Ballet Manila in full color: Pretty in pink

Ballet Manila has showcased a rich palette of hues in its productions over the years. Now, the company’s true colors are revealed! Gathering photographs from the Ballet Manila Archives, we present the vibrant and the somber, the heavenly to the earthy, in a series of virtual exhibitions – one shade at a time. 

True to her role as the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker (2013), Lisa Macuja-Elizalde wears a sumptuous confection of pink and gold studded with sparkling stones. The Sugar Plum Fairy is just one of the characters that give the popular Christmas ballet its trademark magic and charm.  Photo by Jojo Mamangun

Hazel Sabas-Gower’s Sinderela (2012) puts a showbiz twist to the popular fairy tale, with the titular character Sinderela (Sofia Sangco-Peralta) vying to be the leading lady of matinee idol Al Principe. With the help of her fairy godmother, she gets to attend the audition – dazzling everyone, especially Al, with her magenta dress and her dancing skills. Photo by Ocs Alvarez

Everything’s coming up roses for Medora (Abigail Oliveiro, leftmost) as she leads the ballerinas in the dreamy Living Garden sequence in the pirate adventure Le Corsaire (2018). Their blush pink tutus lend an even more enchanting touch to the scene. Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag

In a tutu adorned with pink ruffles and white lace, Lise (Pamela Asprer) steals some time with her beloved Colas (Osias Barroso) in La Fille Mal Gardee (2000). In the story, Lise is guarded well by her strict mother, Widow Simone, who wants to marry her off to the wealthy but dimwitted Alain. Photo by Ocs Alvarez

Joan Emery Sia’s pink finery stands out in the brooding Paloma Muerte, a choreography by Hamburg Ballet artist Marcelino Libao that also featured Mark Sumaylo and three other dancers. It was one of the numbers performed in Tuloy ang Sayaw-an, a fundraiser that Ballet Manila undertook with Academy One in 2019 for the benefit of Tuloy Foundation and Project Ballet Futures. Photo by Erickson Dela Cruz

This cheering squad on pointe reflects hot pink power in Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika: An OPM Festival (2014). They appear in the portion inspired by the radio program True Love Confessions (TLC) with Papa Jack, where the caller reminisces about his school days. Photo by Ocs Alvarez

Nicole Barroso wears a rose-colored outfit that matches her pink pointe shoes as one of the ladies in the hunting party in 2019’s Snow White. With her is Joshua Enciso as a hunter, clad in orange. Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag

Sandralynn Huang in pink and Jerome Espejo in black and white figure in a passionate pas de deux for BM Goes International (2015), a preview of numbers to be performed by Ballet Manila in shows and competitions abroad that year. Photo by Ocs Alvarez

In Labindalawang Masasayang Prinsesa, one of the tales in Tatlo Pang Kuwento ni Lola Basyang (2013), two of the twelve sisters (Lisa Macuja-Elizalde, left) and Czarina Villegas wear two shades of pink. With them are their partners, Rudy De Dios (right) and Arnulfo Andrade. Photo by Ocs Alvarez

“Blackpink” seems to be the best description for the tutu worn by Abigail Oliveiro as Mercedes in Don Quixote (2017), with Mark Sumaylo as her Espada. The Spanish-style dress has alternating rows of black and pink lace, with a wide skirt perfect for her head-turning pirouettes and back bends.  Photo by Ocs Alvarez