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 Interviews
In 2018, this ballerina thought that she had already seen the last of her days in pointe shoes as motherhood brought about many changes to her body.
These days, Ballet Manila’s resident barista is trying to balance his duties in Ballet Manila and SP Coffee.
A different kind of enthusiasm is evident in Marinette Franco's face each time she talks about ballet.
As a young man who entertained vices at one point, ballet gave him purpose and a second chance at a better life; and as a father in his twenties, dancing helped him to give his wife and daughter the means to live comfortably.
And though the future is unpredictable for him at the moment, Romeo fights to keep moving forward.
“Ready na! Sobrang ready na ako!” (I’m ready! I’m so ready to dance!) These were the words of Ballet Manila principal dancer Pia Dames when asked if she was prepared to take the stage should the theaters suddenly open tomorrow.
Danseur Elpidio Magat Jr. was perhaps in the worst place one could be when the first pandemic lockdown was announced in March 2020.
Eileen, who is a Ballet Manila pioneer, paints a picture of how face-to-face classes are different from online ones.
“Do I go home?” This was one of the big questions that Abigail “Abi” Oliveiro faced when things began to take a different turn in 2020.
Shaira always sports a smile that we couldn't help but ask if she's ever weighed down by the uncertainty of the pandemic.
The principal dancer says that engaging in other activities such as redecorating their living space, playing games on an old PS4, and taking on photography assignments helped him deal with pandemic pressures so much better.
Geri is referred to as "Dad" as he has always stayed true to this real-life role of his, regardless of how tough and crazy his ballet schedule would get.
Because the coronavirus hit the country just days after his promotion – announced before the audience at the close of Ballet Manila’s 24th season in March 2020 – John Balagot found himself taking on a different set of challenges.
Unwaveringly optimistic, ballerina Jessica Pearl Dames wasn’t weighed down by anxieties when the enhanced community quarantine was first imposed in March 2020.
Anyone who follows Ballet Manila soloist Joshua Enciso in social media knows that his artistic pursuits go beyond ballet.
Used to having days packed with company classes and rehearsals, principal dancer Joan Emery Sia saw the March 2020 lockdown as nothing else but a two-week opportunity to rest and recharge for what was to come for Ballet Manila.
John was obviously in shock when Ballet Manila co-artistic director Osias Barroso made the announcement on stage during curtain call.
Ballet Manila artistic director Lisa Macuja-Elizalde makes an abrupt turn as she tackles the tragic tale of La Traviata in her follow-up choreography.
Though Rudy De Dios, one of Ballet Manila’s longtime principal danseurs, has been doing choreography work since his days at the Philippine High School for the Arts, it’s only now that he is creating a full-length ballet – his own version of Carmina Burana, which premieres in March.
Ballet Manila has become her second home and the dancers like her own family.
