of Ballet Philippines.
COURTESY OF BALLET PHILIPPINES
THE MASSIVE, grandiose art installation of Gabriel Barredo dominated the Cultural Center of the Philippines lobby on Feb. 13, setting the tone for the opening night of the artist’s “Opera,” choreographed by the iconic Redha.
Barredo’s art installation “Opera”—a daring offering from Ballet Philippines—acquired an electrifying, surreal quality in a nearly two-hour ballet that tackled the subjects of God, sex and death in three choreographic components requiring two intermissions.
The Barredo installation was the main attraction that transformed CCP Main Theater into a huge exhibit area.
But when the exhibit objects started moving with dancers simulating their positions, you got a visual treat the likes of which hardly ever figure in dance creations.
For a while I thought the pulsating music with equally arresting rhythm was a foreign piece, but when I looked at the credits, lo and behold, it was written by a Filipino named Malek Lopez, who also did the film score of the acclaimed film “Honor Thy Father.”
With the art installation, the dancers and the music in perfect harmony, you got superior collaboration that dazzled the Saturday opening night audience.
Indeed, the choreography was awesome and the production was clearly a showcase of this choreographer’s genius.
Dance lovers were not ready for the kind of reaction the new piece would elicit, but in the end, you saw a production that dwarfed all other artistic outputs of the season.
This early, I’d like to name Redha Choreographer of the Year.
The Barredo art installation was a work of genius by itself, and the Redha choreography transported it into the realm of dance. The result was choreographic magic of the highest order.
Redha admitted meeting Barredo was one of his most intense artistic encounters.
Said he: “The extreme intensity of his work sparked my imagination to dream; dream about bodies, about emotions, and, above all, about life. The piece is a journey that allows us to confront our own selves through events we have never encountered.”
“Opera” became the sensation it was with a libretto by Yvette Tan and Erwin Romulo, original music by Lopez, lighting design by John Batalla, costumes by James Reyes and videos by Pabrika.