While grateful and happy that Ballet Manila has reached its 30th year, artistic director Lisa Macuja Elizalde still can't help but feel wistful. 

That's because two people who were key to the birth and growth of the company are no longer around to celebrate this milestone with her: Osias Barroso, founding principal dancer, her onstage partner for sixteen years, and best friend; and Eric V. Cruz, founding artistic director and the respected mentor to the twelve young dancers who formed themselves into a group that promised to bring ballet to the people in 1995. 

In the thick of preparations for The Pearl Gala, the show that opens Ballet Manila's 30th anniversary in March, Lisa is in a nostalgic mood as she recalls moments shared with both men. 

"What sticks out for me with Shaz is his absolute, almost unparalleled dedication to the company. To the point that he would do things that normally would be almost impossible to do. It was almost like sheer will. During Ballet Manila's first anniversary, he was running a 42-degree fever. I remember he was having chills backstage (but) he was dancing with me for all of it -- the Romeo and Juliet of Tchaikovsky... I think we had five numbers in that very heavy program. He was my only partner. If he did not dance, I would not be able to dance," relates Lisa.  

It was only when Shaz felt he could no longer dance at his finest and support his ballerina properly that he decided to bow from the stage. "We were supposed to dance Giselle the next weekend after dancing Carmen, but he asked the younger dancers to take over," recalls Lisa of Shaz's premature exit from dancing. 

But Shaz found a renewed sense of purpose. From then on, he would channel his energies into teaching and mentoring new batches of ballerinas and danseurs in the company. It was his absolute dedication, says Lisa, that helped ensure the company was adhering to the standards of excellence as dictated by their Vaganova training. The long hours he spent in the studio for classes and rehearsals were legendary that Shaz often had to be reminded to take a breather. 

Lisa is thankful too to Eric Cruz for the guidance he provided in Ballet Manila's early years. Newly retired, he was coaxed by Lisa and Shaz to lead the fledgling group they intended to establish thirty years ago. "As artistic director, Tito Eric was a quiet kind of presence. He  wasn't the kind of leader who would scream or say insulting things to achieve results."

Along with the genteel nature of his leadership, what Lisa also treasures were the off-stage moments shared with him. "Tito Eric would host the most scrumptious dinners in his house. He was such a great cook. But what was fantastic was, he would always accompany his dinners with lots of stories and opera singing. And it was like one course after another, each one more delicious than the last, at may kasamang wine."

Without a doubt, Lisa says, the Ballet Manila elder would have prepared a fantastic meal to observe Ballet Manila's 30th anniversary were he still here. "I wish both of them were here, Tito Eric and Shaz, because Ballet Manila was such a big part of their lives. I wish they were here to experience and savor this kind of performance, this kind of celebration, a year-long celebration for our pearl anniversary. It would have made the celebration complete. But I know in spirit they are here."

Ballet Manila @30, The Pearl Year, is also a nod to founding dancer Sandra Lynn Huang, the youngest member of the Pioneer 12, who passed away in 2024.