Celebrating a marriage of the arts

When business tycoon Fred Elizalde exchanged wedding vows with prima ballerina Lisa Macuja in 1997, it brought together two individuals whose shared passion for the arts would lead to an enduring creative partnership. Alongside their romance, the artistic sparks flew between the prolific painter and the ballet dancer.

The art patron in Fred helped propel Lisa and her company, Ballet Manila, to new heights. Lisa has always acknowledged Fred’s support in continuing BM’s twin mission of bringing ballet to the people and people to the ballet. With his encouragement, Lisa has also extended her advocacy for the arts through broadcast media.

In the book A Marriage of the Arts (2002), which showcased his paintings and her ballet photos, Lisaenthused of their marital union: “Our lives were permanently intertwined and I would like to think that we have since fully blossomed as artists, as well as human beings!”

Many years have passed from that time, and the artistic bond between this couple has only grown stronger. As Fred and Lisa celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary on June 7, the Ballet Manila Archives presents a sampling of memorabilia from its collection that affirm the essential role the arts have played in their lives and the legacy they have jointly created and contributed thus far to Philippine dance and art.

The painter and the ballerina

In Lisa, Fred found a muse. Dozens of his canvases are filled with her image, serving as a tribute to her as a dancer and to the art of movement. Several of these works – marked by Fred’s characteristic use of vivid colors and exaggerated features – grace the pages of A Marriage of the Arts, a coffee-table book that has been described as a testament to their artistic collaboration.

Fred has painted many works depicting Lisa, including the one shown in this family photo taken in 2002. With the couple are their children Sasha, Missy and Manuel.

This photo culled from a Philippine Star clipping shows Fred with a painting of Lisa that he was working on in 1997.

Fred’s artwork, an oil on canvas titled Lisa, is featured on the cover of Ballet Manila’s souvenir program of Firebird (2001).

Lisa, shown here on the set of her Art 2 Art program, mimics the dancer’s pose depicted in Fred’s painting.

Ballet & Ballads

As a touring ensemble, Ballet Manila had already performed from Abra to Zamboanga in its first year. Building on this, Fred thought of putting together ballet and pop music in shows that would be brought to different parts of the country as presented by the Elizalde-owned Manila Broadcasting Company and its partner-stations nationwide. Working with local governments and sponsors, the series dubbed as Ballet & Ballads has introduced the uninitiated to the art of ballet and made it accessible to them. Ballet & Ballads also usually caps BM’s performance season in Metro Manila, serving as a showcase for new choreography and ballet numbers danced to the songs of acclaimed pop singers, with tickets sold at popular prizes.

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Supporting Ballet Manila

Fred has proven to be Ballet Manila’s principal benefactor, providing the group with its headquarters and studio and eventually its performance venues. Having the Star Theater and later the Aliw Theater allowed BM to have an annual season and a suitable space to mount bigger productions. Fred is a familiar presence on opening night of BM shows where he gets to enjoy the spectacle of ballet while also gauging audience reaction instantly. As a BM supporter, he has generously contributed to the company’s Project Ballet Futures scholarship program and has joined the group’s delegations to international competitions.

In 1997, Fred transformed a pelota court in the family compound in Pasay into a studio for Ballet Manila as documented in this newspaper feature.

Fred and Lisa lead the inauguration of Star Theater in 2001.

The 850-seater Star Theater, found in the Star City amusement park at the CCP Complex, was Fred’s gift to Lisa.

A feature in the Philippine Daily Inquirer in 2002 relates the various ways Fred has supported Lisa and Ballet Manila.

Another gift to Lisa, the 2,750-capacity Aliw Theater was launched in 2002 and has since become Ballet Manila’s venue for its annual performance season.

Osias Barroso’s Ecole has graced the Aliw Theater stage numerous times.

With another branch now open in Fisher Mall, Quezon City, Lisa has expanded the reach of the Ballet Manila School. Here, she conducts a ballet demonstration before a free show at the said mall.

Fred is on hand to congratulate the BM dancers who won medals and citations at the Asian Grand Prix in Hong Kong in 2015. Standing to his left is principal artist Katherine Barkman who bagged the competition’s top prize.

Hands-on creative genius

Creating synergy seems to be a specialty of Fred who has conceptualized major efforts involving Ballet Manila, Star City and the Star and Aliw Theaters. Again in keeping with the aim of making ballet accessible to more people, Star City patrons are treated to free shows as a break from the theme park rides. He also thought of introducing the Circus D’Ballet series, merging the beauty of ballet with the excitement of circus acts in an original storyline that is changed according to the season. He has also lent his ideas to various Ballet Manila productions that are part of its regular season.

The Circus D’Ballet series was launched in 2001 with the show Belen which re-imagined the fabled journey of the Magi and was directed by Osias Barroso.

In 2002, Can-Can premiered at Star Theater. Based on Fred’s artistic concept, it’s the story of an Egyptian princess and her beloved who break the barriers of time and space to save their romance from a malevolent force.

Joy! regaled Star City crowds in 2015. It was Fred who chose the simple and straight-to-the-point title of the holiday presentation.

Kutitap, about an angel who falls to earth and befriends different people, was Ballet Manila’s Christmas production at Star City in 2016.

Ballet Manila’s Romeo and Juliet in 2001 featured Fred’s architectural concept for the set design, as credited in the show’s souvenir program.

Art 2 Art

Intent on pursuing her mission of developing a greater appreciation for art and culture among Filipinos, Lisa was encouraged by friends to put together an educational show where she could engage in heart-to-heart conversations with fellow artists. Thus was born Art 2 Art in 2007 with the “Ballerina ng Bayan” herself as host. Again with Fred’s support, the program was produced by the Manila Broadcasting Company and initially aired on radio via DZRH on Sunday afternoons. A few years later, Art 2 Art also started broadcasting on cable television through RHTV. After guesting hundreds of personalities from all arts disciplines and receiving honors from various award-giving bodies, Lisa says Art 2 Art – now marking its tenth anniversary – remains committed to its aim of bringing “Usapang sining at kultura para sa lahat!” (Art and culture discussion for all!) in every episode.

Fred visits Lisa on the Art 2 Art set in 2013, with movie queen Susan Roces as guest.

Since its initial broadcast in 2007, Art 2 Art has won several awards for its art advocacy.

Lisa shares a light moment with National Artist for Literature Bienvenido Lumbera.

Lisa and Fred receive the Gawad Tanglaw citations in 2011, for Lisa as Best Radio Anchor and for Art 2 Art as Best Educational Program on Radio.

Fred joins the Art 2 Art team in Baguio for the taping of a series of summer specials in 2011.

Asia’s Queen of Songs Pilita Corrales invites Lisa to join her in a duet, and the latter gladly obliges.

The Art 2 Art team celebrates in the studio after receiving the Hildegarde Award for Women in Media from St. Scholastica’s College in 2013.

National Artist Virgilio Almario (Rio Alma) wrote this message for Lisa in the Art 2 Art guestbook when he guested on the show for a tribute episode on Jose Rizal as a writer.