Philippine Ballet Theatre reimagines the romantic myth of the Sarimanok

Zarate marks this as his second original full-length ballet for PBT after his internationally successful Ibalon, which opened last year as the company emerged from the shadows of the pandemic. What inspired him to risk trying something new for his longstanding career as a music producer, among other things, are Jaynario’s vision and choreography and the ballet company’s passion, commitment, and resilience to keep moving forward and bring its love for dance and our Filipino heritage to audiences.

Recently, Ibalon finally premiered in Legazpi City, Albay, at the Ibalong Recreational Center, which felt like a homecoming performance for the Bicolano epic. On October 27, Ibalon will be performed at the Cerritos Center of the Performing Arts in California, USA.

Read more: A Ballerina’s Journey: Jemima Reyes on why it’s not for the faint of heart

Now that PBT is a National Performing Arts Company for Dance (cycle 2024-2029)—from the initiative of the NCCA and the CCP, which is to select performing arts companies for each pillar of the arts—the renowned ballet company moves forward with a renewed commitment to its core values.

“With humility and dignity, the Company will strive to sustain the gold standard, keeping in mind our mission and our vision to protect, preserve, and promote our Filipino heritage, to break barriers and create new socially and culturally relevant material, and train our talent with passion,” the company expressed in a press statement. 

Compared to Ibalon’s sweeping and cinematic soundtrack, Sarimanok’s soundscape has some whimsical elements that evoke mysticism and magic. The melody’s sense of wonder matches the story’s infusion of the Moon as a character. Meanwhile, the progression of its chords exhibits excitement, which perfectly accompanies the main protagonist, Rajah Indarapatra’s adventure and pursuit of love.

With Mindanao as its main setting, the story used some musical and visual elements, highlighting the land’s varied cultural roots—Islamic, Sri Vijayan, and Indigenous.

In Act One, the palace was introduced by a grand celebration highlighting ballet renditions of traditional dances like Singkil and Tinikling, among others, that really impressed audiences. The production didn’t need large-scale visual spectacles, as the Malong, the Maranaos’ “cloth of life”, was enough to mesmerise spectators.

The fated meeting of Rajah Indarapatra and the Moon Goddess in Act One felt like a Filipinised Swan Lake pas de deux. The universality of this scene helped the ballet convey its message quite clearly yet deliver something one might have never seen before in a Western ballet performance. Like Ballet Manila and Ballet Philippines, in their recent productions, PBT utilises video projection to fill in the gaps in its production’s limitations. However, Sarimanok showed that although technology is available, nothing can replace theatricality with impressive stage works and choreography.

The transformation of the Moon into the personified, luminous and radiant Moon Goddess who danced her heart away as soon as she met Rajah Indarapatra was truly memorable. And when you thought you’d seen enough, PBT punches you with an ingenious transformation of a sarimanok prop into a mesmerising personification in Act Two.

Sarimanok’s world premiere had two principal cast ensembles: Jimmy Lumba and Matthew Davo alternated as Rajah Indarapatra, Jessa Tangalin and Gladys Baybayan as Sarimanok, Joanna Isabel Galeste and Gabrielle Jaynario as Moon Goddess, and Justine Joseph Orande and Dominador Delmo as Rajah Sulayman.

Unnamed yet equally impressive ensembles were those portrayed as Sarimanok Wings and Fireflies. Meanwhile, the Fan Dancers, Malong Dancers, Singkil Dancers, and the Chase Boys rendered breathtaking performances that completed the ballet’s fairytale appeal.

“Inspired by the rich culture and folklore of the Maranaos of Mindanao, the Sarimanok is a story about a legendary mythical birth of the Maranao people that comes alive to unite Rajah Indarapatra and his Moon Goddess, as he finds his one true love at last. Legend has it that the Sarimanok, to this day, lives among the people, sending good fortune from the heavens,” PBT’s president Marie Louise Magsaysay and chairman Patricia Sison expressed in a statement.

Founded in 1986, PBT forged through political challenges and rifts in the cultural scene and emerged victorious by staying true to its mission. With some of its founding members including the likes of National Artist Leonor Orosa Goquinco, Gawad CCP Awardee Felicitas Radaic, Eddie Elejar, Basilio Esteban Villaruz, Julie Borromeo, Maria Luisa “Inday” Gaston Mañosa, Sonny Lopez-Gonzales, Vella Damian, Gener Caringal, Tony Fabella, and Eric Cruz, the company remains a stalwart figure—and now a leader among artistic institutions in the field of dance—in promoting Filipino heritage.

“We commend the company for not only presenting numerous productions that highlight choreographers’ works and dancers performing classical works both in traditional and modern approaches but also for helping generate an interest in Philippine cultural heritage and showcase the talent of Filipino artists,” CCP president Kaye Tinga and vice president-artistic director Dennis Marasigan wrote in a statement.

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