Animals have long fascinated choreographers, motivating them to create ballets based on non-human movements. Can they make dancers imbibe the flapping of a bird’s wings, echo the wispy flight of a butterfly or mimic the mating rituals of spiders? At Ballet Manila, they certainly have! Here are five ballet pieces from the Ballet Manila repertoire that delve into a range of unlikely fauna, proving that – in the hands of skilled artists – no subject is too lowly to inspire the most stunning choreographies: