PREMIERES AND ENCORES

 

Premieres and Encores

The Alice Reyes Dance Philippines continues its stand on no-non-sense dance performances with its second offering entitled Premieres and Encores. The stage is left to the bare minimum as with the costumes. Again, as the fledgeling dance company stresses, a worthy performance doesn't require spending for millions in installation art nor sets. You just need technically strong dancers that deliver a performance that leaves the gob-smacked audience's jaw on the floor... literally! Despite the threat of typhoon Paeng acting up, a mixed audience of French expats, diplomats and Filipino balletomanes trooped to the CCP's main theater to witness French guest choreographer, Redha Benteifour's two new works: "L’espoir Des Lendemain" (The Hope of Tomorrow) and "L’homme Assis Dans Le Fauteuil" (The Man on the Armchair). This is an auspicious move to commemorate the 75th diplomatic relations between France and the Philippines. and what a gift these two pieces were! 

The evening starts off with JM Cabling's I Want To Say Something, The piece is a study on an introvert's vacillation to speak up when the urge hits him or to stay quiet even if it eats him up inside. Erl Sorilla is at stage center as the corps enters one by one. Slowly the dance becomes more energetic and eventually peaks in a crescendo of movement constantly flinging a gliterring microphone across and aroud the stage area until Erl decides to recoil into a fetal position and keep his pent up emotion to himself. In a world where social media makes so much noise, sometimes, the best remedy is to sign off.

"L’homme Assis Dans Le Fauteuil" (The Man on the Armchair) by Redha is a tale of ill-fated love. Macel Dofitas as the love-struck woman delivers an emotional performance with near-impossible leg extensions that are picture-perfect. While Richard Yadao's interpretation of a jaded lover who considers falling in love a handicap injects pathos into his role. His lifts are so secure, Macel Dofitas can jump into his arms in total abandon. They both can act, too! This choreography is so romantically charged one can turn it into a teleserye. It's beautiful and haunting at the same time. 

Providing the perfect foil to an otherwise somber mood is Visayan Suites. It's a collab of the ARDP dancers who can choreograph  and their colleagues who perform it with gusto. The ensemble dancing was  light and fun. The solos and pas de deux were witty and note worthy. Katrene San Miguel and Monica Gana have matured in their technique immensely. San Miguel in "Pasayawa Ko Day" revealed a comic side to her strong pirouettes and fluid arabesques. Tim Cabrera as her ever reliable partner proved to be a perfect match. Meanwhile, Monica Gana's dancing has evolved further. She's a revelation in her "Ay Kalisud" solo. She moves reservedly at first, and then progresses as the song goes on to pirouettes landing in  a split on the floor or jumping on to the waiting arms of male dancers in  a pas de chat. She was tear-jerking, desperate and almost comical in the ending. It brought to mind my memory of Giselle's mad scene, only Visayan version.

L'Espoir Des Lendemain ( The Hope of Tomorrow) was the evening's piece de resistance. I have two words to describe this piece: pandemic angst!  In it Redha pours out his choreographic genius to the receptive bodies of ARDP's dancers. He provokes them... he dares them... he pushes the dancers to their limits. And just when you think the dancers can do no more, they dance with full abandon to deliver a performance that is cogent! I saw this piece at rehearsals, and thought, yeah, it's a strong piece. But when I saw the Gala, my jaw dropped. There is a certain uneasiness in the whole fabric of the piece... and yet, it's relatable. The dance is replete with difficult and very complicated lifts, the women jumping into the air are unpredictable, and the men catching the women in pressage are amazing. But it's when they are dancing in unison that makes the piece whole. There is no gender discrimination in this dance; only  men and women exhibiting feats of strength, courage, and the feeling of security that their co- dancers will catch them in mid-flight. The stage was bereft of sets with only black dominating the color scheme. The ending with silver and white confetti resembling snow is cathartic - the silver lining in a choreography drenched in desolation and despair. And so, the evening ends on a positive note. 

Bravo, Redha! We hope to be working with you yet again. Bravo, Guan Ming dancers! Your youthful energy is delightful. Bravo, Alice Reyes Dance Philippines! We're hoping to see more of your performances.