MANILA, Philippines - Ballet Manila begins the year with a collaboration with South Korea’s Yewon Dance Company in a show aptly titled Duo, featuring a repertoire of classical and contemporary pieces from the two groups.
Presented by the Manila Broadcasting Company, Aliw Theater, Ballet Manila and Star Theater, Duo will go on stage on Jan. 26, Saturday, 5 p.m., at Aliw Theater and on Jan. 27, Sunday, 5 p.m., at Star Theater. Both venues are located at the CCP Complex, Pasay City.
The Jan. 26 program opens with Prinsipe ng Mga Ibon, a piece from Ballet Manila’s popular Tatlong Kuwento ni Lola Basyang. Yewon Dance Company, meanwhile, will present such numbers as: Hwansunmu, a traditional Korean fan dance; Tarantella; Let’s Have Real Fun, a traditional Korean mask dance; and Sound of Excitement, a dance using the kyonggo or hand drum.
For the Jan. 27 program, Ballet Manila will perform Reve and Le Corsaire Pas de Trois. In addition to all the numbers mentioned above, Yewon Dance Company will also stage variations from Coppelia, Paquita, Raymonda, Harlequinade and Esmeralda, and other pieces highlighting their skills in both classical and modern genres.
“We welcome collaborations like these because dancers from both groups are able to interact, and the audience is able to see two cultures united by dance,†says Lisa Macuja-Elizalde, Ballet Manila artistic director.
Previously, Ballet Manila performed Giselle with the Hwang Kyu Yang Ballet (2006) and the Duo and Nutcracker shows with the Choi So Bin Ballet (2010).
Yewon Dance Company, with Dr. Joung Hye Jin as art director, was established in 1967 with the opening of the Yewon Dance Institute. Run by the Seoul Arts Foundation, the dance institute espouses early education in the arts. It has nurtured numerous artists who help enhance the arts in South Korea.
For information, call Ballet Manila at 525-5967 or 400-0292 or visit www.balletmanila.com.ph, or call Ticketworld at 891-9999 or visit ticketworld.com.ph.