Ballet dancers are often referred to as performing athletes. They must have the strength and stamina to withstand the demands of their profession and yet also possess the grace and poise to make it seem like what they do on stage is easy. In this series, Ballet Manila’s ballerinas and danseurs share how they stay in tip-top shape, following a fitness, diet and wellness regimen suited to their specific needs. 

By Jv Ramos

Jessica Pearl Dames, along with her twin sister and co-principal artist Jasmine Pia Dames, may be among the most petite dancers in Ballet Manila, but there’s no denying that they are also among its strongest. When they’re on stage and on pointe, no wobbling can be detected. Moreover, they put out clean turn after clean turn and make the hardest of combinations look effortless. 

“Palapit na ako ng 30 pero parang ngayon pa lang ako paparating sa peak ko (I’m nearing 30 but it seems like it’s only now that I’m starting to peak),” observes the ballerina. She credits this to her lifestyle which she describes as more balanced now.

By balanced lifestyle, she means equally valuing work and rest, paying attention to both physical strengthening and mental well-being, and listening to one’s own thinking while also heeding what others have to say. Pearl says achieving this optimum state has taken years, starting in 2017, when she was recovering from a major injury. 

After sitting out two season productions then due to shin splits on her left leg, the ballerina knew that she would have to do things differently to continue her professional career without the interruption of injuries. That’s when she sought the assistance of coach Robert Osorio of BalletSportScience who also happens to be Pia’s boyfriend.

With recovery from her injury and a strong comeback as her twin aims, Pearl was advised by Coach Robert to do more strength training daily, cut down on fast food consumption and snacking on junk food, and complete eight hours of sleep — healthy lifestyle practices that she still consistently does up to today. 

She stresses however that keeping up with this lifestyle isn’t about depriving one’s self, saying there are ways to go about the “rules” in a fun manner. For instance, daily strength training and eating home-cooked meals can be done as a team. Here, Pearl notes that she and Pia plus Coach Robert take turns in cooking. In addition, snacking remains part of a dancer’s day; only this time, the usual chips are replaced by watermelon or other kinds of fruits. “Effective siya as a snack. Bukod sa nakakabusog, nakakatulong siya sa pag-hydrate ng katawan (It’s an effective snack. Aside from filling your tummy, it keeps your body hydrated),” attests Pearl. 

And when it comes to sleeping, this doesn’t mean giving up on activities at night. She notes that you can spend quality time with loved ones, but you just have to see to it that you afford your body enough time to rest and recover from the day you’ve had. “Kung 11 p.m. ako matutulog, hindi ako gigising ng hanggang 8 a.m.,” she shares. “Bukod sa nakakatulong sa pag-burn ng kinain, kailangan mo rin ng kumpletong tulog para maka-focus ka sa klase.” (If I sleep at 11 p.m., I don’t wake up until 8 a.m. Other than helping you digest food, complete sleep is needed so you can focus well in class.)

“Thankful talaga ako sa BalletSportScience, at thankful din ako na naisipan kong humingi ng tulong.” (I’m very thankful for BalletSportScience, and I’m glad that I thought of asking for help.) Pearl recalls that in her early twenties, she was the kind of dancer who didn’t like to admit that she was going through physical pain, and when something needed to be addressed, she’d prefer to come up with a solution on her own. “Feeling ko kasi na kung alam nilang may masakit sa iyo, hindi ka mabibigyan ng magandang role.”  (I felt that if they knew that you were in pain, you’d never get cast in a good role.)

As for coming up with her own solutions, she recalls designing a diet of steamed food and salad dinners many years ago with her boyfriend Sean Pelegrin, also a Ballet Manila artist, when she put on a bit of weight. “Kung sinabihan ka na nag-gain ka, siyempre gusto mo i-address… Pero hindi talaga sustainable ang diet na iyon. Hindi rin ako masaya sa mga kinakain ko noon,” says Pearl while laughing at her younger self. (When you’re told that you gained weight, of course you’d like to address that… But the diet we came up with wasn’t sustainable at all. I wasn’t satisfied about anything I was eating then.)

On her current daily food consumption, Pearl continues to have oatmeal for breakfast. For lunch, she and her peers eat their baon (packed lunch) after company class, and for dinner, when she’s done with rehearsals and about an hour and a half of strength training, she has a big home-cooked dinner. She points out she was never the type who would count calories. “Sinisiguro ko lang na nakakakain ako at may enough energy ako para sa ballet at extra work.” (I just make sure that I would eat and have enough energy for ballet and extra work.)  

So, why is doing the extra strengthening work so important to Pearl? The ballerina reveals that since starting on the customized BalletSportScience program, her stamina and jumps have improved. “Naging better din ang left side ko, lalo na sa mga turns, at mas nag-improve ang stability ng ankle ko. Ang laki din ng tulong ng workouts naming sa mga explosive steps na gagawin.” (My left side has become better, especially when doing turns and my ankle stability has also improved. Our workouts have also helped a lot in executing explosive steps we have to do.)

Currently preparing for a limited rerun of Martin Lawrance’s Romeo & Juliet, Pearl says she’s also noticed a significant improvement in her partner, Joshua Enciso, who plays Romeo. “Iba na ang pagtapon niya sa akin. Mas nag-improve pa sa unang R&J at ’yan ay dahil sa extra strengthening na pinapagawa ng BalletSportScience.” (Joshua tosses me differently. It’s better than when we first did R&J, and this is due to the extra strengthening he does with BalletSportScience.)

Last but not least, Pearl credits her own BalletSportsScience program in helping her regain her confidence after an injury.  “Kapag na-injure ka kasi, takot kang gawin ang maraming bagay. Nu’ng nangyari ito sa akin, in-assure ni Coach Robert na magaling na ang shin ko, na ako na lang ang nag-iisip na may masakit o hindi ko pa kaya.” (When you’re injured, you fear doing many things. When I was going through this, Coach Robert assured me that my shin was already healed and that I was the only one thinking that there was still pain and that I couldn’t dance that much yet.)  Upon realizing that she was limiting herself, Pearl aimed to change her mindset and trust her comeback process. 

“Mahalaga na makinig ka rin sa sinasabi ng iba (It’s also important to listen to what others are saying),” underscores the principal dancer.  She later reveals that it’s the good feedback of her artistic director Lisa Macuja-Elizalde and guest choreographer Martin Lawrance that inspired her to keep working hard after her return. 

For her mental well-being, Pearl claims that her pet bunnies, Bugsy and Mugsy, are her sources of happiness after a stressful day. “Kinuha ko sila noong pandemic dahil nasa phase ako na gusto ko na may maiba sa buhay ko. Ngayon, emotional support animals ko na sila.” (I got these bunnies during the pandemic because I was going through a phase wherein I wanted a change in my life. Now, they’re my emotional support animals.) She explains that it’s very rewarding when the bunnies freely approach her and give her kisses, as this signifies that she has gained their trust. 

Other than spending time with her pets, Pearl takes vacations outside Manila when she can, granting her a change of scenery. “Pero nag-ka-klase pa rin kami,” she says. “’Yan ang isang positive na naiwan ng pandemic sa akin — na matutong mag-class sa maliliit na lugar.” (But we also take classes. That’s one of the good things the pandemic left with me — we learned to take classes in small spaces.) She reasons that more than being an activity that she and her sister can’t get out of their system, taking classes even when they’re on leave makes the process of coming back to the studio easier. 

“Importante rin talaga ang mga iba’t-ibang ginagawa mo (The many things you do outside the studio are just as important),” concludes Pearl, reiterating that balance is needed by dancers to continuously be able to give exceptional performances.