In praise of Ballet Manila through poetry
Journalist Angela Blardony Ureta had the unique privilege of witnessing how Ballet Manila was formed one night in December 1995 at the Macuja home in Quezon City.
As the best friend of prima ballerina Lisa Macuja, she was there during the formative period of the touring company that only had twelve members. Through words and pictures, she was able to document their initial shows, as well as the group’s historic first performance tour in Russia where the roots of Ballet Manila’s Vaganova training can be traced.
Having seen the dancers’ struggles and triumphs during those early times, Ureta wrote a poem which she dedicated to them and which was published in a number of Ballet Manila souvenir programs.
Recalling the penning of the poem, Ureta shares: “As someone who has worked with Ballet Manila from the day of its inception — quite literally — those verses were inspired by the grace, beauty, and lightness conjured by the Ballet Manila dancers during those fleeting moments they were onstage, which was almost in stark contrast with the long hours of pain, repetition, and hard work that I saw them endure in rehearsing day after day. The more magic there is in the theater, the more sacrifice is made in the studio. Being a silent witness to both the guts and glory moved me to write these verses that celebrate The Company.”
As we celebrate National Poetry Day (November 22), we bring back her poem and pair it with videos of Ballet Manila performances that underscore the meaning behind her lines.
