Ballet Manila Moments: A royal full circle

Since 1995, Ballet Manila has been creating unforgettable performances on stage. As the acclaimed storytellers on toes, they have breathed life to an amazing range of classical and contemporary fare. The Ballet Manila Archives celebrates some of those moments from the company’s first 25 years through this series.

Ballet Manila artistic director Lisa Macuja-Elizalde premiered her version of Sleeping Beauty in January 2020. That was the final installment in what was dubbed as her Princess Trilogy, with the first two being Cinderella and Snow White. These fairy-tale ballets marked her transition from ballerina to choreographer. 

There were moments when it felt like Sleeping Beauty would not be staged. Still reeling from a fire that destroyed Ballet Manila’s home theaters, Lisa and co-artistic director Osias Barroso—together with principal dancers Jasmine Pia Dames and Romeo Peralta who played the lead roles and the entire company—soldiered on. With a simpler set design, recycled costumes, and a generous amount of creativity, the spotlight eventually shone on the ballet.

But Sleeping Beauty is special to Lisa for a lesser known reason. The version based on the original Russian choreography was the final full-length classical ballet that she danced. The performance was part of her 50th birthday celebration in 2014 entitled Gold. From Princess Aurora to a full-fledged choreographer, it was a full-circle moment for the prima ballerina.