Sayaka Ishibashi dances her way back to Ballet Manila
One of Sayaka Ishibashi’s most memorable moments during her initial stint with Ballet Manila was her full-length debut in the lead role of Giselle (2019), opposite principal dancer Romeo Peralta Jr. as her Prince Siegfried. Photo by Erickson Dela Cruz
By Jv Ramos
Among the recent additions to Ballet Manila is a familiar face, Sayaka Ishibashi, who had first joined the company back in 2018 after being spotted by Osias Barroso Jr. and Lisa Macuja Elizalde at the USA International Ballet Competition that year where she had emerged a finalist. Born in Japan and trained at the Central Ballet School of London and Orlando Ballet, Sayaka always wanted to be a professional ballerina and was already living her dream with Ballet Manila. But just like many performing artists during the pandemic, many detours were thrown her way that disrupted that dream.
Company artist Sayaka Ishibashi says she’s back where she belongs. “Ballet Manila still feels very much like home – just like it did the first time I was here!” Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag
“I had no intentions of leaving the Philippines when the lockdown was announced,” shares Sayaka, who, after closing her second performance season with Ballet Manila, was on a trajectory of only getting better as she became the lead in Giselle and was cast in roles in Lisa Macuja Elizalde’s Sleeping Beauty and La Traviata and Rudy de Dios’ Carmina Burana. “It was only when Ma’am Lisa recommended that we, international dancers, go home that I finally decided to return to Japan. She was concerned about our safety, as no one really knew how the COVID-19 (situation) would turn out.”
In late March of 2020, this ballerina found herself moving back to her parents’ home in Hiroshima. “Back then, I remember taking Zoom classes with Ballet Manila, and having a difficult time finding a part-time job.” As there were no ballet companies in her hometown, she resorted to teaching ballet basics in Gold’s Gym to earn some money and more importantly, have the presence of dance in her life. “I think I did that (teaching) for almost a year, but because I missed performing, I decided to move to Tokyo and try out for musicals, which my sister did.”
Sayaka explains that musicals rather than ballets were more lucrative for performing artists, so it made sense for her to pursue that route in a financially challenging period. “But for you to keep booking jobs, dancing isn’t enough! You had to be good at singing, which I just couldn’t do no matter how hard my older sister would teach me and how long I practiced.”
Sayaka reunites with Romeo Peralta Jr. for the Neapolitan Dance in Ballet Manila’s recent staging of Swan Lake. Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag
She recalls one particular instance when she was asked to audition after submitting her video tape, much to her surprise. “I have no idea why they even invited me to audition because when I got there, everyone had really good, big voices while mine sounded so small. Yes, coming into the audition, I knew that I wasn’t that good at singing, but I really didn’t expect myself to sound so bad!” she candidly reveals now with a laugh.
While it would likely be regarded as an embarrassing experience by others, for Sayaka, that musical audition cemented the idea that she’s meant for nothing else but ballet. “As I watched the people around me effortlessly singing, I knew I wanted to experience the same thing: you know, doing something so naturally, and I knew ballet is that for me!”
As the Hunter’s Wife in Lisa Macuja Elizalde’s now Snow White (2019), Sayaka joins the Hunter (Rudolph Capongcol) in comforting their son (Germaine Dawal) after receiving sad news about the princess. Photo by Erickson Dela Cruz
Sayaka admits she thought of giving up on continuing her dream. “Yes, during the pandemic, there were times when I thought about completely quitting, because it was difficult to get a job as a professional ballerina and things didn’t feel like they’d ever come back to normal.”
To counter the negative thoughts, Sayaka looked at things from a different perspective. “I had to remind myself that I was still in a good place. I was healthy and could actually dance and that’s all that mattered. My situation during the pandemic was so far from what I had experienced in London. Back then, I was so thin and fragile that my teacher requested that I stop dancing because it had become dangerous for my body.”
With the big realization that ballet is where she belongs, Sayaka auditioned for two professional ballet companies in Japan’s capital and ended up signing with the Tokyo City Ballet, where she would spend three years. “What we would do is mostly classical works, so I really enjoyed my time there. We also did a lot of tours – a lot of Swan Lake performances – within Japan, including my hometown Hiroshima, so that was a real treat. Then, there came a time when I stepped on a stage in Thailand for The Nutcracker.”
In Tuloy ang Sayaw-an (2019), a fundraiser for dance scholars, Sayaka is paired in Flames of Paris with Rafael Perez who, like her has signed up anew with Ballet Manila. Photo by Ian Santos
That performance turned out to be a highlight for this ballerina as it reminded her of how she felt when dancing in the Philippines. “Just like Filipinos, the Thais are so expressive in appreciating or applauding ballet dancers, and that made me miss the Philippines and Ballet Manila very much! And ever since that moment, I couldn’t stop thinking about returning here!”
So, what did this Japanese ballerina do? Aware that her parents always know what’s best for her, she decided to ask them if it would be a good idea to message artistic director Lisa Macuja Elizalde and ask if there was still room for her in Ballet Manila. “My family said yes and so I did message Ma’am Lisa. And while she was looking for female dancers, she hesitated in taking me right away,” notes Sayaka. “And that’s because she was concerned that since I was already in a professional company in my own country, it didn’t seem wise to move away again. But when she saw that I was determined to come back to Ballet Manila, she welcomed me.”
Sayaka (left) loves the challenge of taking on multiple roles in a classic like Swan Lake where she was also a court lady (above) aside from doing the Neapolitan Dance and being part of the swan corps. Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag
As Sayaka also had a teaching post with the Tokyo City Ballet, it would actually take some months for her to return to the Philippines. “My life was set: I was performing and teaching ballet, and that made me feel good. But at the same time, I knew that something was missing. I kept remembering the time I spent with Ballet Manila, which were my best dancing years, and I just knew that if I didn’t take this opportunity now, I would never get the same chance again. So I just had to jump at it!”
Asked what she missed exactly about Ballet Manila, this artist points at the very mission of the company: to bring ballet to the people. “That’s my real dream. I want to bring the joy of ballet to everyone and not just those who can pay for tickets! Of course, it also helps that Ballet Manila is very busy – that we have tours and Star City shows in between season performances – and that everyone here is so welcoming and helpful.”
She continues, “I admit, before coming here, I was already readying myself that things would be different, especially since Sir Shaz (the late co-artistic director Osias Barroso Jr.,) was no longer around. But when I got here, it seemed that the five years when I was gone never happened. Ballet Manila is still the same, even if there are many new faces. Ballet Manila still feels very much like home – just like it did the first time I was here!”
During the pandemic, Sayaka admits she thought of giving up on her ballerina dreams with the scarcity of job opportunities. But in the end, ballet still beckoned. Photo by MarBi Photography
And what is Sayaka looking forward to in the upcoming months? The company artist shares that even if Ballet Manila puts up a show that she has done with other institutions before, she still gets very excited about it. “While I’ve done Swan Lake many times in Japan, there’s something so different and special about the way Ballet Manila does it! It’s also nice that here, dancers can experience performing several roles in one classical ballet, because that way, you’re able learn more!”
Sayaka concludes, “I guess what I’m looking forward to in general is more dancing and bringing the joy of ballet everywhere we go! My favorite moments are when we’re able to make the audience, especially those who know nothing about ballet, smile because of our performance.”
Sayaka is simply excited to bring the joy of dance everywhere Ballet Manila goes. Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag
