Manila and the Nutcracker
There’s something about Manila (the city itself) that makes me feel so foreign. It fascinates me. Maybe it’s the congestion of a multitude of people and a myriad of places to see in a small area? The architecture of the buldings? The narrow labyrinth of streets? The parks? I don’t know. It feels so different from any other place in Metro Manila.
Anyway, I just saw my first ballet last night with my mom at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (my first time in the CCP actually). We watched Ballet Philippines’ production of the classic Nutcracker.
Because of ridiculously heavy traffic, it took us MORE THAN two hours to get from Quezon City to CCP in Manila. It felt like everybody was spending Saturday night in Manila (well, except for my classmates who were at Macky’s party, which I obviously had to miss). There was even a parade by different ati-atihan groups that occupied two lanes of Roxas Blvd.
The thing was obviously for kids. There were more children in Nicanor Abelardo theater than there were adults (and adolescents).
It was very nice. It kind of bored me because all they did was dance ballet to Tchaikovsky’s score. Well, it’s my first ballet, I barely knew what to expect.
Anyway, the play ended at 10. We hadn’t eaten dinner yet so we stopped by The Aristocrat beside Rajah Solayman Park along Roxas Boulevard. Beautiful park with a nice fountain (although the water kind of smelled putrid, or maybe it was just the calesas’ horses?).
I hope you enjoyed it. Saw it several years ago. With Lisa Macuja in the lead role.