A neighbor dancing ballet was Anselmo Dictado’s first encounter with the classical technique. And though he was deep into hiphop in school, his curiosity got the better of him. At 18, he enrolled at the Steps Dance Studio to learn ballet. The rest, as they say, is history.

He joined Ballet Manila in 2011 and has immersed himself in the Vaganova technique since. Despite the late start, hard work was Anselmo’s weapon of choice to catch up with the rest of the company. His effort did not go unnoticed.

At the Asian Grand Prix in Hong Kong, he placed 7th in 2012, was a semi-finalist in 2013, a finalist in the Pas De Deux division in 2014, and took fourth place in the Pas de Deux while making it to the semi-finals in the Senior division in 2015.

With Ballet Manila, he has performed the title role in Osias Barroso’s Pinocchio and Don Juan in Gerardo Francisco Jr.’s Ibong Adarna. He has danced key roles in Paul Vasterling’s Romeo and Juliet, Sergey Vikulov’s Romeo and Juliet Overture, Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, and Don Quixote, among many other classical productions of the company. He has also been tapped to perform prominent roles in BM’s contemporary pieces such as Ernest Mandap’s Reve, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Bloom, Ric Culalic’s Arnis, and Augustus “Bam” Damian III’s Aramica, to name a few.

He has joined many of the company’s national tours and international tours. He has performed in Hong Kong, United Kingdom, South Korea, Vietnam, Russia, China, Malaysia, and Israel.

Discover the many roles of Anselmo Dictado, soloist of Ballet Manila.