Ballet Manila in Full Color: Into the clouds

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.

As the nutcracker-turned-prince in The Nutcracker (2003), Osias Barroso Jr. takes the young girl Masha (Lisa Macuja Elizalde) on a grand adventure on Christmas Eve. The pair’s first stop is the Land of Snow, a winter wonderland that makes their complementing white outfits gleam even more. Photo by Ocs Alvarez

Ballet Manila’s The Pearl Gala (2025), marking the company’s 30th anniversary, showcased a divertissement from the classical ballet Paquita. The series of dances underscoring the performers’ skills includes a solo of the gypsy girl Paquita (Abigail Oliveiro), seen here in a white tutu delicately accented with rosebuds. Photo by Erica Marquez-Jacinto

The enchanted maidens of Swan Lake (2025) are a sight to behold, their white tutus providing a stark contrast to the darkness of the forest. In the story, they – along with the princess Odette – have been cursed by the sorcerer Von Rothbart to spend their days as swans before turning back to human form at night. Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag

Espada (Mark Sumaylo) stands out in this scene from Don Quixote (2025) not just for his all-white toreador’s ensemble, but for that amazing back bend he launches into as he twirls his cape. The “showdown” between Espada and romantic interest Mercedes is a much-awaited one in the classic as they each display dexterity and flexibility in their movements. Photo by Erica Marquez-Jacinto

For his all-male contemporary piece, Less Sylphides featured in Duo (2012) Augustus “Bam” Damian III borrows the characteristic fabric traditionally reserved for the female corps. With danseurs wearing white tulle partially wrapped around white shorts, the choreographer winks at the classical opus Les Sylphides and creates his own take on the ballet blanc (white ballet). Photo by Ocs Alvarez

Prince Phillip (Romeo Peralta) kisses Princess Aurora (Jasmine Pia Dames) and wakes her from eternal slumber in Lisa Macuja-Elizalde’s Sleeping Beauty (2020). The whole palace erupts in celebration as royal nuptials ensue, with the bride and groom wearing traditional white. Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag

Though clad in identical white outfits, the happy clown (Alvin Santos, left) and the sad clown (Glenn Ragel) are actually opponents trying to outsmart each other in the Fairy Doll pas de trois, all in a bid to win the heart of the fairy doll princess. A staple in the Ballet Manila repertoire, it was performed in the Carmen International Friendship Gala (2013). Photo by Ocs Alvarez