The Ballet Manila Archives is the repository of documents, print, photographic, audio and video materials and memorabilia relating to the history of Ballet Manila and the life and career of its founder, prima ballerina Lisa Macuja-Elizalde. This site is powered by Ms. Elizalde and Project Art, Inc.
Ballet Manila has showcased a rich palette of hues in its productions over the years. Now, the company’s true colors are revealed! Gathering photographs from the Ballet Manila Archives, we present the vibrant and the somber, the heavenly to the earthy, in a series of virtual exhibitions – one shade at a time.
The innocent Juliet (Jessica Pearl Dames), strikingly attired in red, catches the eye of Romeo (Joshua Enciso) and he her in this scene from Martin Lawrance’s Romeo & Juliet (2023). Unknowing of the feud between their families, the masked pair falls in love at first sight. Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag
The sorcerer Rothbart (Eduardo Espejo), wearing a predominantly red cape, makes sure all eyes are on him as he makes his grand entrance at the palace where he is about to unleash his evil scheme in Swan Lake (2003). The fiery color is underscored by the tutus worn by the Spanish Girls. Photo by Ocs Alvarez
The celebratory spirit of a barrio fiesta is aptly captured in this red ensemble worn by Lisa Macuja Elizalde in her role as a lass being wooed by two rival suitors. Choreographed by Osias Barroso Jr. and Gerardo Francisco Jr., Pista mirrors the revelry of Filipino games and social celebrations in dance. It premiered in Halo-Halo Supreme in 2008. Photo by Ocs Alvarez
In Le Corsaire (2018), Lankadem (Rudy De Dios) is a forbidding figure in red, feared by the women he is to sell off as slaves, and relied on by the wealthy who spare no expense in procuring his services to supply their harem. Photo by Lorelei Casing
Clara (Nicole Barroso) looks on in awe as an army of toy soldiers – in red uniforms and caps – springs to life in her dream, as presented in the Christmas favorite, The Nutcracker (2010). In the story, they come to the assistance of the Nutcracker Prince as he battles the Mouse King who is aided by his minions. Photo by Ocs Alvarez
Red in a row! The girls in the Parrot Dance of La Bayadere (2004) wear the same color as the plumes of the bird they’re each holding. Photo by Ocs Alvarez
As the human Prinsesa Singsing, Katherine Barkman is joyful in red, having found an unlikely romance with the Bird Prince (Elpidio Magat Jr.) who plays the title role in Ang Prinsipe ng Mga Ibon. In the tale showcased in Tatlong Kuwento ni Lola Basyang (2015), the princess eventually decides to transform into a bird to be with her beloved. Photo by Ocs Alvarez
