Ballet Manila in Full Color: Ablaze in red

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.

Fiery in red, the women in Manuel Molina’s Buenos Aires radiate passion and power as they conquer a lone male. Inspired by the Argentine tango, the choreography – which premiered in Lab Ko ’To in 2012 – channels Latin temperament that is both alluring and vigorous. Photo by Ocs Alvarez

Carmen (Lisa Macuja Elizalde) is in her element as the flirtatious heroine in Eric V. Cruz’s Carmen, featured in Ballet Manila’s twenty-first anniversary production BM 21 (2016). Sassy and daring in her fringed red dress, she succeeds in drawing all the male attention she craves. Photo by Kurt Alvarez

A perfect pair in red Gerardo Francisco and Marian Faustino dance the former’s own choreography entitled Paunjalay, part of the Ballet Manila Goes International production in 2005. The piece was inspired by Southern Philippine culture which is similarly reflected in the outfits which bear fancy beadwork and accents. Photo by Ocs Alvarez

No other color but red can aptly capture the essence of the emotionally charged Bloom, choreographed for Ballet Manila by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa. As the lead dancers in the 2018 staging of the piece for Iconic, Abigail Oliveiro and Mark Sumaylo are in the trademark Bloom outfits for the pictorial of the company’s twenty-third season. Photo by Jojit Lorenzo

Though in the throes of death, a woman (Yanti Marduli) wears a red dress symbolizing her will to enjoy the remaining moments she has with her partner (Romeo Peralta) in The Last Poem. The choreography by Augustus Damian III debuted in Lab Ko ’To (2012). Photo by Ocs Alvarez

Inspired by a childhood interest in boxing and fueled by his skill in dance, danseur Rudy De Dios created the two-minute competition piece In the Red Corner for Jefferson Balute for the 2018 CCP Ballet Competition. Jefferson of course wears red as he dances to an instrumental version of Eye of the Tiger, the well-known theme song of the Rocky boxing film series. Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag

Uncle Drosselmeyer (Marcus Tolentino) is welcomed by the lady of the house (Sandralynn Huang) in this scene from The Nutcracker (2004). The hostess is radiant in red, fitting on Christmas Eve, as festivities are about to start with Drosselmeyer preparing the night’s entertainment and bringing toys for the children. Photo by Ocs Alvarez