Ballet Manila turns 30: Symbol of artistic excellence
Ballet Manila (BM) celebrates its 30th anniversary—a testament to its resilience, unwavering passion, and boundless creativity. From its humble beginnings beset by skepticism and naysayers, the company has risen to become a symbol of artistic excellence, and a beacon of hope that has inspired countless individuals to pursue their own dreams with passion and hard work.
Reflecting on the journey, Lisa Macuja-Elizalde, BM’s CEO and artistic director, shares that BM has built a legacy that speaks for itself. At its core are values instilled by its first artistic director, Eric V. Cruz, and her coartistic director of many years, the late Osias Barroso Jr.
“Taking company class every day and jumping until the end of class is a must-do for everyone in the company. The rule really was ‘No class, no rehearsal. No rehearsal, no performance.’ All part of the discipline needed to stay in top form to be able to dance well,” she recounts.
Daily class, discipline, and prioritizing dancers’ welfare have been a cornerstone of the company’s success, she said. These values have helped BM achieve numerous milestones over the past three decades.
Many of its alumni have gone on to achieve great success in their careers. Christine Rocas, for instance, retired after being a principal dancer with the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago, Illinois for over 15 seasons. Katherine Barkman is a soloist with the San Francisco Ballet, and Chris Mohnani, now managing director of the Samsung Performing Arts Center, was a principal dancer of Nashville Ballet and former artistic director of Dance Theater of Tennessee.
Jeffrey and Pamela Espejo both serve as faculty at Steps and Academy One, while Elline Damian, Aileen Gallinera, and Eduardo Espejo were principal dancers with Ballet David Campos in Barcelona, Spain. Ea Torrado has established herself as the artistic director of her dance company, Daloy.
Macuja-Elizalde also highlights the thriving current crop of teachers and dancers at BM and the Lisa Macuja School of Ballet, including Romeo and Sofia Peralta, Eileen Lopez, and Gerardo Francisco Jr.
Among all, she considers the late Barroso, coartistic director of BM before his passing, her best and most successful student: “He taught so many dancers and basically changed the landscape of male ballet dancers in the Philippines.”
As BM celebrates is 30th year, Macuja-Elizalde hopes to continue finding joy in her work. And it’s all set to happen with the many plans and projects already in the pipeline.
She’s hard at work on “Pearls,” a new choreography for the Pearl Gala to celebrate the company’s 30th anniversary. Aside from this, she is also eager for her Princess Trilogy by adding a fourth princess ballet. She also envisions extending their Filipino series, which includes “Ibong Adarna” and “Florante at Laura,” to incorporate other literary works studied in high school and college.
She also hopes for a follow-up to her “La Traviata” with another ballet based on an opera. Excitement is also building for the company’s international and local tours in 2025, which will see “Ibong Adarna” and “Cinderella” brought to various locations here and abroad.
BM remains dedicated to its mission of “bringing ballet to the people and people to the ballet.”
Visit balletmanila.com.ph.
