Ballet Manila in Full Color: Standouts in orange

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.

Photos by Ocs Alvarez

In striking ensembles of orange and gold, this group of men joins the festivities marking the marriage of the nature goddess Luningning and the mortal king Kapuy in Alamat: Si Sibol at si Gunaw (2012).

Nectarine hues provide enough of a spark for Lisa Macuja-Elizalde and Rudy De Dios as they dance Ilsa-Dyur, a piece choreographed on them by Augustus “Bam” Damian III (the title is an anagram of their first names) and featured in Masterpieces in Motion (2011). The same assortment of colors can be found on the baubles and sequins sewn artfully onto their costumes, particularly standing out on her white skirt and his white tights, and also forming her exquisite headband.

The peasant folk enjoy a village celebration in a scene from the ballet classic Giselle (2010). Two of Giselle’s gal pals (portrayed by Jennifer Olayvar and Zaira Cosico) coincidentally wear dresses in shades of orange, both pleasantly complementing the lush foliage of autumn.

Clad in bright orange robes and exuding authority, the High Brahmin (Marcus Tolentino) commands attention in La Bayadere (2004). He is a standout among the bevy of temple dancers wearing white as they worship the sacred fire, but he only has eyes for Nikiya who, because she has committed herself to the warrior Solor, rejects the Brahmin’s advances and earns his ire.

Jessa Balote and Anselmo Dictado make a perfect balancing act, she in a flowy neon orange tutu and he in a pristine all-white outfit – the vivid contrasting with the neutral – in the neoclassical Dancing to Verdi by Tony Fabella. The Ballet Manila staple was performed in Ballet Manila’s Two in 2014.

Rudy De Dios as the casting agent in Sinderela (2012) assesses one of the hopefuls played by Marika Capati – in an attractive salmon tutu – if she will make the cut, as she is assisted by Harold Salgado. Sinderela choreographer Hazel Sabas-Gower infused a Pinoy twist to the popular fairytale, reimagining the palace ball in the story as an audition for dancing talents.

She may look adorable in her flashy outfit of orange and bluegreen, but the Cat (Sandralynn Huang) is a wily creature who – together with the Fox – takes advantage of the puppet-come-to-life lead character in Pinocchio (2004). Ballet Manila’s Pinocchio, an adaptation by Osias Barroso, premiered in 2002 as a one-act ballet and was expanded into a full-length ballet in 2015.