“ Les Sylphides is the favorite ballet of Tatiana Udalenkova to rehearse and watch being performed,” recalls Lisa. She came to Manila with her husband, People’s Artist of Russia Serguei Vikulov, to coach the company for this restaging. To make sure that Les Sylphides was presented in its pure form, with every move conveying stillness and inward strength, Lisa sought the guidance of her Russian teacher, Tatiana Udalenkova. Barroso intelligently drew away from the pitfall, and danced with subdued feeling and style, revealing danseur noble qualities.” Many a time, the poet’s role has been overacted and exaggerated. “Osias Barroso, dancing the poet’s role, proved to be a sincere and mature artist, well in command of technique, and with an understanding of this subtle and sensitive role. Writing in The Manila Chronicle in 1988, ballet critic Tita Radaic praised the lead performances. The production featured then PBT principal dancer Lisa Macuja and soloist Osias Barroso, now Ballet Manila co-artistic director in the lead roles along with Melanie Motus and Veronica Amor. In 1988, the Philippine Ballet Theatre premiered the ballet piece in Manila as Les Sylphides, as restaged by the choreographer and teacher Basilio (Steve Villaruz). “It reasserted the lyrical and poetic qualities of ballet at a time when brilliantly-faceted virtuosity contained in the setting of a mammoth full-length ballet by Petipa was the norm.” The Balletgoer’s Guide by Mary Clarke and Clement Crisp describes Les Sylphides ss one of the revolutionary works of the 20th century. It's one rare ballet of that era, an abstract choreographic miniature.” “ Chopiniana has no story, just one music after another. In 1911, it debuted in the United States where it similarly awed audiences. The ballet is just so pretty and musical.”ĭue to its groundbreaking nature and its creator’s affiliation with several ballet companies, Les Sylphides was warmly received in major cities in Europe. I really enjoy the old style – the arms, head, upper body. “I remember I watched it being rehearsed and performed in my first year in the school as it was in the graduation concerts of the 8th class girls, while I was in the 7th level. Lisa had seen the ballet several times in Russia while she was a student at the Leningrad Choreographic Institute in St. It would typify what would be known as the “ballet blanc” or white ballet – a conception of dance based on ethereal atmosphere, soft music and diaphanous white costumes.Īccording to written sources, the long white tutu that Pavlova originally danced in, and that the entire female corps de ballet adopted soon after, was designed by Léon Bakst and inspired by a lithograph of Marie Taglioni dressed as a sylph. Records note that the premiere featured Anna Pavlova, Tamara Karsavina, Alexandra Baldina and Vaslav Nijinsky as the principal dancers.įokine was able to make his non-narrative “poet with sylphs” ballet work, as it veered away from fancy stunts, and focused on meticulous corps de ballet work and movement that’s dictated by music. When it premiered in Paris in June 1909, with Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballet Russes, Chopiniana had been reschristened as Les Sylphides. Petersburg in 1907, followed by another charity performance at the Maryinsky Theater in the same city in March 1908. Called Chopiniana as it uses music written by Frederic Chopin, it was first presented as a “romantic reverie” at a charity event in St. A budding choreographer named Michael Fokine – then only 26 – created a ballet that broke away from the classical ballet tradition championed by Marius Petipa.
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