25 Life Lessons I Learned from Ballet - #21
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.
Decades of repeatedly performing the role has enabled Lisa Macuja-Elizalde to dance Kitri from muscle memory. In this photo, the prima ballerina performs her signature role for the last time in 2012 as part of her three-year Swan Song Series. Photo by Jojo Mamangun
21. Practice by repetition. It really helps! You remember how you had to memorize that 8 times 8 is 64? Well, repeating a movement again and again makes your muscles memorize how it’s supposed to be done. So, if you still can’t do it, what do you do? Repeat.
Principal dancer Jasmine Pia Dames performed as Kitri in her first full-length Don Quixote in 2017 under the watchful eye of Ballet Manila artistic director Lisa Macuja-Elizalde. Just like her mentor, Pia spent countless hours in the studio – repeating difficult steps to prepare for the role. Photo by Ocs Alvarez
Top photo: Again and again, prima ballerina Lisa Macuja-Elizalde executed the complicated steps of Kitri in Don Quixote before it became her signature role. Seen in this photo from 1986 is that gravity-defying leap that took countless of hours of rehearsals to make it appear as though Kitri were effortlessly floating in the air. Photo from the Ballet Manila Archives
