Snapshots: Overcoming opening-night jitters – 30 years ago
The Ballet Manila Archives abounds with photographs documenting moments from the company’s colorful history. This series features images from the vast collection and the corresponding behind-the-scenes stories as shared by those who were there when the pictures were taken.
Ballet Manila’s performance was announced in a streamer hung outside the PCIBank Building where the Francisco Santiago Hall was located.
By Eileen Lopez
I remember all of us being so nervous. We were the "breakaway" group. We didn’t know how it would all turn out. Will there be enough audience to watch us? Will we even get past the two years that others predicted we wouldn’t even reach?
Hours before Ballet Manila’s first-ever performance on February 17, 1995, the company’s Pioneer 12 pose for a group shot on the stage of the Francisco Santiago Hall: (standing from left) Jeffrey Espejo, Pamela Asprer, Aileen Gallinera, Sandralynn Huang, Elline Damian, Eileen Lopez, Eduardo Espejo, (front, from left) Ianne Damian, Lisa Macuja, Osias Barroso Jr., Christopher Mohnani and Kristine Dabao.
I remember telling myself, as long as my parents are watching, I am okay and I will be fine. All our parents were there in full support. Some of our moms even went to Sta. Clara Church to offer eggs so it wouldn't rain on that day.
We were anxious but Lisa (Macuja Elizalde, principal dancer and artistic associate), Shaz (Osias Barroso Jr., principal dancer), Tita Susan (Macuja, Lisa’s mom), Tito Ces (Cesar Macuja, Lisa’s dad), and Tito Eric (Cruz, artistic director) were there giving us words of encouragement. Lisa even wrote a note for each of us dancers.
How did we survive that day? Ewan, makapal lang talaga siguro mukha namin (I don’t know, maybe we were just so shameless). Hahaha! We wanted to prove that we could do it and we would make it.
Looking back, yes, it took a lot of guts. We were the new ballet company going against two big ones. Of course, Lisa and Shaz were already big names in the ballet world, while the ten of us were newbies so to speak. But we had good training from the two of them. We believed we could all do it.
Here we are thirty years after!
Eileen Lopez, now co-artistic associate of Ballet Manila, treasures this note that Lisa Macuja gave her on the day of the group’s debut thirty years ago.
