How do you juxtapose a love that transcends life and death with deceit? This is the challenge for world-renowned ballet superstars from the prestigious Mariinsky Ballet, Renata Shakirova and Alexei Timofeyev as they try to evoke genuine love and betrayal in Ballet Manila’s Giselle, a rare two-night only performance on August 31, 2024 at 8 PM and September 1, 2024 at 5 PM at the Aliw Theater

Interestingly, Renata and Alexei are set to play the title roles – as lovers – of Giselle for the first time. With this new experience, Renata shared, “I think what is very special about Ballet Manila’s Giselle is that I’m going to be dancing with my husband, and that kind of artistry and performance with somebody you are very close to will just make the performance very special.”

Similarly for Alexei, he looks forward to the chemistry they will be creating on stage: “Giselle is one of my favorite ballets and the outcome of dancing Giselle with my wife Renata, it is even more interesting for me to find out what is going to happen.”

While he admits that the technical aspects of playing Albrecht can be challenging, it is an interesting role to be able to act. “How should my Albrecht oppose Renata’s Giselle? I think, this is the most interesting part of this process, and I really can’t wait to show the results on stage.”

The third offering of Ballet Manila’s 26 th performance season dubbed Ballet Masterpieces, Giselle tells the tragic story of a beautiful, young village girl who falls in love with Albrecht, but dies upon finding out that he was already betrothed. She then becomes a wili, joining the souls of girls who are also wronged by their men. Meanwhile, Albrecht visits the grave of Giselle who protects him from Myrtha, the vengeful queen of the wilis

With Giselle tackling universal themes such as forgiveness, love, and the consequences of betrayal, Renata hopes that the Filipino audience can connect with her character. “I think what is really important to be able to connect to the audience and show a different and special Giselle by highlighting the small nuances that are included in the performance like the turn of a head, the eye-to-eye contact with your partner. It’s not just all technique. Of course, there’s the jumping, there’s the pirouettes, but at the same time, it’s all of these subtle nuances that are very important to be able to show so that the story can be told and that the audience will enjoy the performance.”

Meanwhile, Alexei hopes to see the outcomes of their rendition of the story. “It’s interesting for me to play Albrecht, mainly because of its artistry and acting. It’s a journey of answering questions like “How does Albrecht love Giselle? Does he really love her or is he just playing with her? This would be a little tricky for me because my emotions for my wife are real”

With Renata and Alexei’s star power, Lisa Macuja Elizalde, Ballet Manila’s artistic director and chief executive officer, hopes to highlight only the best that Ballet Manila has to offer. “It’s the true romantic style of dancing Giselle. It’s all about tradition and Renata and Alexei are steeped in it.”

She also noted, “The fact that we are collaborating with these guest artists and star performers will always bring out the best in the company as well.”

The two-act ballet will showcase the talents of couples both on and off stage. Ballet Manila's principal dancers Abigail Oliveiro and Mark Sumaylo, also a real-life couple, will headline the performance on August 31 at 1pm, while the world-renowned duo of Renata and Alexei will take on the title roles on August 31 at 8pm and September 1 at 5pm.

All performances will be staged at Aliw Theater, Pasay City. For tickets, visit www.ticketworld.com.ph. To know more about Ballet Manila and its shows, visit www.balletmanila.com.ph.