“But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.” And with that line, William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet captured not just the beauty of its leading lady but the depth of Romeo’s feelings for her as well. 

Juliet, however, belonged to the House of Capulet – the sworn enemies of Romeo and his Montague family. And, thus, unfolded what is widely regarded as the most romantic and tragic tale ever written – one that has been translated to painting, music, theater and ballet. 

The ballet Juliet, however, poses a unique challenge for dancers chosen to portray the role. The character is very young (barely 14 years old!) but all the versions of choreographies associated with it requires a maturity in skills that older dancers are best able to convey. It is this balance of innocence with a mastery of technique that makes Juliet such a beautiful and difficult role for a ballerina.

While Zoe Semberova of the Ballet of the National Theatre in Brno became the very first ballerina to dance Sergei Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, it was the portrayal of Galina Ulanova that truly left a mark in the hearts and minds of ballet lovers. It was her powerful performance that cemented the piece as a classic; a performance that almost did not happen.

Prokofiev was among the leading figures in the modernist movement. But when the Russian culture police cracked down on what was considered “degenerate” art, he became an instant target. For several years, his version of Romeo and Juliet was shelved indefinitely. 

When the Kirov finally decided to resurrect it, Prokofiev was ordered to make numerous changes to the score. And after prima ballerina Galina Ulanova refused to dance Juliet – stating "For never was a story of more woe/ Than Prokofiev's music for Romeo” – choreographer Leonid Lavrovsky demanded more revisions. 

The result was nowhere near his original vision but it satisfied the ballet gods of the Soviet Union. Ulanova’s performance was overwhelmingly applauded and Juliet became a defining role of her illustrious career. 

In 1956, the Bolshoi brought Romeo and Juliet to London with the 46-year-old Ulanova dancing the lead role once again. In the audience was prima ballerina Margot Fonteyn who was left speechless along with the rest of the British audience by the Russian ballerina’s stunning performance.

In the Spectator, AV Cotton said: “Romeo and Juliet made its success through its complete telling, in wordless action, of the great love story and through the personality of Galina Ulanova, a total dance personality … she flows into and out of the dance phrases as artlessly and beautifully as a bird flies or a fish swims.”

Fonteyn would eventually portray Juliet opposite Rudolf Nureyev in a version choreographed by Sir Kenneth MacMillan in 1965 for the Royal Opera House. The performance was so well-received that the pair made 43 curtain calls that night. 

It is interesting to note that the couple was not MacMillan’s first choice for the role. His version was choreographed specifically for Lynn Seymour and Christopher Gable. But the company administration chose the former because they were considered superstars and would attract more audience to the show. They were right. But Seymour and Gable were also able to perform, and were much appreciated by the audience as well.

Given the Filipinos’ penchant for romance, it is no surprise that Romeo and Juliet is a staple in Ballet Manila’s repertoire. Prima ballerina Lisa Macuja-Elizalde was the first Juliet opposite now co-artistic director Osias Barroso. 

Personally, it was her fourth version of the ballet. She had danced the choreography of Malcolm Burns with The Royal New Zealand Ballet opposite Ou Lu in 1988. This was followed by a performance of a version by Atlanta Ballet’s Tom Pazik. The third was an early version by Sergei Vikulov.

A year after she established Ballet Manila, Vikulov revisited Romeo and Juliet, and created a piece for her and Barroso. This was the Romeo and Juliet choreography that became part of the company’s repertoire. 

“I just love exploring the many facets of Romeo and Juliet: From how she reacts to Romeo’s first touch and their first kiss, to how she pulls open the bottle of potion and drinks the drug that puts her in deep sleep. And I love dying onstage. I have practiced ‘dying’ so many times and experimented with so many of Life’s last lingering looks,” she explained in her Director’s Notes for her final Romeo and Juliet performance in 2011.

Other BM dancers who have performed the piece include Elline Damian, Mylene Aggabao, Katherine Barkman, and current principal dancers Abigail Oliveiro and Joan Emery Sia. 

“What I’ve done to connect with Juliet is to reach out to unhappy experiences that I’ve long been trying to forget, touching them one by one and trying to recall how they felt at the time they pained me,” explained Sia during an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer in 2015. “The role is bringing those things back to life in a way that betters me too. I feel that I’m coming to terms with those memories. Every day, I’m learning, every day I am inspired.”

Indeed, Juliet has been defining the careers of ballerinas since Ulanova’s portrayal in 1940, and will continue to do so for generations to come.