The Ballet Manila Archives is the repository of documents, print, photographic, audio and video materials and memorabilia relating to the history of Ballet Manila and the life and career of its founder, prima ballerina Lisa Macuja-Elizalde. This site is powered by Ms. Elizalde and Project Art, Inc.
All in Features
We share some of these swoon-worthy moments showing how Ballet Manila’s brides and grooms have sealed their love on stage.
In our Father’s Day feature, we look at the portraits of fatherhood Ballet Manila has presented on stage, often the strict but loving parent providing guidance to his offspring.
As the Elizaldes celebrate their silver anniversary, the Ballet Manila Archives shares the following report of the couple’s wedding day published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer on June 11, 1997.
In this special feature, we look at the instances when these everyday objects literally had their unfolding moments on stage.
To celebrate Mother’s Day, we share portraits of mothers as seen on our stage through the years.
In this special series marking National Literature Month, we revisit in photos the three tales of distinguished Filipino author Severino Reyes, as retold by Christine Bellen, which were adapted into Ballet Manila’s Tatlong Pang Kuwento ni Lola Basyang in 2013.
That these narratives remain relatable and relevant decades after being written and now presented in a new medium is a tribute to their being classics, brimming with age-old values of love, hope, kindness and humor.
In this special series marking National Literature Month, we revisit in photos the three tales of distinguished Filipino author Severino Reyes, as retold by Christine Bellen, which were adapted into Ballet Manila’s Tatlong Pang Kuwento ni Lola Basyang in 2013.
Here are ballet characters who wear their wickedness like a badge of honor and who are sorely in need of redemption for their grave lapses.
We take a look at how uniformed characters – including a platoon of female toy soldiers – have made their mark in Ballet Manila productions.
Acclaimed as the “storytellers on toes,” Ballet Manila has enjoyed a love affair with Philippine literature – transforming tales familiar to Filipino readers into dance and making beloved characters leap off, as it were, from the page to the stage.
“I think what makes Swan Lake so challenging is that this is really a ballet meant to be danced by two different ballerinas…”
“Juliet is a dream role for any ballerina. She is playful and carefree in the beginning but soon evolves into a passionate, obstinate – even desperate – child-woman the minute she falls in love.”
“Giselle is one of the most sought-after ballerina roles not just because of the ballet’s technical demands but more so because of the dramatic intensity and interpretation that the role requires.”
“I waited a very long time before choreographer Eric V. Cruz announced that I was ready to dance his Carmen.”
Lyrical and dramatic, Nikiya demands a deep understanding of love and sacrifice.
