Philippine Ballet Theatre in Los Angeles
Philippine Ballet Theatre performed at the Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles. Their repertoire included music by Filipino composers and singers. A highlight was the section featuring songs by Jose Mari Chan.
PBT held its 2022 US tour with performances in New York and California. We were fortunate to watch them at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles.
The show was entitled “On the Wings of Song” honoring Jose Mari Chan’s legacy as a Filipino Songwriter and composer
The show opened with Le Corsaire pas de deux followed by ensemble dance numbers with Original Pilipino Music (OPM) with classic pop songs like those by Celeste Legazpi. There was a whole segment dedicated to Jose Mari Chan, a prominent Filipino songwriter, and composer. The repertoire included songs of love and faith.
The second part featured soloists and several Pas de Deux set to iconic Filipino love songs, depicted as in a teleserye (tv melodrama popular in the Philippines)
While those of us who grew up in the Philippines delighted in the nostalgia of the songs accompanied by dance choreography, those who didn’t or even do not speak Tagalog/Filipino, may not have understood it fully nevertheless they delighted in the mood of the songs and the colorful costumes matched with ballet choreography.
There are plans for Philippine Ballet Theatre to return to the US next year, in 2023
Would you be interested in watching them?
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