Take this with a teaspoon of salt, because I'm not sure I'm fully able to do this justice given the late hour and my terrible experience with some absolutely inconsiderate theater goers, but here are my thoughts about the new ballet of Ballet Manila: Florante at Laura.
First of all, before the curtain rises, we start with a grand overture that tells us what is to come. It sounds epic, and the curtains rise to a set that's beautifully levelled and used to best effect.
Act one starts with a solo that showcases Florante's skill and agony despite being physically tied to a certain point. Then the show continues with beautifully choreographed battles as they tell a story that moves back and forth through time.
The lack of verbal cues means that the background projection given is now essential to the storytelling, but it is forgiven given the source material.
We me move through quickly and transition from one dance to the next, slowing down only for the romantic pa de deux and end at the beginning before the second act.
Sadly, the second act, at least for me, fails to deliver. The first half of the second half is a mere reflection of the first, both in sight and in sound - just now in red. Mind you, there are differences in the ensemble, but given that the story is similar, I wish that the difference between the two regions were highlighted more (more floorwork perjaps?).
There were also two missed opportunities that were a bit dissapointing. Was I distracted, but I recall no true pas de deux between Laura end Flerida? Given that the former dances in a more feminine manner and the latter more masculine, a dance between the two would have been welcome, with a new composition to match.
Another would have been strengthening the ending with a dance between the two couples, showing different styles and similarities at the same time.
In retrospect, I would not have been that dissapointed had the first act not delivered so well. Looking back, the dances themselves were done well, albeit on the repeated track of the first act (at least to my untrained ear).
In the end though, I am actually quite amazed and thankful that this was made at all. Caveat: I actually haven't seen Rama, Hari (which I do regret). I strongly think this production should be supported, and seen by all those high schoolers forced to study the original text. It, for me, condenses the story to its core in a way that can build on understanding the text, and to ideally start an appreciation for (an) underappreciated art(s).
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