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Prize-winning ballerinas debut in Ballet Manila's 'Swan Lake'

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Anjie Blardony Ureta

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/life/10/04/ballet-1.jpg"/><figcaption>Katherine Barkman transform as the dark sorceress Odile in &#x27;Swan Lake&#x27; with Joseph Phillips as Prince Siegfried. Photo by G-nie Arambulo</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA -- Three award-winning ballerinas will be unfolding their wings as they debut in the dual roles of Odette and Odile in Ballet Manila’s full-length production of &quot;Swan Lake.&quot; Principal dancer Katherine Barkman, and soloists Abigail Oliveiro and Joan Emery Sia are poised to take on the demanding twin roles for the very first time in this classical warhorse, which has been a company staple in over two decades. “Because we are rooted in the classics, Swan Lake has been in our repertoire since the year Ballet Manila was founded,” says artistic director Lisa Macuja-Elizalde. “In the beginning, we had to perform the full production with Russian companies as guest artists. But since 2003, we’ve been staging it on our own as we grew in strength and number.”“Being able to present a well-executed and technically proficient &#x27;Swan Lake&#x27; is a mark of genuine success for any ballet company because it demands uncompromising proficiency from everyone – from the principals and soloists to the corps de ballet. It is the gold standard from which all other ballets follow.”Welcoming new generation of dancersThe recently retired prima ballerina adds that she is particularly proud of this current production, having been able to successfully pass on the extremely difficult roles of the White and Black Swans to a new generation of female leads. “The roles of Odette and Odile are the ultimate test of any ballerina’s artistry and technique,” she explains. “The White Swan, Odette, is innocent and pure, so she needs to be portrayed as lyrical, soft, vulnerable and pliant. On the other hand her Black Swan counterpart, Odile, is dark and evil, requiring strength, aggression, and sensuality with a sprinkling of malice and mischief. As a ballerina, once you’ve done these roles, you can do anything!” Lisa avers that she has complete faith in both the technical and artistic capabilities of the three new Swan Queens, especially since they are all laureates of international competitions. <div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/life/10/04/ballet-2.jpg"/><figcaption>Soloist Abigail Oliveiro as the lovely White Swan, Odette. Photo by Ocs Alvarez</figcaption></figure></div>In 2015 alone, the three girls brought home multiple awards from the Asian Grand Prix (AGP) in Hong Kong – with Barkman receiving the overall Grand Prix Cup and a silver in the pas de deux division, Oliveiro bringing home the silver from the women’s senior division, and Sia walking off with the bronze in the women’s senior division and another bronze for the pas de deux.“They are very much prepared and ready,” says the artistic director. “After they won at the AGP two years ago, the three of them also debuted as Juliet in &#x27;Romeo and Juliet&#x27; a few months later. And now, it’s the three of them again doing Odette/Odile for the first time. I’m really excited to watch them conquer the stage and tuck this most valuable feather into their well-lined caps.”First-time jittersWith barely a week to opening night, the three ballerinas who are taking on the ultimate challenge of their careers reveal that their mood pendulum has been constantly swinging between apprehension and exhilaration. “I think what helps me get through it is just remembering why I’m doing this and the fact that this has been my dream since I was a child,” says Barkman, who moved from the US to Philippines two years ago at 18 to join Ballet Manila as its youngest principal. “As a student, I watched Swan Lake performed by the Mariinsky Ballet at the Kennedy Center in New York and when I heard the music, I started crying. I didn’t want to be sitting in the audience; I wanted to be with them onstage! And now that I have the opportunity to dance this, I’m making a conscious choice everyday to just do my best and not be afraid – to simply have the courage to pursue it.”Oliveiro, on the other hand, tries to focus on the freedom that portraying two distinctive characters brings. “There’s a lot of creativity involved in dancing Odette and Odile,” she observes. “There are established techniques in attacking the roles but there’s also so much room for putting in your personal touch, and that’s what I love because it’s so much fun.” She also turns to Peter Tchaikovsky’s compelling musical score to soothe her frayed nerves. “It’s so poignant, it makes the pressure go away. No matter how exhausted or tense I become, when the music plays, everything fades.”<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/life/10/04/ballet-3.jpg"/><figcaption>Soloist Joan Emery Sia channels the Black Swan, Odile. Photo by Konrad Ong</figcaption></figure></div>The more senior of the three, Sia admits to feeling like a newbie all over again as she takes on the twofold characters for the first time. “What’s been hard for me is keeping myself together throughout the whole training process because this is much more important than anything else. It’s where you learn, where you grow, where you discover. Dancing onstage can be very hard but everything leading to the performance is even more challenging. But dancing is what we love and all that we’ve ever done since we decided to become ballerinas have led us to this moment. I’m not going to waste it.”Also featured in Swan Lake are resident guest principal Joseph Phillips, principal danseur Rudy de Dios, and soloists Mark Sumaylo, Romeo Peralta, and Elpidio Magat alternating in the role of Prince Siegfried. All performances will be set to live music courtesy of the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of guest conductor Alexander Vikulov. Ballet Manila’s &quot;Swan Lake&quot; goes onstage at 6 p.m. on October 7 and 14, and at 3 p.m. on October 8 and 15 at the Aliw Theater, CCP Complex, Pasay City.

Principal dancer Katherine Barkman, and soloists Abigail Oliveiro and Joan Emery Sia are poised to take on the demanding twin roles for the very first time in this classical warhorse, which has been a company staple in over two decades.

Principal dancer Katherine Barkman, and soloists Abigail Oliveiro and Joan Emery Sia are poised to take on the demanding twin roles for the very first time in this classical warhorse, which has been a company staple in over two decades.