Ballet Manila Archives

Nov 22

Nov 22 Snow White state of mind: Katherine Barkman and Joseph Phillips

Principal dancer Katherine Barkman and guest artist Joseph Phillips share their thoughts on random Snow White-related stuff including princely gestures and fairytale moments.

Nov 21

Nov 21 Snow White state of mind: Lisa Macuja-Elizalde

Ballet Manila Archives

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In fairy-tale mode since rehearsals started, the choreographer shares her thoughts on random Snow White-related stuff... including the much-fabled happily ever after!

Oct 10

Oct 10 Swan couture

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Costumes are an essential ingredient to the beauty of classical ballet.

Oct 6

Oct 6 Black and white, Odile and Odette

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I think the best way to sum up the dual ballerina role of the White Swan Queen Odette and her black counterpart Odile in one phrase would be: The worst case of schizophrenia for a classical ballerina

Sep 22

Sep 22 A peek into ‘Swan Lake’s’ past

Ballet Manila Archives

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Swan Lake “bombed” when it was first presented at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow on March 4, 1877.

Sep 13

Sep 13 Winged ballets: Swan Lake

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When Ballet Manila first performed the classical warhorse that is Swan Lake, it had to “import” a Russian company to make a full cast.

Aug 22

Aug 22 Diwa de Leon makes the Adarna sing and fills its world with music

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Diwa de Leon only has vague memories of the Ibong Adarna, recalling the storybooks he had read about this mythical bird when he was a child.

Aug 17

Aug 17 Winged ballets: Sari’t Bahag

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Sari’t Bahag is not quite a winged ballet, but it seems apt to include it in this series as one of its pivotal characters is a bird.

Aug 8

Aug 8 Winged ballets: The Dying Swan

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The Dying Swan lasts only three minutes, but it can rightly be described as one of the most hauntingly beautiful ballet pieces ever created.

Aug 3

Aug 3 Winged ballets: Firebird

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In 2000, internationally acclaimed choreographer Jean Paul Comelin came to the Philippines to create his own interpretation of Firebird for Ballet Manila.

Jul 5

Jul 5 Winged ballets: Agila

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Agila, which tells of an eagle’s flight, is the opus of famed choreographer Agnes Locsin set to music by equally well-known musician/singer Joey Ayala.

Jun 18

Jun 18 A father’s wisdom

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In honor of Father’s Day, we asked members of Ballet Manila to share the most important lesson that their father taught them.

Jun 18

Jun 18 What fatherhood has taught me

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We join the celebration of Father’s Day by asking three BM dancers about the most important lessons fatherhood has taught them.

Jun 7

Jun 7 Celebrating a marriage of the arts

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Alongside their romance, the artistic sparks flew between the prolific painter and the ballet dancer.

Jun 5

Jun 5 Winged ballets: Ang Prinsipe ng mga Ibon

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Lisa Macuja-Elizalde describes Ang Prinsipe ng mga Ibon as the “Swan Lake switch-around” and proclaims, “It’s one of the most romantic ballets I’ve ever seen!”

May 25

May 25 Ballet Manila School at 20: Looking back and moving forward

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From the family lanai where weekly dance lessons were held to a school with two branches offering year-round ballet classes – that sums up the trajectory of the Lisa Macuja School of Ballet Manila.

May 15

May 15 Winged ballets: Corvus

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“Corvus” is the Latin word for crow, and it is the menacing nature of this black bird that convinced Gerardo "Geri" Francisco to put together a new choreography based on it.

Mar 31

Since its founding in 1995, Ballet Manila has subscribed to the Vaganova training method – the same technique that now artistic director Lisa Macuja-Elizalde had learned in the 1980s in St. Petersburg.

Mar 28

Mar 28 Making the most of summer ballet classes

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So how should students – especially those who are stepping foot in a studio for the first time – make the most of their summer ballet classes? Ballet Manila teachers Eileen Lopez and Jonathan “Jay” Janolo, who are also the BM company’s rehearsal mistress and rehearsal master respectively, offer a variety of advice for both the kids and their parents.