Jor-el Espina recently revealed his stunning line-up of costumes for Ballet Philippines’ full-length ballet, “Ang Panaginip,” marking a momentous first for the esteemed Filipino designer.
For 20 years, contemporary Filipino designer Jor-el Espina has enjoyed a career defined by discipline and artistry. Through merging creativity, technique, and function in his work, he has cemented himself as a distinct talent in Philippine fashion. Celebrating his two decades in the industry, Espina continues to broaden his horizons, the most recent example of this being his first foray into costume design for Ballet Philippines’ original, full-length Filipiniana ballet, Ang Panaginip.
“Ballet resonates deeply with me as a designer,” he begins in a statement. “It’s storytelling through movement, emotion, and music. The grace and precision of the ballet has inspired a pursuit of elegance and functionality in my creations.”
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Princesses of the Archipelago
Directed by artistic director Mikhail Martynyuk and featuring an evocative score by Glenn Aquias, Ang Panaginip is based on the Grimm Brothers’ story of The 12 Dancing Princesses, telling the story of sisters who discover a magical realm where they can be whoever they want, escaping the rigid routines of their lives as royals. However, instead of 12 princesses, the work expands the cast to 17 sisters, each one representing the Philippines’ 17 regions.
“Ang Panaginip is an ode to the freedom of self-expression and the courage to follow your own path,” shares Kathleen Liechtenstein, president of Ballet Philippines. “It’s a story that inspires us to imagine a world where dreams have no limits and individuality takes center stage.”
Espina ensured that the rich cultures of the princess’ respective territories would be evident in their costumes, incorporating local fabrics from different provinces. Present in all the pieces is the designer’s signature use of contrasting textures, patterns, and colors, which give a fresh spin to the usual Filipiniana forms while still paying respect to history and heritage.
“Many of the local fabrics used were collected over the span of 20 years as a designer. We combined various woven textiles with local patterns, beadwork, treatments and techniques,” he explains. “I was careful not to use sacred weaves and instead opted for local fabrics that can be utilized for everyday clothing or even home accessories.”
Made For Movement
“Ballet Philippines sent the libretto, and I read it several times,” Espina tells Lifestyle Asia. “It was quite easy to interpret the pieces: to me, it’s like making a collection for a show: 17 different looks for different regions. That’s something different about this ballet—the princesses have different personalities, different looks, and it was both challenging and exciting to come up with.”
Beyond aesthetics, costume design requires a sensitivity to lines, silhouettes, and movements, factors that the designer also had to keep in mind when creating the incredibly detailed pieces. “By watching the ballet dancers on stage, I learned to see what was comfortable and what would work on the body of the ballet dancers.”
He continues: “When they move, it has to be something free, it has to be something light. When you layer the fabric, it has to be able to fly. These are the things that challenged me, but it was interesting to create them in a way that did not comprise the aesthetics of the costumes.”
It was by no coincidence that Espina’s creative collaboration with Ballet Philippines would come to life through Ang Panaginip. “The title alone, which translates to ‘The Dream’ speaks to the boundless possibilities of this collaboration,” he ponders. “Ballet Philippines’ legacy and dedication to excellence has elevated this partnership into something truly special. As a designer, creating for such a prestigious dance company feels like a milestone that marries my love for design and culture in a way I’ve always envisioned.”
Catch Ballet Philippines’ season-finale at The Theatre at Solaire on February 28 (Friday) at 8:00 P.M.; with matinee and evening shows on March 1 (Saturday) and March 2 (Sunday), at 2:00 P.M. and 7:00 P.M. Tickets are available on Ballet.ph or via Ticketworld. For more information, visit www.ballet.ph or follow Ballet Philippines on Facebook and Instagram.
Photos courtesy of Before Deadlines and Ballet Philippines.
