By Jv Ramos

Dancing the lead part in a full-length performance is what Shaira Comeros had been looking forward to since she was promoted to principal artist in late 2022. The chance has finally come as she’s been cast as Cinderella in Ballet Manila’s Holiday Cheer Series offering, sharing the role with Abigail Oliveiro in Lisa Macuja-Elizalde’s Cinderella.

“Siyempre sobrang saya ko!” Shaira shares when asked how she felt when she was given the plum role. “Malaking bagay ’yan sa sobrang roller-coaster ko na taon.”  (I felt really happy! This is such a big thing for me after having had such a roller-coaster year.)

By “roller-coaster”, she’s pertaining to all those moments wherein she thought that she was already taking on a bigger role as principal, but things just didn’t turn out the way she wanted to. In Martin Lawrance’s Romeo and Juliet, for instance, Shaira was preparing for the role of Juliet as part of a Cast B, but the company only did two shows so in the end, only one cast performed. In Don Quixote, she had been cast as one of Kitri’s friends and Cupid, but had to give up those opportunities when she sprained her ankle.

“Kahit naintindihan ko na kailangan ko ng rest para maipahaba ang pagsayaw ko, sobrang sakit pa rin,” she candidly admits. (Even if I understood that I needed to rest in order to ensure a long career in dance, it still hurt.) That injury was Shaira’s first and it required her full rest for a whole month.

“Kahit isang buwan lang ’yon, matagal-tagal ’yon sa isang ballerina! Sobrang na-down talaga ako na hindi ako nasasama sa performances. Tama, ang mental health ko talaga ang nasaktan noong time na ’yon,” says Shaira. (Even if the rest was only for a month, that’s already a long time for a ballerina. I felt so down about not being able to take part in performances. Yes, it was my mental health that really suffered the most.)

To recover, Shaira underlines that it was essential for her to step out of the studio, so she wouldn’t be reminded of what she was missing out on. “Nag-stay ako sa pamilya ko sa Bulacan ng isang linggo, at nakatulong talaga ’yon sa akin. Ang saya kasi doon. Nawala ang pagiging down ko. Siyempre, sobrang nakatulong din ang support ni Joshua [Enciso, fellow principal dancer, who is her boyfriend]. Lagi niya akong ni-re-remind na isang setback lang ang pinagdadaanan ko, na makakabalik din ako sa pagsasayaw.” (I stayed with my family in Bulacan for a week and being with them helped me a lot. There’s so much happiness there, so it helped pick me up. Of course, Joshua was equally helpful and supportive. He would always remind me that my injury was just a setback and that I would be dancing again soon.)

Cinderella is special too because Shaira is dancing with Joshua as her Prince. It is, in fact, the first time they are doing full-length lead roles together in Ballet Manila, after having partnered each other several times since their days as members of the second company.  “Mas sumaya pa nga ako nu’ng nalaman ko na si Joshua ang magiging Prince Charming ko. Sobrang komportable kasi kami sa isa’t-isa at may trust kami sa isa’t-isa tuwing kami ang mag-partner sa stage.”  (I became even more excited when I found out that Joshua would be my Prince Charming. We’re very comfortable with each other and there’s trust whenever it’s us partnering.)

She adds that having partnered with Joshua for so long and having that partnership guided by the late co-artistic director Osias Barroso Jr. really helped prepare her to take on this major role. “Maikli ang preparation time pero na-train naman kami sa mga challenges na ganito.” (Our preparation time is limited but that’s okay; we’re trained for things like this.)

Shaira expresses that she’s proud of how far she’s come since Ballet Manila first presented Cinderella in 2016. “Napagdaanan ko ang maging creature at maging princess sa ball. Tapos ngayon, si Cinderella na ako! Very thankful po ako na narating ko ito.” (I have experienced being a creature and being a princess at the ball. And now, I’m Cinderella! I really am very thankful.)

The ballerina shares that much of her gratefulness has to do with the process of learning the role. “Maraming challenges po ang lead role na ito. Kung ang technique ang pag-uusapan natin, kailangan na handa kang sumayaw nang sumayaw once tumapak na si Cinderella sa ballroom. Dahil once mag-start na ang scene na ’yon, tuloy-tuloy na ang pagsayaw mo. Kung ang acting naman ang pag-uusapan, mahirap ang mimes sa Act I or ang mga parts na kung saan inaapi si Cinderella.” (There are many challenges in this lead role. If we’re talking technique, you have to be ready to dance and keep dancing once Cinderella steps into the ballroom. Because once that scene starts, your character just keeps dancing and dancing. If we’re talking about acting, it’s difficult to master the mimes in Act I or those parts where Cinderella is being mistreated.)

Shaira explains that in Act 1, as she was first going through Cinderella’s interactions with the other characters, there were moments when she felt “robotic”, so she knew that she had to exert extra effort in making the mimes look natural. “Buti na lang ang galing ng mga input ni Ate Abi sa akin.”  (It’s a good thing that Abi gave me a lot of good inputs.)

Shaira shares that principal dancer Abigail Oliveiro, who has danced the role of Cinderella several times since 2016, would even explain what the character is thinking in different moments of the story, helping her get into the character’s headspace. “Nakakatulong din ang pagiging stepmom ni Kuya [John] Balagot. Bukod sa transformation scene, sobrang na-e-enjoy  ko ang mga interactions ni Cinderella sa character niya.” (It also helps that the role of Stepmom is being danced by John Balagot. Other than the transformation scene, I really enjoy my interactions with him on stage.) A reliable soloist of Ballet Manila, John Balagot is known for his depth in acting, one who can easily inject comedic energy to a scene or be the feared villain. 

Shaira notes that she had a very different kind of family situation from Cinderella growing up. “Very loved ako ng pamilya ko, kaya siguro ang part ng story na nakaka-relate ako ay ang pagkakaroon ng fairy godmother.” (I’m very loved by my family, so the part of the story I can relate to is having a fairy godmother.)

The principal ballerina explains, “Ang fairy godmother ng buhay ko – at siguro ng lahat ng ballet dancers dito sa Ballet Manila – ay si Ma’am Lisa,” referring to artistic director Lisa Macuja-Elizalde who actually played the Fairy Godmother when Cinderella premiered. “Naaalala ko pa noong una akong tumapak dito sa Ballet Manila. Hindi pa ako marunong talaga mag-ballet pero napaganda niya ang pagsayaw ko sa walang pagod na pagtuturo. Dahil sa kanya, nakatapak ako sa competition sa abroad – sa Hong Kong – at nagpatuloy lang ang pagpasok ng iba’t-ibang opportunities.” (The fairy godmother of my life – and maybe for all the dancers here in Ballet Manila – is Ma’am Lisa… I still remember the first time I came to Ballet Manila. I really didn’t know much about ballet yet, but she was able to make me dance beautifully due to her relentless teaching. It’s because of her that I was able to join a competition abroad – the first was in Hong Kong – and opportunities just kept pouring in.)

Shaira stresses that she’s very grateful for her artistic director’s trust. Though her first season as a principal didn’t turn out the way she expected it to, once she recovered, the young ballerina still enjoyed many beautiful moments on stage – including dancing as Kitri again – during their performance in Baguio City for The Silver Gala last October 29 and the principals’ showcase presented in Roxas City and Kalibo earlier this month.

With Cinderella wonderfully capping a year that’s been full of challenges, Shaira is eager to face whatever prospects lie ahead in 2024. “I’m very content with where I am now, and I’m looking forward to dancing all the roles that will come my way.”