In their own words, the artists of Ballet Manila share their thoughts and experiences on not merely surviving but flourishing in the very challenging world of dance. This series is a collection of personal anecdotes, as well as words of wisdom that can be heartwarming, funny or dramatic, but always inspiring regardless of what field one is pursuing.

Sa mga dancers na wala na pong tiwala sa pagsasayaw lalo na ‘yung sa body shape… ‘yung sa katawan, kasi ‘yun po ang nangyari sa sarili ko… ‘yung once na tumaba… Ay! Hindi na ko makakabalik sa pagsasayaw at parang hirap na akong bumalik. Siguro, tiwala sa sarili. At saka disiplina na rin po. Kailangan mong i-push ang sarili mo. Kung gusto mong balikan ‘yung dati mong ginagawa, kailangan mo siyang i-push talaga. Kailangan mahalin mo kung ano ang ginagawa mo. At saka huwag kang matakot na subukan ulit kung ano ‘yung nasimulan mo.

Once na nahinto ka, akala mo wala ka nang mararating, di mo na maibalik ‘yung buhay mo… kung ano ang gusto mo sa future mo. Para sa akin, kailangan po talagang i-push mo ang sarili mo at huwag matakot na subukan ulit ‘yung mga bagay na nagagawa mo dati kasi may times talaga na natatakot tayo, na-i-stress, napapagod. Pero may times na kailangan tayong magpatuloy sa buhay. Huwag pong susuko.

For dancers who lost their belief in dance especially with the shape of their body… because that’s what happened to me… when you gain weight… Oh! I won’t be able to dance again; it’s so hard to come back. Maybe you should trust yourself. And have discipline. You need to push yourself. If you want to return to what you were doing before, you really need to push. You need to love what you are doing. And don’t be afraid to try again and continue what you’ve started.

Once you stop, you start thinking that you’re going nowhere, that you can’t bring back your old life and what you want for your future. For me, you really just need to push yourself and not be afraid to try again those things that you used to be able to do because there really are times when we become afraid, stressed or tired. But there are times when we have to carry on with our lives. Just don’t give up.

Top photo by Mark Sumaylo