Michael Cinco To Unveil ‘Swan Lake’-Inspired Collection For Ballet Philippines’ Golden Anniversary

MANILA, Philippines — Dubai-based Filipino designer Michael Cinco has designed a 50-piece “Swan Lake”-themed couture collection in celebration of Ballet Philippines’ (BP) 50th anniversary this year.

The gala fashion show, according to a BP statement, would be a “spectacle that marries dance with fashion.”

“This is our way of having the public be part of the celebration,” declared Cultural Center of the Philippines President, former BP president and head chairperson of the anniversary gala Margie Moran.

The decision to collaborate with Cinco happened after the she met him in Paris in 2017, and the idea of combining two artistic disciplines made sense.

“We wanted something visual to inspire awe for both BP and Michael Cinco. Like many of our dancers and choreographers, he is someone who is representative of the Filipino culture and has made his mark in the international scene.”

The Dubai-based designer’s creations have been worn by celebrities such as Beyoncé, Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey and Naomi Campbell on prestigious international red carpet events, from the Cannes Film Festival to the Golden Globes and the Met Gala.

A 2014 Presidential Awardee for Outstanding Filipinos Overseas, Cinco is also part of the Asian Couture Federation, an elite organization of the best designers in Asia.

“People can expect the gala fashion show to be a combination of the classic and the contemporary,” Moran shared. “There will be models showcasing the couture outfits on the runway, and there will be our dancers doing a new dance by Alden Lugnasin, inspired by the ‘Swan Lake’ ballet.”

One of them will be principal dancer Denise Parungao, who began her BP training as a scholar in 2010. Parungao, who won first prize in the first CCP National Ballet Competition in 2014 and was invited to be guest artist at the 2019 Okamoto International Ballet Festival in Japan, has performed in the company’s full-length ballets “The Nutcracker,” “Cinderella,” “Swan Lake,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and “Carmen,” “Don Quixote,” and in modern pieces such as Pauline Koner’s “Concertino,” Norman Walker’s “Songs of the Wayfarer,” Redha Bentifour’s “Opera,” and Reyes’ “Amada,” among others.

With “Swan Lake” as a perennial audience favorite, Moran is excited about the audience’s reception to the gala show.

“I don’t think something like this has been done before, at least on the scale with which Ballet Philippines is doing it. Given the inspiration, it will definitely be dramatic, glamorous, theatrical, and fantastic,” assured Moran, inviting guests to visit Ballet.ph to buy tickets to the show on September 29 at the Marriott Hotel Grand Ballroom.