Chiffon, froth, sopranos and romance

MANILA, Philippines - This month, Ballet Philippines presents a night of music, romance, and fashion in Inamorata, a show that celebrates the persona of the woman as the beloved. The show, which runs on Sept. 23 to 25 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Main Theater is at the heart of Ballet Philippines 42nd Season dubbed Faces of Eve.

The mixed bill features dance pieces ranging from immortal classics like Mikhail Fokine’s The Dying Swan to the comic pas de deux from Harlequinade, to fresh new works by Filipino choreographers Paul Alexander Morales, Alden Lugnasin, Denisa Reyes, Dwight Rodrigazo, Novy Bereber, and Don Adrian Obviar. Each choreographer offers a dance sketch of their muse accompanied by the ethereal voices of sopranos Rachelle Gerodias and Camille Lopez-Molina.

Carissa Adea in Inamorata, a show that celebrates the persona of the woman as the beloved.

For the show, Filipino designers Rajo Laurel, Jojie Lloren and Ito Curata lend their magic in the form of flowing, romantic costumes to make the ballet a visual treat. Jojie, a master of simple and timeless pieces, obtains inspiration from the character sketches provided by his choreographers Carlo Pacis and Alden Lugnasin: flowing white chiffon to suggest a spirited character, red for desire in whatever form, black lace to symbolize grief and a tainted vision.

“I got them from the stories of the characters as told to me by the choreographers. I employed certain details to symbolize the characters’ emotions and state,” Lloren says. For his designs on Carlo Pacis’ new work, he uses “strips girding her bodice (to) signify the refusal of the male character to let go of her.” “Her” is the ideal woman of the male character: Pacis’ choreography is about love from the man’s point of view. While the woman has an other-worldly element to her, the man “is dressed in skin-tone clothes to convey his mortal state.”

Ito Curata, best known for making sleek evening gowns and feminine cocktail dresses, designs for an all-male piece choreographed by Reyes, former Ballet Philippines artistic director. Reyes’ piece, “Everywoman,” is a modern morality play that springs from her deep concern for women in society. Curata is also designing for Morales’ choreography, which uses the music of former Spanish ambassador to the Philippines, Delfin Colomé.

Jojie Lloren employs certain details to symbolize the characters’ emotions in his design.

Rajo Laurel, best known for his luxurious touch, interprets a mother’s deep, down-to-earth love in Bereber’s piece, “Nanay” with costumes that “have an organic feel” through shredded fabric stitched to the body suit, colored with organic dyes “to create deep earthy hues.”                      

For Rodrigazo’s piece called “Moving Two,” which is a contemporary pas de deux highlighting the synchronized and complementary movements of a couple, Laurel amps up the romance with sunburst organza with pleated panels for the female dancer to create a floating silhouette and, in contrast, a black and white ensemble for the male dancer.

“I had to take a lot of functionality into consideration. It must be able to withstand the flexibility of the dancers and it should not hamper their movements,” Rajo says about the design. “As for the similarity, my design philosophy has always been about romance and luxury, and these are the guiding principles that I used in designing these costumes.”                         

Inamorata runs from Sept. 23 to 25 at the CCP Main Theater. For tickets, visit www.balletphilippines.org or call Ticketworld at 891-9999, CCP Box Office at 832-3704 or Ballet Philippines at 551-1003.