Ballet Manila returns to Star City with program echoing hope
Manila Broadcasting Company chairman Fred J. Elizalde and wife, Ballet Manila artistic director Lisa Macuja-Elizalde (center), join Star City staff at the soft reopening of the theme park on February 24. Photo by Susan Isorena-Arcega
Ballet Manila returns to familiar territory as Star City reopens this week, once again bringing to audiences a program attuned with Filipino emotions and echoing hope amid adversity.
Star City is welcoming the public back with its soft reopening on February 24, signaling the start of park operations every Thursday to Sunday, 12 noon to 8 p.m. It comes two years after a fire gutted the popular entertainment complex which remained closed as the pandemic broke out in 2020.
In Ang Munting Pangarap, Jessa Balote is cast as a poor girl who relentlessly pursues her dream of becoming a successful dancer and along the way spreads love, kindness and respect among those she meets.
Ballet Manila will perform at the Activity Center of the refurbished Star City starting February 26, Saturday, and February 27, Sunday. The shows are free to theme park visitors.
For Ballet Manila resident choreographer Gerardo “Geri” Francisco Jr., being tasked by artistic director Lisa Macuja-Elizalde to prepare new pieces for the show was an assignment he was only too glad to accept.
It is, after all, a homecoming of sorts for Geri who choreographed or co-choreographed Ballet Manila’s shows in Star City such as Maynila ni Juan and a host of Christmas presentations through the years.
In his latest effort, Ang Munting Pangarap, Geri has developed a suite of dances that speaks of fulfilling one’s dreams through hard work and persistence.
“As the quote goes, ‘Dream that dream until that dream is yours,’" says Geri. Ang Munting Pangarap zeroes in on Purita, a poor girl who dreams of becoming a successful dancer. Since she comes from a poor family, she has to work to provide them food and shelter.
Prima ballerina Lisa Macuja-Elizalde tours Star City where Ballet Manila will be performing again every weekend. Photo by Susan Isorena-Arcega
Geri expounds on the story line: “Despite the hardship, Purita doesn’t give up on her dream, and through friends and meeting people from all walks of life, she is able to fulfill it, one at a time. She doesn’t stop, she doesn’t hesitate; instead, she pushes herself more to achieve her goal. Little does she know, as she continues to reach for her dream, she also unintentionally spreads love, kindness, respect and other family values along the way.”
Ang Munting Pangarap is danced to the pop tunes Isang Mundo, Isang Awit, Ikaw at Ako, Limang Dipang Tao, Patuloy ang Pangarap, No Touch, and Handog, capped by a Finale featuring the entire cast. The program runs for almost thirty minutes.
While Geri enjoyed fleshing out the choreography, he admits it was a challenge to complete it because of the continuing challenges brought on by pandemic restrictions such as limited studio time and rehearsals with the dancers.
But he is confident Ang Munting Pangarap will strike a chord with Star City visitors who will be able relate to its theme of pursuing one’s dream no matter what.
For full details and inquiries on Star City tickets and regulations, please visit the website https://starcity.com.ph/ or follow the Instagram account https://www.instagram.com/starcity_philippines/.
