A Second Chance to Catch Rebel

Ballet Manila opens its 21^st performance season with a piece that pays homage to the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution

If you missed the first run of Ballet Manila’s Rebel: EDSA 30, you’re in luck. Because for its upcoming performance season, the country’s premier ballet company is re-staging this well-loved piece that had critics raving when it first debuted back in February 2016.

A modern classic whose brilliance no one can deny, Rebel is a symbolic retelling of the events that transpired during the 1986 EDSA Revolution. The brainchild of Ballet Manila’s CEO and Artistic Director, Lisa Macuja-Elizalde, and renowned British choreographer, Martin Lawrance, who did all the choreography work for said ballet, Rebel: EDSA 30 promises to be a spectacle of exceptional dance and drama with music from Aram Khachaturian’s Spartacus setting the mood for fiery and emotional clashes.

Rebel: EDSA 30 features some of Ballet Manila’s strongest Vaganova Academy Style-trained dancers, including Katherine Barkman who takes the lead role of Corazon, Rudy de Dios who plays Benigno and Tiffany Chiang and Gerardo Francisco, who will dance as Imelda and Ferdinand respectively.

Similar to when it was last staged, this season’s production of Rebel: EDSA 30 will feature internationally acclaimed theater artist Joanna Ampil as the voice of Inang Bayan for all performances, with live music courtesy of the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of Maestro Gerard Salonga on August 19, 20, 21. Prima Ballerina Lisa Macuja-Elizalde will also come out of semi-retirement to perform as Inang Bayan on the opening weekend.

The show is co-presented by the Manila Broadcasting Company, Star City, and Aliw Theater. Other sponsors are of Rebel: EDSA 30 include ACS Manufacturing Corporation, First United Corporation, Papa John’s Pizza, Hot Star Chicken, Oasis Paco Park Hotel, Microtel Wyndham Hotels, Island Rose, and Philcom.

Ballet Manila’s Rebel: EDSA 30 runs on August 19, 20, and 27, 8:00p.m., and August 21 and 28, 3:00p.m. at Aliw Theater in Pasay City.

Revenge of the Classics

Ballet Manila’s 21^st performance season pays homage to some of the most memorable and technically challenging classical ballets that were ever made. Aptly named Revenge of the Classics, the new season also features The Swan, The Fairy and the Princess, a production that showcases excerpts from three of the most celebrated works of master composer Peter Tschaikovsky; Don Quixote, which is essentially a ballet retelling of Miguel de Cervantes’ classic novel and; Cinderella, which according to Ballet Manila promises to stay true to the animated feature that generations of young girls and boys loved.

For more information about the shows, including ticket prices and schedules, you may visit www.balletmanila.com.ph or follow Ballet Manila on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Tickets are also available through all Ticketworld outlets. Please call 891 9999 or visit www.ticketworld.com.ph, for more information. In addition, those who are planning to watch all the shows may take advantage of the company’s Season Subscription Programs, which offer up to 50% discount on ticket prices. For more information, you may visit www.ticketworld.com.ph/balletmanila/Online/ and click on ‘View Details’ under ‘Season Subscription Program’.

About Ballet Manila

Founded in 1995 by Prima Ballerina Lisa Macuja-Elizalde and Osias Barroso, Ballet Manila is the country’s premier classical dance company. With the mission of connecting both ballet and the people, the company, which puts education at the forefront of its priorities, is well-known as the only Philippine dance company to adopt and strictly adhere to the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet style of dancing, which is well-regarded the world over as the most disciplined and technically-superior style. The company currently has 65 artists under its wing, all of whom have been trained in the Vaganova Academy style of dancing. The company boasts of a solid repertoire that consists of some of the most technically challenging and timeless ballet favorites.