A holiday tradition worth looking forward to

What would Christmas be like without The Nutcracker? Its images of snowflakes, a tree that grows magically on Christmas Eve, an army of toy soldiers, a colony of rats, the sugarplum fairy, and a nutcracker prince hark back to its fairy-tale root that thrilled readers young and old alike hundreds of years ago with its tale of wonder. Its shift from page to stage has earned it countless admirers the world over, thanks in great part to the music of Russian master Peter Tchaikovsky.

For many ballet companies worldwide, The Nutcracker is de rigueur for the Christmas holidays. The Act II character dances provide a dance company the opportunity to showcase the talents of its members. Its thrilling choreography challenges dancers to do their best as it provides the audience holiday fun that is truly in line with the yuletide spirit.

Ballet Manila mounted last month its sixth Nutcracker since the company first staged it in 1998. Based on the popular choreography by Vassily Vainonen and restaged by BM artistic associate Osias Barroso, it tells the standard version of the ballet:

Uncle Herr Drosselmeyer gifts Masha with a nutcracker for Christmas. In a dream on Christmas Eve, the Nutcracker Prince battles King Rat who, with his minions, invades the living room. The Nutcracker Prince kills King Rat with a thrust of his sword after Masha distracts the enemy by throwing a shoe at him. The Nutcracker Prince is then transformed into a handsome Prince, while Masha becomes a beautiful Princess. They journey to a magical kingdom where she is entertained by a parade of dances. When she wakes up, she realizes that it was all just a dream.

This production saw BM artistic director Lisa Macuja-Elizalde dance her nth Masha, a role that is close to her heart; she danced the lead in this ballet at the Kirov as a graduating student, becoming the first foreigner to ever dance the role of Masha at the school. This show also gathered together all of BM’s dancers keeping this holiday dance tradition alive and well.

As befitting any Sugarplum Fairy, Lisa Macuja-Elizalde was a delight, giving regal nobility to her performance. She was unfazed by a little mishap in the Rose Waltz, coolly keeping her composure and executing securely the difficult leaps and turns with her five partners. Although she has been dancing Masha for more than two decades now, her performance remained newly-minted, a delightful and charming character that engaged the audience.

Playing the Prince with Macuja-Elizalde in the first cast was BM senior soloist Jerome Espejo. The danseur cut a fine form on stage, athletic and engaging in his performance. Having danced previously with the ballerina in this ballet, they showed good rapport. He lived up to the challenges of his solo in the Act II pas de deux, delivering his leaps with authority.

For this production, BM prepared four casts to take on the leads. The second cast featured Mylene Aggabao and Niño Guevarra as Masha/Sugarplum Fairy and Prince, respectively. They were an ideal pair, young and new to their roles. Both showed confident dancing and relished the opportunities to show their strengths.

For this production, the roles of the child Masha and her brother Fritz were played by Dawna Mangahas and Alvin Santos, respectively, while Marcus Tolentino and Jerome Gumayagay alternated as Drosselmayer. While Tolentino projected a dapper uncle, Gumayagay was the more engaging character, more actorish in his antics.

The character dances were all performed by BM’s roster of experienced members, who were cast based on their strengths. Indeed, these dances served as a display of the training BM has been giving them. Dancing in the Act II divertissement were Ea Marie Torrado and Francis Cascaño (Spanish), Marian Faustino/Sheila Marie Lendio and Gerardo Francisco (Chinese), Sofia Sangco, Yanti Marduli and Lemuel Capa (Russian), Gabriella Galvez and Jonathan Janolo (Arabian), and Alvin Santos, Bea Castañeda and Patricia Hermosa (pas de trois). The Act I charecter dances were performed by Harold Salgado (King Rat), Mylene Aggabao/Patricia Hermosa (Columbine), Rudy de Dios/Jerome Espejo (Moor), and Roduardo Ma (Harlequin).

BM’s annual production of The Nutcracker is becoming a showcase of the dance company’s roster of dancers. It has also become a tradition that ballet enthusiasts and the public look forward to when the holidays roll in.