Ballet Manila in Full Color: Purple haze

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.

In purple turtleneck and black tights, Gerardo Francisco Jr. grooves to Beatles music in Martin Lawrance’s The Winding Road, a contemporary choreography paired with the purely classical Les Sylphides in Deux (2019). Photo by Erickson Dela Cruz

As Juliet in Sergey Vikulov’s Romeo and Juliet, Lisa Macuja Elizalde is in a white dress covered by a purple sheath. In the choreographic miniature showcased in An Evening of Tchaikovsky (2004), Juliet casts off the sheath as Romeo also removes his to symbolize their first night together. Photo by Ocs Alvarez

Different shades of purple complete the outfit of Joan Emery Sia in Tony Fabella’s Dalagang Pilipina. Premiered in 2003, it was staged anew in Ballet & Ballads: Heart 2 Heart (2013). A tribute to the modern Filipina, the ballet piece is inspired by models in a fashion show and aptly features the creations of an acclaimed couturier, the late Auggie Cordero. Photo by Ocs Alvarez

Wearing ensembles in purplish tones, Jerome Espejo and Rudy De Dios execute movements suggesting strength and bravery, as needed for Sagayan, a dance to drive away evil spirits. Sagayan is part of Sayao sa Pamlang, inspired by Southern Philippine culture and choreographed by National Artist Agnes Locsin which was part of the program in Ballet Manila Goes International (2005). Photo by Ocs Alvarez

In a purple coat with gold trim, Elpidio Magat is Silvio, the kind-hearted prince who falls in love with the eldest princess in Labindalawang Masasayang Prinsesa, one of the tales comprising Severino Reyes’ Tatlo Pang Kuwento ni Lola Basyang (2013). Silvio takes time to help an old woman in the forest and is rewarded with a cloak that makes him invisible, a gift that later serves him well in securing the king’s approval to marry the princess. Photo by Jojo Mamangun

Purple skirt matches pink bodice in this tutu worn by Sofia Sangco-Peralta as she dances in Swan Lake (2003). In this scene, she is one of the performers rendering entertainment numbers at the ball marking Prince Siegfried’s twenty-first birthday. Photo by Ocs Alvarez

Clad in sarong-like apparel, its outer side colored purple, guest artist Hyuma Kiyosawa dances the male lead in Augustus Damian III’s Aramica. An all-male choreography, Aramica was one of the numbers in Ballet Manila’s twenty-first anniversary production, Deux (2019). Photo by Erickson Dela Cruz