Cover One of many mesmerising performances from Ballet Philippines’ ‘Diyosa’
One of many mesmerising performances from Ballet Philippines’ ‘Diyosa’
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A ballet tickles the fantasy and delivers an assault on the senses
At last, the excitement over the secrets of Ballet Philippines’ Diyosa ended with its world premiere night in April. Whispers about this multi-disciplinary ballet by the architect Carlo Calma came with promises of a new sensory experience in the footsteps of current international productions.
In five acts lasting almost two hours, the audience was transported into a mythical world of gods and goddesses via a magical collision of dance, architecture design, electronic music and fashion in celebration of Filipino culture. There was even aerial silk dancing by BP’s Jemima Reyes who showed an incredible display of strength, flexibility and grace. She and the rest of the dancers have clearly levelled up in technique, thanks to the training by the company’s artistic director, Mikhail “Mischa” Martynyuk.
Read also: Jemima Reyes on why ballet is not for the faint of heart
Above Jemima Reyes shows her skill in aerial silk dancing
Jemima Reyes shows her skill in aerial silk dancing
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In a previous interview with Tatler, BP President Kathleen Liechtenstein expounded: “Mischa’s forte is training towards stronger technical know-how. He teaches our dancers the proper movement of the eyes, the torso, and even the fingers, as well as the partnering. He is the one who brings the discipline to our dancers whom he constantly advises not to think that they are good but that they are now getting good.”
Diyosa was full of surprises indeed, including guest appearances of Martynyuk’s daughter Eva and of Calma himself. Somewhere in Act 2, a character costumed from head to toe was introduced, hopping and dancing with the corps de ballet. At curtain call, the person under the costume was revealed to be none other than Calma, a touch that elicited shrieks and applause from the enrapt audience.
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Even before the curtain rose, the mix of art forms was already rolled out. Greeting guests at the lobby of Solaire Theatre, BP’s new home while the Cultural Center of the Philippines renovation is ongoing, is a photo display by the artist Jay Yao featuring images of ordinary people wearing the deity costumes of the ballet. Calma designed the costumes, his first time doing so. In the spirit of sustainability, he stuffed the cloudlike sections with recycled materials like foam.
A book launch of Calma’s An Architect’s Guide to Making a Ballet was held simultaneously. The book chronicles his process of bringing Diyosa to life. It gives readers a closer look into how he was able to merge his love for architecture with his appreciation for dance. In an earlier interview with Tatler, Calma shared: “Granted that when you watch Diyosa in the theatre it is more fun but this book offers more compiled research to show the logical approach that I employed. In the book, there are things you might not see in the show like the use of plastic pellets from recycled plastic bottles, materials which I have been using in some of my houses as well as paintings. The eight wooden apparatuses are from recycled construction materials. At least even in some small way, I tried to look into the adaptive applications of used materials.”
Antonio O Cojuangco, Kathleen Liechtenstein, Carlo Calma
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Joining this celebration of Philippine culture, Solaire’s talented chefs created a bespoke menu inspired by local street food. The star dish was an elevated version of Sisig, topped with calamansi mayo and crispy pork skin. The fully stocked bar complemented the creative noshes, thanks to Supernatural Wines, known for wines made with minimal human intervention; Cork Wines and Boca Juan for their delicious varietals from premium collections.
Carlo Calma’s miniature designs and book
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Beaming proudly that evening, Liechtenstein said, in her opening message, that Diyosa which closed the company’s 53rd season is “a leap into the future of dance, where innovation forms a vibrant and dynamic narrative with reverence to the past”.
Sharing her pride was BP’s Chairman of the Board Antonio O Cojuangco and showing their support were stalwarts of the art and culture community such as Dr Joven Cuanang, Jimmy Laya and Dedes Zobel. Also at opening night were members of the diplomatic corps including Japanese Ambassador Koshikawa Kazuhiko and EU Ambassador Luc Veron.
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Credits
Photography: Ballet Philippines
A journalist of more than 30 years, Chit has had varied exposures in this field, both in hard news as well as in soft news, and brings everything she has learnt to the production of the magazine. When not writing or editing, Chit is deeply involved in her chosen service organisation, Rotary International.
