14
/ Wednesday, March 30, 2022
“The Phantom of the Opera” Returns to Puerto Rico Ballet stars take to the stage for a dramatic retelling of the 19th century tale
M
Zoe Landi Fontana, The Weekly Journal
@Landi_Zoe
aybe you’ve seen it on Broadway, maybe you’ve seen the movie. Regardless, “The Phantom of the Opera” brings drama, mystery, terror, and romance. Published in 1910, Gastón Leroux’s Gothic novel is set in 19th century Paris and is inspired by true events. The Phantom lives deep within the catacombs, beneath the Paris Opera House, on the shores of an underground lake. Through accidents and terrifying apparitions, he tries to manipulate the hierarchy of the opera house in his attempts to push Christine Daaé, an amateur ballerina, into the spotlight. He must thwart the arrogant prima ballerina Carlotta, who dominates the stage but inevitably becomes obsessed with the noble and talented Christine, driving the story through to a dark end.
Something that makes me stand out from the other dancers is that I have a very strong mentality, I won’t let anything like take me down. Aitana Padilla Dancer
The Production
The Phantom of the Opera originally premiered as a ballet in 1997, specially commissioned by Ballet Concierto. Alberto Méndez, a renowned Cuban choreographer, choreographed the production, with music written by Puerto Rican musician, Raymond Torres. In this rendition of the famous drama, Ballet Concierto has invited Taras Domitro to dance as the Phantom. Domitro was born in Havana, Cuba to Magaly Suárez, a dancer and teacher, and trained at the Alejo Carpentier School and National Ballet School of Cuba. He performed as a principal
The Phantom and Christine. > Courtesy Ballet Concierto
dancer with the National Ballet of Cuba, and in 2008 joined the San Francisco Ballet as principal dancer. In 2017, Domitro returned to Florida as a freelancer making international appearances to critical acclaim. The members of Ballet Concierto will be joined by Betina Ojeda in the role of Christine Daaé and Áureo Andino in the role of Phillipe, both dancers of Mauro Ballet. Luis Víctor Santana, dancer of Coda21, will play the role of Raoul Chagny, and Johnal Fernández, also a guest dancer, will play the Sultan.
In conversation With A Young Dancer
“Carlotta is like a cat - she has nine lives,” Aitana Padilla laughs, explaining her role in Ballet
Concierto’s The Phantom of the Opera. In a conversation with THE WEEKLY JOURNAL, Padilla, a young 20-year-old dancer, describes the pressures of the ballet industry, as well as what it’s like to be part of a dynasty of dancers, and her excitement to perform the role of Carlotta. “I started dancing when I was three years old. I started my dance training in my family’s ballet school, called Academia Franceschi, which is owned by my grandmother. Both my parents met, actually, in Ballet Municipal - they were both principal dancers,” Padilla tells of her foray into the world of ballet. “So, they fell in love throughout that process. And of course, since they had me as their first daughter, I obviously had a lot of pressure to
