Ballet Manila’s 'Ibong Adarna' returns for a two-day Areté run

Only two performances are scheduled for Ballet Manila’s Ibong Adarna at Areté this October, giving audiences a brief chance to revisit one of the Filipino stories many first encountered in school, this time through ballet.

Gerardo Francisco Jr.’s Ibong Adarna will be staged at Hyundai Hall, Areté, Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City on 9 October at 7:30 p.m. and 10 October at 5 p.m.

One of Ballet Manila’s most requested productions

The production has become one of Ballet Manila’s most beloved and frequently performed works. It is also one of the company’s most requested offsite performances, according to Lisa Macuja Elizalde, Ballet Manila’s CEO and Artistic Director.

“Ibong Adarna is one of Ballet Manila’s most requested offsite performances. This year, it already had two shows at Jose Rizal Coliseum in Laguna, and now the production is bound to return to Areté in Ateneo before continuing its way to Iloilo,” Macuja Elizalde said.

A familiar story in a new form

At the center of the tale is a mythical bird whose magical song can heal the sick. When King Fernando of the Kingdom of Berbanya falls ill with an incurable disease, his three sons — Don Pedro, Don Diego, and Don Juan — set out to find the legendary Adarna and bring it back to save their father. The prince who succeeds in capturing the bird will inherit the throne.

For generations of Filipinos, Ibong Adarna has been part of school, books, and childhood. Ballet Manila gives the familiar story another artistic form, bringing its enchanted world, royal brothers, and quest for healing to the stage through music, movement, and dance.

A new cast takes the principal roles

The Areté staging features a new set of leads from Ballet Manila’s lineup. Shaira Comeros performs as Ibong Adarna, alongside Mark Sumaylo as Don Pedro, Rafael Perez as Don Juan, and Romeo Peralta as Don Diego.

The alternate cast features Jessica Pearl Dames as Ibong Adarna, with Juan Angelo De Leon as Don Juan, Ralp John Balagot as Don Pedro, and Sean Pelegrin as Don Diego.

Repeated stagings have also allowed the production to evolve through its changing cast of dancers.

“Every time we bring Ibong Adarna to a new audience, we discover something new about the story and the characters. That is what makes it special. It remains familiar to many Filipinos, but ballet allows us to experience the story in a different way,” Macuja Elizalde said.

Bringing ballet closer to audiences

Bringing Ibong Adarna to Areté forms part of Ballet Manila’s broader mission of bringing people to ballet and ballet to the people. By taking productions beyond traditional theater settings and into communities and cities, the company creates more opportunities for audiences to experience live ballet through stories already familiar within Filipino culture.

The production offers longtime readers of Ibong Adarna a new way to revisit the tale, while audiences discovering it through Ballet Manila can encounter a Filipino story through the artistry of its dancers, music, movement, and complex characters.

Ballet Manila’s Ibong Adarna will be staged at Hyundai Hall, Areté, Ateneo de Manila University on 9 October at 7:30 p.m. and 10 October at 5 p.m.

Tickets are available through Ticketworld at www.premier.ticketworld.com.ph. For Ballet Manila’s schedule of performances and celebration events, visit www.balletmanila.com.ph.