ORIGINAL
MALTESE BALLETS
Produced & Choreographed by Olivia
Dow
Olivia
Dow's first five Ballets have been aptly called 'Souvenirs of the Twentieth
Century'. Olivia Dow's, most recent project - the first new original Maltese
Ballet in Two Acts of the 21st century, the first of the new millennium,
music by Joe Brown, libretto by John Baldacchino, entitled 'Mermaids from
the Blue Lagoon' was first staged at Sir Temi Zammit Theatre, University
of Malta on the 6th of August 2000.
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Olivia
Dow's most recent Original Maltese Ballet 'Giants
of Xlendi Bay' was premiered on August 4th 2001.
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Stone
Ghosts
(The first Original Maltese Ballet, 1996)
The
story of 'Stone Ghosts' is one with a strong message regarding the environment
and the love we should have for each other and the animals and plants
with whom we share this planet Earth.
The spirit of Mother Earth sends her messenger Ancelus to Earth before
it is too late. Ancelus contacts a Maltese fisherman called Pietr who
is a ghost living in the stones of a prehistoric temple in Malta. Pietr,
in turn, finds an opportune moment when some school children were playing
on the beach near the temples. He arraged for 'visions of horror' but
optimistically conveys a message of a 'second chance' if humans changed
their ways.
This Ballet ends with humans living happily ever after with more respect
towards the environment, animals and plants and towards peace and love
amongst us humans.
Stone Ghosts - staged in 1996, was the first Maltese Ballet ever produced
in Malta.
Music by Lee Spiteri. Libretto by John Baldacchino. Produced, directed and choreographed by Olivia Dow.
Red
Rose for a Ballerina
1997
'Red
Rose for a Ballerina' is a story of a blind girl, Stella, happily making
a living selling flowers with her sister. Everybody loved her, except
one called Ronda. She despised her out of jealousy. Stella received
a red rose from heaven one evening but Ronda stole it and sold it on
the market. The buyer gives Stella the rose back and she gains her sight
while Ronda loses hers with anger. Ronda realises that life without
love is useless and so she redeems. Everyone celebrates. It is a story
of love for one another and for the art of ballet.
Red Rose for a Ballerina was Mro. Dominic Galea's first Ballet in which
he has shown his incredible ability to compose Classical Pieces which
not only conform to the classical era's strictest rules, but also appeal
to the general public, the people of the twentieth century. Olivia Dow's
choreographic interpretation was extremely beautiful and aspiring and
her pupils excelled in their performance on the night. John's story
proved to be a romantic and sentimental fairy-tale with a strong message
and is very popular to this day.
Music
by Dominic Galea. Libretto by John Baldacchino.
Produced, directed and choreographed by Olivia Dow.
The
Alien Princess
1998
The
Alien Princess is a Two Act Ballet about two races who lived on a planet
called Razon. One lived in the north under the leadership of their Queen
Nadina, who had just given birth to a baby girl. The other race of inhabitants
lived in the southern region of the planet and were ruled by Queen Salina.
The Northern race were superior and lived longer with no serious diseases
to shorten their existence, but the Southern tribe lacked the knowledge
and were riddled with diseases and lived a much shorter life.
Queen Salina therefore decided to take over the North and waged War against
Queen Nadina and her subjects. Queen Nadina assembled her most trusted
Generals and entrusted the life of her daughter, the Princess in the hands
of Eusiba who takes the Princess in hiding on Earth at a place called
Delimara, where a widow and her six children find the Princess and take
her in to bring her up and take care of her as one of their own.
What happens next can best be described as 'evil', as Queen Nadina faces
betrayal and loses her throne to Queen Salina. The end is, however, a
happy one, with all the nations rejoicing - the greatest event the world
has ever witnessed!
Music by Joe Brown. Libretto by John Baldacchino. Produced, directed and choreographed by Olivia Dow.
Slaves
of Medina
1999
The story of this two-act Ballet is set sometime in the
future in the city of Mdina, where the Carnival Organising Committee run
mainly by a group of Archaeologists decided to create an original way
of attracting Maltese and Tourists to this ancient city during the days
of Carnival.
They embarked on an intricately devised plan with a theme - that of Slaves
of Medina. Tourists were subjected to haunting scenes in the city.
Things get out of hand and the archaeologists decide to tell the tourists
the truth about the apparitions and give them their donations back. But
the tourists like the play so much that they insist that the committee
keeps the funds towards the next project.
Music by Joe Brown. Libretto by John Baldacchino. Slaves of Medina was first staged at Sir Temi Zammit Theatre at the University of Malta in 1999 and acclaimed to be one of the most beautiful original Maltese Ballets which Olivia Dow has produced.
Mermaids
from the Blue Lagoon
2000
This is a story involving all of God's creatures, big and
small, a story of how humans can live happily and harmoniously with other
species living on land, in the air and in the sea, in particular those
mythical creatures living off the island of Comino.
Returning from the Chapel of the Annunciation, some orphans were captured
by bat stingrays who took them down to the bottom of the lagoon to meet
the mermaids who wished to relay an important message to all humans.
'Take care of your underwater environment (rivers, seas and oceans - two-thirds
of the earth) or face the consequences: extinction of thousands of species
which would ultimately result in the destruction of your inheritance and
most probably the extinction of the human race as well'.
The islanders loved these half- women, half-fish creatures but some who
were greedy and irresponsible betrayed their trust and trapped them in
order to sell them. Luckily, the orphans freed them but then the mermaids
disappeared completely. When the culprits did repent, the mermaids returned
on Christmas Day, only because they promised not to harm their underwater
environment and its creatures.
Music by Joe Brown. Libretto by John Baldacchino. Produced, directed and choreographed by Olivia Dow.
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