This Month in BM History: August 2010
The opening production kicking off Ballet Manila’s 15th season is announced in Philippine Star. Clipping from the Ballet Manila Archives collection
Souvenir program cover of Ballet Manila’s 15th Anniversary Crystal Gala. From the Ballet Manila Archives collection
Ballet Manila marked its 15th anniversary in 2010. In August of that year, it opened its 15th performance season with a Crystal Gala titled Halo-Halo ni Juan.
From its start as a touring ensemble in 1995 with a mission to “bring ballet to the people,” it had by then grown into a bigger company with a home performance venue in Aliw Theater where a total of seven shows would be held on August 20, 21, 22, 28 and 29.
The Crystal Gala, as was described then, was meant to celebrate and capture the essence of Ballet Manila’s evolution as the country’s premiere dance company known for its adherence to the Russian Vaganova method.
Ric Culalic’s all-male choreography, Arnis, highlights strength and agility. From the Ballet Manila Archives collection
Principal dancers Lisa Macuja-Elizalde and Rudy De Dios premiere Augustus “Bam” Damian’s Ilsa-Dyur (an anagram of the dancers’ names), set to Tchaikovsky music. From the Ballet Manila Archives collection
True to the Halo-Halo title, the show was a colorful and joyful treat that featured an all-original OPM suite by Gerardo Francisco, world premieres of neo-classical choreographies by Augustus “Bam” Damian (Ilsa-Dyur) and Sergey Vikulov (Berlioz Overture), and excerpts from the classic La Bayadere (particularly its Act 3, the famed Kingdom of the Shades).
Opening night proved to be most poignant as, at curtain call, artistic director Lisa Macuja-Elizalde called to the stage some of Ballet Manila’s pioneers led by co-artistic director and ballet master Osias Barroso and joined by Ianne Damian, Elline Damian, Pamela Asprer-Espejo, Aileen Galinera, Jeffrey Espejo, Eduardo Espejo Jr. and Eileen Lopez. Members of succeeding batches, Melanie Motus and Marcus Tolentino, also went on stage to be acknowledged for their contributions to the company.
Halo-Halo ni Juan toasts Philippine colors and flavors with the celebratory finale Maynila, an OPM suite by Gerardo Francisco depicting vignettes of Manila life. From the Ballet Manila Archives collection
Macuja-Elizalde gave each one a rose then went to the audience to also give roses to her two Russian mentors, Tatiana Udalenkova and Sergey Vikulov, and her husband Fred Elizalde, whose support of Ballet Manila helped make this 15th anniversary possible.
A review of Halo-Halo ni Juan appears in the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Clipping from the Ballet Manila Archives collection
