After her successful Princess Trilogy, Ballet Manila artistic director Lisa Macuja-Elizalde shifts her focus from fairytales to tragedy. Her latest choreography, La Traviata, explores the nuances of star-crossed love by retelling the story of one of the most iconic operas through dance.

Her first encounter with La Traviata was through a film in 1980 that she saw in Russia. It made such a strong impression on her that she welcomed the chance to translate it to ballet when the opportunity came.

Lisa Macuja-Elizalde’s La Traviata will hit the stage on March 7 (6 p.m.) and March 8 (3 p.m.) at Samsung Hall in SM Aura, along with Rudy De Dios’ Carmina Burana.