Principal dancer: Mark Sumaylo
Mark Sumaylo’s love affair with dance began as a scholar in Liceo De Cagayan University in Cagayan De Oro City. He joined the Liceo Cultural Dance Troupe and performed with the company in various international festivals including in Vietnam, Russia, Singapore and Korea.
He received a degree in Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education and went on to become the associate artistic director of the university’s Modern Dance Troupe.
At the age of 21, Mark was introduced to ballet for the first time. Despite the late start, he trained under Anne Grace Daque and competed in local and international ballet tilts. He was a finalist in the National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA) in 2008, and a semi-finalist in the 2015 Asian Grand Prix Senior Division in Hong Kong.
He joined Ballet Manila in 2013 as a company apprentice. Through hard work and determination, he rose through the ranks and became a demi soloist in the same year. He became a soloist in 2015 and was promoted to principal dancer in 2019.
Mark has performed many of the most sought after leading roles in the company's various productions including Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, Albrecht in Giselle, Conrad in Le Corsaire, Nutcracker Prince in The Nutcracker, Don Jose in Eric V. Cruz’s Carmen, Prince in Lisa Macuja-Elizalde’s Cinderella, Alfredo in Lisa Macuja-Elizalde’s La Traviata, Espada in Don Quixote, and Paris in Paul Vasterling’s Romeo and Juliet.
He has also taken on lead roles in contemporary ballets by renowned international choreographers such as Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Martin Lawrance, Jonathan Watkins and Marcelino Libao.
He has made international guest appearances such as Colas for La Fille Mal Gardee in Indonesia and Harlequin Doll for The Nutcracker in Canada. He has also danced with international ballerinas including Lia Cirio of the Boston Ballet and Christine Rocas of the Joffrey Ballet.
With Ballet Manila, Mark has toured the Philippines extensively, and has participated in the company’s various international performances in Hong Kong, Macau, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Gyeongju (South Korea), Karmiel, and Kibbutz Be'eri in Negev (Israel), to name a few. He has also been invited as a performer, guest teacher and choreographer in Singapore.
Discover the many roles of Mark Sumaylo, principal dancer of Ballet Manila.
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