25 life lessons I learned from ballet - #7
Beyond the arabesques and grand jetés, ballet is an abundant source of priceless life lessons. With the rigorous training and intense discipline it requires, ballet can teach one how to deal with pressure, disappointments, challenges, and ultimately, success. On her 25th anniversary as a professional dancer in 2009, prima ballerina Lisa Macuja-Elizalde took the time to list down 25 key lessons she learned from ballet and which she felt both dancers and non-dancers can apply in their own lives. This series shares those enduring nuggets of wisdom – one lesson at a time.
Lisa on Her Toes, a 1989 cover story of The Sunday Times Magazine, featured the young ballerina overcoming obstacles on and off the stage through hard work, perseverance, and quick thinking on her toes. Photo from the Ballet Manila Archives
By Lisa Macuja-Elizalde
7. You have to be ready for anything and think on your toes! No matter how meticulously planned a choreography is, during a live performance, anything can happen. My dancing has trained me to make split-second decisions in front of an audience as the unexpected can definitely sometimes happen.
The ability to adapt to the many surprises typical of a live performance is a life skill essential to stage artists. From her first Masha in 1984 to her final Masha in 2013 and beyond, this skill has saved Lisa from a good number of potentially embarrassing situations on stage that would have ruined the experience for the audience. Photo by Jojo Mamangun
On semi-retirement and wearing her artistic director’s hat, Lisa continues to think on her toes and anticipate the assorted problems that could pop up on and off stage to ensure a smooth performance. Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag
Top photo: Lisa Macuja-Elizalde’s dancing career of over thirty years – which officially began with her debut as Masha in the Leningrad Choreographic School’s graduation production of The Nutcracker in 1984 – has seen her deal with miscues, missing props, and wardrobe malfunctions. Photo from the Ballet Manila Archives