Soundbites: ‘When we jumped into this, sama-sama kami’
Ballet Manila was a newsmaker from the very beginning. Over the years, as it grew and reached milestones, it has been the subject of countless stories in media. With the company celebrating its Pearl Anniversary in 2025, we mine the Archives for published tidbits describing moments from its 30-year history, as spoken by its own leaders and dancers or as said by those writing about them.
Ballet Manila’s Pioneer 12 had a photo shoot just before leaving for a groundbreaking performance tour in Russia in 1995. Principal dancers Lisa Macuja and Osias Barroso (rightmost) are joined by (standing, from left) Aileen Gallinera, Sandralynn Huang, Eileen Lopez, Ianne Damian, Elline Damian, Pamela Asprer, (seated, from left) Kristin Dabao, Christopher Mohnani, Jeffrey Espejo and Eduardo Espejo.
“We have no permanent studio, so we keep changing venues depending on the availability of a particular place. Pero bibilib ka. Kahit saan kami for the day, there’s no attendance sheet, but no one’s late. Walang pilitan. Everyone’s inspired. Our aim is to build a strong company and it’s a group effort. When we jumped into this, sama-sama kami. What will keep us together is talent. I’m confident about what we can do. Our training is the best. We’re sure of our artistic direction (under Eric V. Cruz).”
—OSIAS BARROSO
Principal dancer
May 29, 1995
Little danseur has big dreams
Philippine Daily Inquirer
