Ballet Manila in Full Color: Seasons in red

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.

As the lead dancers wearing red in Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Bloom (in BM 21, 2016), Dawna Reign Mangahas and Mark Sumaylo strike an air of solemnity and grace – just the right tone in a piece that celebrates rituals and gratitude. Photo by Kurt Alvarez

Christmas is definitely in the air, with Jasmine Pia Dames fittingly clothed in red as she performs in Tala, Ballet Manila’s special show in Star City for the 2022 holiday season. She is cast in Pasko sa Pinas, a choreography by Gerardo Francisco Jr. that offers a different take on the homecoming of overseas Filipino workers at Christmastime. Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag

Symbolizing courage and bravery, red is the perfect choice for the male dancers’ wear in the action-packed Arnis as featured in Halo-Halo ni Juan (2010). Ric Culalic’s choreography was inspired by the ancient Filipino martial art of wielding bamboo sticks. Photo by Ocs Alvarez

Who can resist the feminine wiles of Carmen (Lisa Macuja-Elizalde), clad is she is in her striking red fringed dress? Obviously, Don Jose (Rudy De Dios) can’t – and falls hopelessly in love with the temptress, much to his own detriment later on. The well-known story of passion, as told in ballet through Eric V. Cruz’s choreography, was presented in BM 21 in 2016. Photo by Kurt Alvarez

Fiery and fierce in coordinated costumes anchored on red, Eileen Lopez and Jerome Espejo bring the flair and temperament needed for the Spanish Dance in The Nutcracker (2003). Photo by Ocs Alvarez

As Flamia, Seisee Hong is among the mystical beings summoned by Tia Nia – the fairy godmother in Hazel Sabas’ Sinderela (2012) – to help the titular character attend the palace ball. In this scene, Flamia – fittingly “ablaze” in red tutu and head gear – dances with the garden spirits as she works her magic. Photo by Ocs Alvarez

Lisa Macuja-Elizalde and Rudy De Dios channel a groovy vibe – he in red floral top and denim bell-bottoms and she in a red tutu with glittery accents – as they dance to the Mamma Mia Medley in Ballet & Ballads (2013). Made up of ABBA hits, the medley was sung by the West End Mamas, a United Kingdom-based group composed of Gia Macuja-Atchison, Maya Barredo-Duffy and Cez Campos-Bonner. Photo by Ocs Alvarez