Ballet Manila brings enchantment of ‘Cinderella’ to Malaysia

*And they live happily ever after! Ballet Manila principal dancers Shaira Comeros and Joshua Enciso are the perfect match as Cinderella and her Prince in Lisa Macuja Elizalde’s* Cinderella.

Ballet Manila will return to Malaysia for another performance series, this time bringing the enchantment, romance, humor and happy ending of the popular fairy tale Cinderella as adapted into dance by artistic director Lisa Macuja Elizalde.

*Ballet Manila principal dancers Abigail Oliveiros and Mark Sumaylo pair up anew as Cinderella and the Prince in Lisa Macuja Elizalde’s* Cinderella for a performance series in Malaysia.

DanceLink and Ballet Manila are presenting Cinderella at the Petaling Jaya Performing Arts Centre (PJPAC), in Petaling Jaya on these dates: September 5, 7:30 p.m.; September 6, 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; and September 7, 3 p.m.

“Cinderella was the first in my Princess Trilogy (followed by Snow White and Sleeping Beauty) so it really has a special place in my heart. I have to say that it is turning out to have such a classic appeal to the whole family and I hope Malaysian audiences will enjoy it too,” Macuja Elizalde enthuses.

Two pairs of principal dancers are stepping into the lead roles of Cinderella and the Prince: Abigail Oliveiro and Mark Sumaylo; and Shaira Comeros and Joshua Enciso. Sumaylo and Enciso will also assume additional roles as the Dance Master and King opposite each other.

*Fairy Godmother (Ballet Manila soloist Stephanie Santiago) pops up at the ball to remind Cinderella to go home before midnight in this scene from* Cinderella.

Soloists Rissa May Camaclang and Stephanie Santiago will take turns waving the magic wand as the Fairy Godmother while soloist John Balagot plays the over-the-top Stepmother who fusses over her daughters (with Santiago and Camaclang alternating as the Tall Stepsister and principal dancers Jasmine Pia Dames and Jessica Pearl Dames as the Short Stepsister).

The Dames twins will also be alternating as the Scandinavian Princess with Shamira Drapete and Celine Astrologo switching as the Mediterranean Princess). Also in the cast are principal dancer Romeo Peralta as the Duke, company artist Anselmo Dictado as the Raccoon, soloist Sean Pelegrin and company artist Rodney Catubay as the Frogs, and Malaysian dancer Syaladin Antuan MD Nazir as the Mouse with a Cheese.

Like in previous tours where it has been taken to, Cinderella in Malaysia will also feature a wealth of local talents. “We are incorporating many Malaysian dancers into the production. So there are additional numbers and re-worked choreography in order to accomplish this. There are additional animals in the forest. In this case, bunnies and butterflies and a cheese-grabbing mouse. We also have an additional ballroom number in Act 2 as well as a search through two kingdoms,” shares Macuja Elizalde.

*Ballet Manila soloist John Balagot (center) is the Stepmother everyone loves to hate in* Cinderella, with principal dancer Jasmine Pia Dames (left) and soloist Rissa May Camaclang as the wicked Stepsisters.

That her Cinderella ballet has come this far is totally unexpected for the artistic director and choreographer. “I’m surprised and very pleased! When I first created Cinderella, I knew what I wanted to create but I wasn’t confident that I could actually do it as I was just beginning to choreograph at that time. The success of Cinderella since its world premiere in 2016 has gone beyond my wildest dreams, really. And I do hope that the entire Princess Trilogy eventually will make its way abroad.”

Macuja Elizalde is also proud that Cinderella is the third production Ballet Manila will be bringing to Malaysia, after Ballet Manila’s Greatest Hits last year and Tour de Force in 2019. “We intend this to be an annual event. I am very grateful to DanceLink for the partnership. I am also very excited about future collaborations. Ballet Manila has a following already in KL and we intend to continue to nurture that.”