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.
The fight for freedom is the thread tying two inspirations that would give rise to Rebel, Ballet Manila’s epic production that had its world premiere in 2016.
Love is a lot like dancing; you just surrender to the music.
In 2012, a trio of such choreographies premiered as part of the production dubbed Lab Ko ‘To.
Barely two months after forming themselves into a new dance group, Ballet Manila – composed of twelve dancers under the leadership of artistic director of Eric V. Cruz – made its debut on February 17, 1995.
Arguably the most romantic tale ever told, William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet has been translated to hundreds of languages and interpreted in all art forms – from visual arts to the opera. Ballet is no exception.
You have to love dancing to stick to it. It gives you nothing back, no manuscripts to store away, no paintings to show on walls and maybe hang in museums, no poems to be printed and sold, nothing but that single fleeting moment when you feel alive.
The four boys represented The Lisa Macuja School of Ballet, the educational arm of Ballet Manila.
Ballet Manila brought one of its treasured classics to Pampanga in January 2010.
This video looks back on Ballet Manila’s 2020 - the trials, the triumphs, the lessons learned, and the firm resolve to dance into the future.
In this clip, we return to the earlier years of the company — 1999 and 2001 in particular —with excerpts of The Nutcracker with Lisa and her co-artistic director Osias Barroso.
Ballet Manila’s performance run of The Nutcracker in 2013 was special as it was tied in with artistic director and prima ballerina Lisa Macuja-Elizalde’s Swan Song Series.
Get up and dance, get up and smile, get up and drink to the days that are gone in the shortest while.
In this clip is the 2004 version of Pinocchio with Alvin Santos in the title role along with Jonathan Janolo as Geppetto, Danica Rili as Jiminy Cricket, and Zaira Cosico as the blue fairy.
A popular fairy tale transformed into a 21st century reality show – that is Ballet Manila’s Sinderela which had its world premiere in 2012.
If people stand in a circle long enough, they’ll eventually begin to dance.
From the years that Ballet Manila has been staging Giselle since 1999, here are a few select photographs.
In this clip are two performances of Reve - the first with Gerardo Francisco Jr. and Anselmo Dictado, and the second with Geri and Rudy De Dios.
Life is short and there will always be dirty dishes, so let’s dance.
Dance with me showcased nearly 30 photographs measuring 20” x 30”, each one focusing on movement rather than on poses.
