Ballet Manila in Full Color: Brown rules

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. 

The “amazonas” – the female warriors of the forest – in Gerardo Francisco’s Ibong Adarna (2019) represent courage as they stand together to protect their community from outside threats. But while they may be tough, the women nonetheless exude femininity in their midriff-baring chocolate brown outfits and accessories. Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag

Rust and tan are the shades of brown Osias Barroso goes for in his costume as Basilio in Don Quixote (2004). The free-spirited Basilio is the perfect match for the feisty Kitri, and to pursue their romance, the well-matched couple must outwit Kitri’s father and the suitor he prefers for his daughter. Photo by Ocs Alvarez

Taupe and tan in her dress and brown in her headgear – these are the earth colors that go into the outfit of Cinderella (Abigail Oliveiro) in Lisa Macuja-Elizalde’s Cinderella (2018). Despite not being treated well by her stepmother and stepsisters, the caring and compassionate Cinderella still finds reasons to smile, even while being left to clean up the house on her own. Photo by Ian Santos

Gerardo “Geri” Francisco performs Agnes Locsin’s Agila, a competition piece that later made its Philippine premiere in the Ballet Manila production dubbed OPM at OPB (2003). Geri simulates the sharp and aggressive movements of an eagle whose brown feathers are echoed in the dancer’s brown loin cloth and straw-like bands on his arms and legs. Photo by Ocs Alvarez

The huntsman (Mark Sumaylo) and his wife (Nanami Hasegawa) live a simple but idyllic life in the forest in Lisa Macuja-Elizalde’s Snow White (2019). In this scene, the couple – wearing their complementing clothes in brown and beige – expresses their happiness through dance. Photo by Erickson Dela Cruz

As Colas in La Fille Mal Gardee (2008), Jerome Espejo traipses around in a brown outfit topping off a white shirt. The humorous countryside-set ballet tells the story of Colas and Lise whose mother (played by a danseur) disapproves of her choice for a partner. Photo by Ocs Alvarez

Nikiya (Lisa Macuja-Elizalde) and Solor (Rudy De Dios) swear their eternal love for each other by the sacred fire in La Bayadere (2013). Their costumes reflect an Indian fashion sensibility, she in white and he in taupe, both bearing accents of beads and baubles. Photo by Ocs Alvarez

Prinsipe Juan (Anselmo Dictado), the youngest son of Haring Fernando and Donya Valeriana in Gerardo Francisco’s Ibong Adarna, makes his entrance at the palace in royal gear of faux fur, woven straw and light wood in varying shades of brown. The palace staff, bowing in greeting, are clothed in a similar color palette. Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag