Ballet Manila closes its 23rd season with the Beatles and Chopin

THE dancers of Ballet Manila have been training six times a week since last December for two very different kinds of shows. This is in preparation for the closing performances of its 23^rd season, “Tour de Force,” which ends in March with a double-header called Deux.
The first chapter, which will be performed on March 2 and 9, will feature Les Sylphides — also known as Chopiniana in Russia — about a poet who dances with all the different muses as they inspire him to create poetry. The choreography by Michael Fokine, set to music by Frederic Chopin, evokes weightlessness.
“It’s a choreographic miniature that [tells] no story. It’s just a lot of very beautiful dancing.” Ballet Manila CEO and artistic director Lisa Macuja-Elizalde said at a press conference on Feb. 12 at the Star Theater in Pasay City.
The second chapter, The Winding Road, will be performed on March 3 and 10 and will focus on contemporary choreography by Martin Lawrence set to songs of the Beatles. The songs include “The Long and Winding Road,” “I Saw Her Standing There,” and “She Loves You.”
“For me, the Beatles’ lyrics are like poems. Each song has its own story. I tried to put little stories together to make my own story,” Mr. Lawrence said. “You will see lots of different episodes and they all come together in the end.”
“It’s a very interesting and upbeat performance with very strong dancing,” Ms. Macuja said.
The March 2 and 9 shows are at 6 p.m., while the March 3 and 10 performances are at 3 p.m. All will be at the Aliw Theater, CCP Complex, Pasay City. Tickets, which range in price from P500 to P1,500, are available through Ticketworld (891-9999, ). — Michelle Anne P. Soliman