By Jv Ramos

That weight management comes hand-in-hand with ballet was something that Ballet Manila company artist Elyssabeth Apilado always accepted ever since she was a scholar. 

The ballerina recalls that as part of preparations for the Asian Grand Prix, she and her fellow competitors would get weighed every day, and they also had to list down all the things they ate, with their teachers monitoring this. Thirty-nine to forty kilos had been the ideal weight for her to perform well in competitions, and Elyssabeth did her best to be within those numbers.

“Nasanay akong wala masyadong kinakain na kanin noon. Mas maraming protein lang ako.” (I got used to eating less rice back then. I remember eating plenty of protein instead.) A member of the second company back then, our subject was good with watching her food intake.

But when the pandemic came and she had to take on other jobs to make ends meet, she had a difficult time saying no to food. “Kumain lang ako nang kumain dahil nga wala naman ako sa ballet. Dahil dito, lumaki ako at nu’ng nakabalik na ako sa ballet noong 2022, hindi talaga ready ang katawan ko.” (I ate and ate because I had no ballet performances to attend to. And because of this, I got bigger and when I got back into ballet in 2022, my body was really out of shape!)

To shed the pounds she gained, Elyssabeth’s first move was to take her daily company classes seriously. “Sobrang hirap po noong kakabalik ko lang, pero nakayanan naman dahil gusto ko talagang ipagpatuloy ang ballet.” (Taking class was so difficult upon my return, but I was able to get over the hard days because I really wanted to pursue my ballet career.) 

Next came building other healthy habits, including no longer eating after 8 p.m., choosing water over her juice drinks, opting for bread instead of rice at breakfast, and working out even on her free days.

“Marami na akong na-lose doon sa weight na na-gain ko noong pandemic, pero kailangan ko pa rin ipagpatuloy ang mga ginagawa ko, dahil malayo pa ako sa goals ko.” (I have lost a lot of my pandemic weight already, but I still have to continue the workouts and watch what I eat because I’m still so far from my goals.)

Elyssabeth points out having a small frame is tricky. Her arms, for instance, are difficult to tone, and her back needs strengthening.  “Feeling ko talaga na tuwing sumusubo ako, napupunta  ito agad sa braso ko,” she jokes. “Unfair siya pero kailangan ko lang talaga gawan ng paraan.” (I feel that whenever I eat something, it gets deposited directly to my arms. It’s unfair but I just have to deal with the body type that I have.) After all, she understands that part of dancing is consistently improving and strengthening the body she was born with. 

Of course, there’s also the aspect of nourishing the mind, and here, Elyssabeth notes that she finds it very helpful to pursue other interests. The most visible one to all is her doing TikTok dance challenges. “Bago pa po ako mag-ballet, sumasayaw na po ako, pero ito ay hip hop. Sa TikTok ko po nababalikan ang hip hop days ko,” she shares. “Ngayon, mas mahirap na ang mga galaw pang-hip hop dahil sa posture na kailangan sa ballet training. Kaya naman para mapadali, iniisip ko na lang na sa ballet, ako si Elyssabeth, at sa mga TikTok dances ko naman, ako si Lyssa!” (Even before I entered ballet, I already was into dancing, but my genre was hip hop. TikTok allows me to go back to my hip hop days. But now, it’s harder for me to dance hip hop because of the posture I’ve built in ballet. To make things easier, I just created personas. In ballet, I’m Elyssabeth. In TikTok, I’m Lyssa!)

“Nakaka-release talaga ng stress ang pagsasayaw ng ibang genre at natutuwa rin ako kapag nababasa ko ang mga comments sa mga TikTok videos ko.” (I get to release the stress I feel in ballet when I dance other genres and I enjoy reading the comments people would leave on my TikTok videos.) This year, one of her videos garnered more than a million views, and this just encouraged her to do better — whether it’s performing in a ballet or doing a short dance challenge!

“Ang isa pang bagay na nakakatulong sa mental health ko ay ang pagluluto.” (Another activity that helps my mental health is cooking.) The 22-year-old reveals that she doesn’t only make mini doughnuts and Graham balls – treats that she would sell among her fellow dancers and audiences; she also cooks “iba’t ibang ulam na natutunan kay Mama at Papa” (other dishes that she learned from her mother and father). 

Another hobby she mentions is T-shirt designing, which is rooted in her love for drawing. “Bukod sa doughnuts at Graham balls, gusto ko rin sana pasukan ang pagbebenta ng mga T-shirts.” (Other than doughnuts and Graham balls, I also want to try selling T-shirts.) Without a doubt, the hustling skills she picked up during the pandemic years are still with her.  

Last summer, she and company artist Jessa Balote sold halo-halo, mainly to their BM colleagues, but had to stop when things got busier at work. While the two consider making and saving money as important, ballet is still their top priority. “Kapag pagod na pagod na ang katawan, hindi ko na pinipilit na gumawa pa ng Graham balls. Nagpapahinga na lang ako para makasayaw pa!” says Elyssabeth. (When my body is exhausted, I don’t force myself to make Graham balls. I just rest my body so I can dance again the following day.) 

Currently, Elyssabeth is busy preparing for Ballet Manila’s next production, Giselle, where as part of the corps de ballet, she will be a villager and also one of the wilis — the iconic spirits of wronged women associated with the classic. 

“Memorable sa akin ang  pagsayaw ng wili, dahil nu’ng ginawa ko ito dati, BM2 lang ako at nakasabayan ko ang mga  magagaling sa company,” she reminisces  about the company’s 2019 performance held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. “Pero kahit nagawa ko na dati, challenging pa rin dahil lahat kayo ay dapat sabay-sabay… Nakakapagod din ang rehearsals dahil naghahanda rin kami para sa show sa Malaysia.” (Dancing the wilis scene is so memorable for me, because when I did it before, I was just in BM2 and I got to synchronize my movements with those of Ballet Manila’s best...  But even if I’ve done this role before, it’s still a challenge since every single member has to move as one. Rehearsals have also been extra tiring since we’re also rehearsing for Malaysia.)

Regardless of the workload in the company, however, Elyssabeth is very grateful to be doing what she loves and to be taking on new challenges. She cites Ballet Manila’s performance of Dancing to Verdi during the International Dance Day Festival as one of her recent achievements. “Noong sinayaw namin ang Verdi, ang katapat ko po ay si Ate Jessa na isang soloist. Kinakabahan ako tuwing kami ang nagsasayaw kasi napakahusay niya talaga. Mabuti na lang nakayanan ko na sabayan siya hanggang sa huli. Iyon kasi ang challenge ng Verdi, nakakapagod siya at marami ka pa ring steps na gagawin sa huli!” (When we danced Verdi, the one right next to me was Ate Jessa, a soloist. Dancing with her is nervewracking for me because she never misses a beat. It’s a good thing that I was able to match her movements until the end of the piece. That’s the challenging part about Verdi, the steps are tiring and when you’re at the end of the ballet, there are even more steps to be done!)

“Dahil marami kaming ginagawa, may mga times talaga na hindi ako nakakapag-workout,” confesses Elyssabeth. “Tinigil ko nga muna ang BSS (ballet sport science) noong June dahil marami rin akong inaasikaso sa tinitirahan ko. Pero ibabalik ko po talaga ang mga extra workouts at ipagpapatuloy ang maging mapili sa pagkain. Kailangan ‘yan talaga sa ballet!” (Because we’re learning and rehearsing for many things, there really are times when I don’t get to do workouts. I had to put my BSS training on hold last June because I also got busy fixing things where I live. But I have every intention of going back to doing extra workouts and to continue watching what I eat. These things are necessary in ballet!)