Ballet is in the air. Stella Abrera, the first Filipino-American principal dancer of American Ballet Theater (ABT), will be in Manila this April to teach a master class at Steps and perform in a benefit show at the Maybank theater in Bonifacio Global City.
Also, jewelry label Jul B. Dizon has debuted its Ballerine collection, consisting of six pendants in 18K gold with diamonds, sapphires, pearls and other precious gemstones.
Designed by Lucille Dizon, the collection is an ode to the art of dance, and stems from a childhood devotion to ballet.
“I’ve been fascinated with ballet since I was a child,” says Dizon. “Though I did not take lessons, I have always loved watching dancers glide across the stage with grace, elegance and strength.”
In the Ballerine collection, each pendant is named after a prima ballerina. For instance, the Anna Pavlova—in honor of the Russian prima who was one of the most well-known principal artists of the Ballet Russes under Sergei Diaghilev in the late 19th century—is crafted midpoint in a halfway turn, carved from lavender jade with a tiara of pearls.
Technical virtuosity
The Nadia Nerina—in honor of the South African principal ballerina of the Royal Ballet—is garbed in a tutu of green jade, lined in diamonds. The New York Times eulogized the dancer, who died at age 80 a decade ago, as “known for her technical virtuosity, lightness afoot, effortless-seeming jumps and joyful charm onstage, especially in comedic roles.”
Russian prima Ulyana Lopatkina (her first name is sometimes spelled as Uliana), who only recently retired due to professional injuries, appears in a skirt carved in turquoise, her bodice embellished with diamonds and pearls. Lopatkina has been called “the greatest ballerina in Russia today and a national legend,” according to The Telegraph.
Russians Tamara Toumanova and Galina Ulánova and Cuban prima ballerina Alicia Alonso make up the rest of the collection.
“With the Ballerine collection, I tried to capture the magic that the dancers exude even with just a single pose,” says Dizon. “This line of pendants is my homage to the most celebrated and influential ballerinas in the world.”
The limited-edition Ballerine collection is now available at all Jul B. Dizon Jewellery stores in Manila Peninsula (call 8864638) and Edsa Shangri-La (call 6336553). E-mail info@julbdizon.com.
