A toast to mothers in ballet

At the ballet, mothers come in assorted shapes, sizes, demeanors and even genders. True to their maternal instincts, they are nurturing and doting as the mothers in Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty are. They are proud of their children, sometimes to the point of being irrational such as the stepmother in Cinderella. They can also be a riot when they go to great lengths to protect their offspring, as the mother in La Fille Mal Gardee (The Naughty Daughter) comically does. Ballet Manila toasts motherhood in all its forms in this virtual exhibition to mark Mother’s Day.

Rissa May Camaclang is the picture of happiness as the mother of Aurora in Sleeping Beauty as she and the king (Mark Sumaylo) prepare for their daughter’s christening. Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag

Luningning in Alamat: Si Sibol at Si Gunaw was Lisa Macuja-Elizalde’s first mother role. Her character always steps in to break quarrels between her children, the nurturer Sibol and the destructive Gunaw. Photo by Ocs Alvarez

Kong Kexin plays Berthe, the affectionate mother to frail-hearted Giselle (Joan Emery Sia) in Giselle. Photo by Ericksson Dela Cruz

Real-life mother and daughter Lisa Macuja-Elizalde and Missy Macuja Elizalde share a warm embrace in Gerardo Francisco’s Ina which they performed in 2011 as part of Ballet Manila’s East Meets West tour in England and Ireland. Photo by Philip Taylor Photography

Miss Universe first runner-up Janine Tugonon fittingly looks every inch the queen mother as son Prince Siegfried escorts her in Swan Lake, 2011. Photo by Ocs Alvarez

Zaira Cosico is Lady Capulet, loving mother to Juliet (Lisa Macuja-Elizalde), in the 2011 production of Romeo and Juliet. Photo by Ocs Alvarez

Lisa Macuja-Elizalde and Joanna Ampil are both Inang Bayan in Rebel, with Lisa in the dancing role and Joanna taking the singing part. Photo by Ocs Alvarez

John Ralp Balagot as the stepmother in Cinderella is blind to the fault of her daughters (Nicole Barroso and Emma Harris). Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag

Czarina Villegas as the mother shares a tender moment with her daughters in Ang Kapatid ng Tatlong Marya, one of the stories in Tatlong Kuwento ni Lola Basyang. Photo by Ocs Alvarez

Lisa Macuja-Elizalde as Reyna Valeriana is instrumental in healing the rift between Haring Fernando (Osias Barroso) and their sons, Prinsipe Pedro (Elpidio Magat, left) and Prinsipe Diego (Romeo Peralta, right) who have been unkind to their brother, Prinsipe Juan (Don Juan, foreground). Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag

Mother Simone (Christopher Mohnani) tells daughter Lise (Pamela Asprer) to spin thread the whole day to keep her away from Colas. Photo by Ocs Alvarez