One enchanted weekend in Malaysia with Ballet Manila’s ‘Cinderella’
Transformed by Fairy Godmother, Cinderella (Abigail Oliveiro) heads to the ball in her pumpkin-shaped carriage.
Photos by Larry Salgado
Ballet Manila brought feel-good vibes to the Petaling Jaya Performing Arts Center in Malaysia with artistic director Lisa Macuja Elizalde’s Cinderella over the weekend, drawing resounding applause in four performances viewed by mixed audiences of crown-wearing little girls with parents in tow, ballet enthusiasts of all ages from local communities and from out of town and members of the Filipino community.
Philippine Ambassador to Malaysia Maria Angela Abrera Ponce (center, in black) joins the cast of Cinderella at curtain call on opening night, September 5. Welcoming her are Ballet Manila artistic director Lisa Macuja Elizalde, principal dancers Mark Sumaylo and Abigail Oliveiro and DanceLink artistic director Alfren Salgado.
Philippine Ambassador to Malaysia Maria Angela Abrera Ponce attended the successful opening night on September 5, and was welcomed by Macuja Elizalde and Alfren Salgado, artistic director of the Malaysia-based DanceLink Performing Arts which co-presented Cinderella along with Ballet Manila.
Retelling the popular fairy tale in dance, Cinderella combined whimsy, enchantment, romance and humor in a production that brought together a 40-strong Ballet Manila contingent and 32 students from five Malaysian ballet schools including DanceLink.
Among the moments in the show that elicited enthusiastic reactions from viewers were Cinderella’s transformation from soot-stained servant girl to elegantly dressed princess, the Prince’s search for Cinderella which extended to the audience and the reunited pair riding off in a pumpkin-shaped carriage to their happy-ever-after.
Ballet Manila danseurs partner Malaysian talents for a new ballroom number created for Act 2 of the production.
In her welcome remarks Friday night, Macuja Elizalde shared how Cinderella has been seen in different areas of the Philippines and brought to the Taoyuan Iron Rose Festival in Taiwan and will be headed to Indonesia next, each time anchored on the participation of local talents in each venue. It has given budding ballet artists a chance to shine and the unique opportunity to dance alongside a professional company.
For the Malaysian version, new numbers were added to flesh out the story while also allowing more dancers to participate. Bunny and butterfly ballerinas and a cheese-grabbing mouse joined the forest scenes. Another ballroom number was created for Act 2 as well as a search through two kingdoms.
Two pairs of principal dancers stepped into the lead roles of Cinderella and the Prince: Abigail Oliveiro and Mark Sumaylo; and Shaira Comeros and Joshua Enciso.
Stepmother (John Balagot) and Stepsisters (Jesicca Pearl Dames and Rissa May Camaclang) are up to their scene-stealing antics at the ball, not knowing that Cinderella (Shaira Comeros, left) are in their midst.
Principal dancer Stephanie Santiago and soloist Rissa May Camaclang took turns waving the magic wand as the Fairy Godmother while soloist John Balagot played the scene-stealing Stepmother with her equally attention-starved daughters, the Stepsisters played by two pairs of dancers (Santiago and Camaclang alternating as the Tall Stepsister and principal dancers Jasmine Pia Dames and Jessica Pearl Dames alternating as the Short Stepsister).
A full complement of Ballet Manila dancers further infused color and energy into the ballet — performing as forest creatures, palace guests dancing in the grand ball, trumpet girls and more.
Fairy Godmother (Stephanie Santiago) wields her wand as a group of Malaysian dancers adds whimsy to an enchantment-filled night.
Macuja Elizalde has expressed surprise that her choreography of Cinderella – which had its world premiere in 2016 at Aliw Theater in Pasay City – has been proven to have staying power and the flexibility to adjust to places it is brought to, making it a fresh production every time.
“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 has gone beyond my wildest dreams, really,” she said.
After the warm welcome to Cinderella in Malaysia, Macuja Elizalde hopes to bring the two other ballets in her Princess Trilogy — Snow White and Sleeping Beauty — there eventually.
The Prince (Mark Sumaylo) looks far and wide for Cinderella, his search unexpectedly extending to the audience.
Shortly after the close of the performance series Sunday night, Macuja Elizalde and Salgado already began discussing what they could co-present next year in what is turning out to be a Malaysian season for Ballet Manila.
The two entities have had a fruitful collaboration since 2019 when Ballet Manila staged Tour de Force at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Center. This was followed by Ballet Manila’s Greatest Hits in Malaysia in 2024.
It is love at first sight for Cinderella (Shaira Comeros) and her Prince (Joshua Enciso) as they dance the night away.
