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.
In this clip are excerpts from Carmen, Swan Lake and Don Quixote showcasing the male corps of Ballet Manila.
In this clip are excerpts of the best moments of the female corps in Les Sylphides, Swan Lake, and Giselle.
Sometimes, the only way to become a ballerina is to run the whole ballet.
“Doon tayo sa baba muna, dito sa umpisa tapos paangat nang paangat para maka-adapt ako.”
With many interpretations by various companies since its premiere in France in 1789, Ballet Manila came up with its own with no less than People’s Artist of Russia Sergey Vikulov as choreographer.
Wearing traditional Filipino dress, perched on her rocking chair with a book in her arms, she has gained iconic status for being a master storyteller.
“The artist that your student will become is the stuff that is his or her very own, refined by the tradition in which they are taught.”
Animals have long fascinated choreographers, motivating them to create ballets based on non-human movements.
The lessons were then shared on this website one at a time in a series, accompanied by photographs underscoring each nugget of wisdom. Here, we run the article in full to celebrate the ballerina’s birthday on October 3.
Danseur Elpidio Magat Jr. was perhaps in the worst place one could be when the first pandemic lockdown was announced in March 2020.
But the secret is not to let that one step back turn into a failure. Learn from backward steps and keep on stepping forward in this dance called life!
In 2016, when shown the message her teenage self had written, Czarina was surprised that the token had been kept in BM’s files all those years.
Staging the full-length Don Quixote in 1999 – just two years after its founding – was a major achievement for Ballet Manila given its still modest size then.
You dance how you live. Show me how you move on the dance floor and I'll show you an area of your life where you live the same way. So dance big and live loud because life is too short to do anything else.
While the core of the story may be similar, the libretto of the original ballet version of Swan Lake, however, had twists and turns that were quite different from the tale we know and love today.
In this clip are highlights of the three Swan Queens’ performances.
