provided the perfect match to Aggabao’s Medora; their duo in the Act III pas de fleurs had the right balance that placed both characters in equal footing.

The Conrads were also in fine form. Salgado and Guevarra both showed athletic strength to hurdle the challenges of the role. Salgado is blessed with height, which endowed his dancing with a heroic mien. This was his second lead role so far and he did not disappoint. He performed secure leaps and partnered Macuja-Elizalde sensitively. Guevarra, who was Aggabao’s Conrad, was up to the challenges of the role, too. His compact size was no hindrance to thrilling dancing that had the crowd cheering.

The role of Ali was taken on by Francisco and Santos, both veterans to the role. There’s not much difference between their dancing, as they both showed strength and security. It was pretty difficult to find fault with any of them, as they turned in solid performances.

As the slave trader Lankadem, De Dios and Cascaño turned their character role into an opportunity for acting. Of course, Lankadem dances with Gulnara in the Act I pas d’esclave, and they both didn’t disappoint.

Tolentino and Cascaño took on the role of Birbanto, the other pirate, proving that a minor role need not be a thankless one. In Birbanto’s mazurka, accompanied by Bedouins Anne Kateri Gelvoria, Patricia Hermosa, Sheila Marie Lendio, Eric Mallari and Romeo Peralta, they both showed fine form, adding bravado to this character dance.

What Ballet Manila’s production of Le Corsaire proved is that this dance company continues to provide Manila’s ballet enthusiasts with world-class productions that highlight our local talents. In fact, staged as the finale of its 2007-2008 season, the production was able to draw up two separate casts, a tribute to the company’s sensible tutelage of its students and its scholars. Bravo!