Ballet Manila’s Swan Lake in September 2003 was one year in the making. It was an ambitious undertaking as it was presenting the ballet classic with an all-Filipino cast for the very first time.

In 1996, the company had staged its production of Swan Lake – but with 30 Russian dancers from the Krasnoyarsk Ballet by their side. Could they pull off the new challenge all on their own?

They certainly did, with careful planning and meticulous preparation. Ballet Manila invited People’s Artist of Russia Sergey Vikulov to restage and choreograph some new sections in the 19th century Tchaikovsky/ Lev Ivanov classic. Tatiana Udalenkova of the Vaganova Ballet Academy (and artistic director Lisa Macuja-Elizalde’s mentor in Russia back in the 1980s) “relentlessly polished the dancers during our two-month rehearsal period,” as Lisa herself would write in her director’s notes.

She shared further: “Young and very busy designer Gino Gonzalez gave us beautiful sketches of the new costumes. Fred Elizalde’s set designs in the sprawling Aliw Theater stage will awe even the most jaded of viewers.”

The prima ballerina had reason to be proud, as they were the only ballet company in the country that had the classically trained dancers to produce a 25-swan corps de ballet, with the youngest swan being a 12-year-old from the Ballet Manila School. In all, more than 60 dancers were onstage for each show of the two-weekend performance run.