ORIGINAL
MALTESE BALLETS
Produced & Choreographed by Olivia
Dow
Olivia
Dow's first five Ballets have been aptly called 'Souvenirs of the Twentieth
Century'.
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.
Giants of Xlendi Bay
2001
The story first takes us on an island called Goshawk. Thousands and thousands of years ago, Giants had settled on this island and under the regime of these Giants, the island had prospered and magnificent temples were built. Over the centuries, the Gosmonauts had eventually evolved into smaller beings: Ozonetecs, the descendents of these Giants.
In the 2nd Act we are then told that on one occasion, this island was invaded by ruthless Northerners who sailed in their so called dragon-ships. The inhabitants, with the help of the well-trained and elite Spider Warriors, defeated the invaders. The defeated leader, Russ, fell in love with the eldest princess warrior, the amazing Princess Petrouxka. Both ruled the island in peace and harmony, including their future generations for thousands of years.
Music by Joe Brown. Libretto by John Baldacchino. Produced, directed and choreographed by Olivia Dow.
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