Music

Silent Narrative in Ballet

  • Conveys emotions and stories through facial expressions and body language/dance

  • The music is used as the “voice” of the dancers to convey the story/situation

  • Using lighting and costumes helps the audience track the progression of the narrative arc.   

  • The active interpretation of movement serves to exercise the creative brain of the viewer.

Philippine Ballet

  • A performance art that tells stories exclusively through movement and expression, omitting all spoken dialogue.

Key Elements:

        Pantomime - The practice of delivering the plot or emotional content through stylized gestures.     

        Synchronized Choreography - The execution of rhythmic movements that are precisely aligned             with the musical score.     

        Visual Spectacle - The inclusion of costumes and props that ground the story in a specific setting             or context.     

        The Musical Core - Defined as the primary force that dictates the mood, pace, and energy of the             entire performance.

Ballet Terminologies

  • Libretto: Defined as the text or book of a long musical work.

  • Pantomime: The act of acting out a story specifically through body gestures.

  • Choreography: The specific sequence of steps and movements composed for a dance.

  • Prima Ballerina: The title given to the lead female dancer within a ballet company.

Severino Reyes

  • recognized as the "Father of Tagalog Plays" (Sarswela).

  • pen name: Lola Basyang

Lola Basyang - an elderly grandmother seated in a rocking chair (duyan), surrounded by grandchildren; intended to make the stories feel warm, traditional, and educational.

    Ballet Adaptation:

  • The production was led by Ballet Manila under the direction of Prima Ballerina Lisa Macuja-Elizalde.

  • In the years 20032003 and 20092009, these stories were transformed into a ballet series.

  • Dancers utilized pantomime (gestures) and choreography to express character emotions in place of traditional verbal storytelling.

Kuwento ni Lola Basyang

  • Ang Mahiwagang Biyulin: The story of a magical violin that possesses the power to make people dance.

  • Prinsipe ng Mga Ibon: A romantic narrative involving a princess who falls in love with a prince who is a bird.

  • Kapatid ng Tatlong Marya: A hero’s quest to find his sisters who were taken by elemental kings.

Rama Hari

  • A Philippine adaptation of the ancient Indian epic, the Ramayana.

  • Debuted in February 19801980 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP).

  • They are played by two people simultaneously—a dancer and a singer representing the same

  • character.

  • he story centers on Prince Rama and his wife Sita, who are unjustly exiled from their kingdom for a duration of 14 years.

  • conflict: Rama’s stepmother to deny him his rightful place on the throne.

The team of National Artists:

  • Ryan Cayabyab - Responsible for Music Composition.    

  • Alice Reyes - Known as "The National Artist for Dance," who handled Choreography.

  • Bienvenido Lumbera - The "National Artist for Literature," who authored the lyrics and scripts.

  • Salvador Bernal - Handled Theater Design and costume design.

Main cast/singers:

  • Kuh Ledesma as Sita

  • Basil Valdez as Rama