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.

Pinu-push ko talaga ‘yung sarili ko mag-class. Mahirap eh. Once bumalik sa normal at back to shows, mahirap kasi pag out of shape. So ang focus ko talaga is, take every day as an opportunity to work hard, para ma-improve pa lahat ng kaya pang ma-improve para pag mag-back on stage na, hindi masyadong mahirap.

‘Yung ginagawa ko talaga, hindi ako nagpapahinga from workout. Sabak lang talaga nang sabak. And then extra classes din… very important! Sa bahay lang. Sarili ko lang. Nag-va-variation class ako. I play music tapos, kunwari ngayon gusto maging Kitri so I dance Kitri! Tomorrow, gusto kong mag- Esmeralda…para lang to keep me sane.

Mahirap maging motivated ngayong panahon ng pandemic. To be honest, may mga days na sobrang ayaw mong gumalaw…sobrang nabu-burn-out ka na rin. Siguro ‘yung motivation ko, yung nag-ho-hope ako na once na maging better na lahat, masasayaw ko na ’yung mga variations na ito ulit. 

I really push myself to take class. It’s hard. Once we return to normal and are back to shows, it’s hard if you’re out of shape. So I really focus, and I take every day as an opportunity to work hard, to improve everything that can still be improved so when we return to the stage it won’t be so difficult.

What I really do, I don’t rest from working out. I really just keep at it. And then I take extra classes too… very important! Just at home... just on my own. I do variation classes. I play music then, like today I want to be Kitri so I dance Kitri! Tomorrow, I want to be Esmeralda… just to keep me sane.

It is be difficult to be motivated during this pandemic. To be honest, there are days when I don’t want to move… I would feel so burned out. Maybe my motivation is that I hope that once things get better, I can dance all these variations again.

Top photo: Jasmine Pia Dames tries out the stage of the renovated Aliw Theater just before its launch last August 10. Photo by MarBi Photography