From friends to ‘fifis’: Ballet Manila couple Sean Pelegrin and Pearl Dames ready for more years of love, laughter and dancing
Dancing as the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Prince in The Nutcracker: Clara’s Journey (2023) was Sean Pelegrin and Jessica Pearl Dames’s first time to take on the lead classical roles as professional dancers. Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag
By Jv Ramos
Recently engaged principal dancer Jessica Pearl Dames and soloist Sean Pelegrin had been girlfriend and boyfriend even before they joined Ballet Manila in 2015. They met through dance, but each has a different version of how things really started between them.
After 13 years as sweethearts, Ballet Manila principal dancer Jessica Pearl Dames and soloist Sean Pelegrin are now engaged and call each other “Fifi” – for fiancé and fiancée. Pearl made the bracelets with the syllable “Fi” that they’re wearing. Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag
What Sean remembers is that they first met in 2011. “Pero sinabi niya sa akin 2009 ang unang-una naming encounter (But she told me that our very first encounter was in 2009),” starts Sean, who admits that his brain seems to be configured to remember all sorts of choreography, but not the details of fleeting personal meetings.
Apparently, both had been competing at the National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA) in 2009. But Pearl concedes that they only really talked to each other in 2011. That was when she and twin sister, Ballet Manila principal dancer Jasmine Pia Dames, had already graduated from the Philippine High School for the Arts in Makiling and had joined the summer workshop at Steps Dance Studio where Sean was a scholar.
“Tapos, doon mo na ako chinat para malaman ang contemporary music ko (sa NAMCYA),” says Sean. (And then, that’s when you approached me via chat to ask what my contemporary music was.)
Never giving up on each other is what has carried Sean and Pearl (seen here in a photo shoot for Deux in 2019) through whatever challenges they have faced. Photo by Jojit Lorenzo
“Hindi! Ikaw ang naunang nag-chat sa akin, at ang unang sinabi mo sa akin ay ‘Tulog tulog din!’,” counters Pearl. “Di ko na maalala kung ano ang ni-reply ko kay Sean, pero doon na nag-start ang pag-uusap namin at ang pagiging magkaibigan namin.” (No, you were the first one to message through chat, and the first thing you said to me was, ‘You should sleep too.’… I don’t recall anymore what I replied to Sean, but that’s when we started talking and becoming friends.)
Initially, Sean didn’t see Pearl as more than just a friend because she had a boyfriend then. But one thing he was sure of. “Ang alam ko lang sobrang masaya ang feeling tuwing nagsasama kami. Lagi kaming tawa nang tawa.” (All I knew was that I was so happy whenever we were together. We just kept laughing all the time.)
And how did their friendship get to the next level? Pearl recalls that Sean went the traditional way and asked if he could court her – but the way he did it was anything but conventional. “Kumakain kami sa Andok’s noon, at hindi ko maintindihan kung bakit pinagpapawisan siya. Sobrang kinakabahan yata siya na tanungin ako kaya chinat na lang niya sa akin. Dahil sobrang strong ng friendship namin noong time na iyon, pumayag ako na ligawan niya ako.” (We were eating at Andok’s and I couldn’t understand why he was sweating. Maybe he was too nervous to ask me outright if he could court me, so he just messaged the question to me. Since our friendship was so strong already at that time, I agreed to the courtship.)
Pearl, who had already broken off with her boyfriend by then, notes she also was already feeling that the friendship with Sean may be heading towards romantic love. “Ang kulit-kulit ni Sean nu’ng nililigawan niya ako. Lagi niyang tinatanong kung kailan ko ba siya sasagutin!” (Sean was so adamant about me saying yes. He kept asking when I was would accept him as my boyfriend.)
Sean and Pearl are partnered in PJ Rebullida’s Blind Love (2019), about a consuming relationship that blinds a person to the point she is oblivious to the pain being caused by her partner. Photo by Erickson Dela Cruz
“Ang gusto ko kasi, mas mahaba ang pagsasama natin na tayo kaysa ang period ng ligawan,” defends Sean. (I really wanted for us to have a longer time time together as ‘us’ rather than the courtship period.)
Pearl ultimately posed a challenge to him. “Sabi ko sa kanya, kung ma-hug niya ako at ma-overhead lift, sasagutin ko na siya. Nu’ng nangyari iyon pagkatapos ng isang show sa Steps, nagsigawan ang ibang dancers at pati na rin si Teacher Sofia [Elizalde, Steps founder and director].” (I told him I’d agree if he could hug me and get to do an overhead lift with me. When he did that after a show at Steps, the other dancers screamed in excitement, including Teacher Sofia.)
Sean and Pearl then spent the next 13 years as sweethearts as they entered the professional ballet scene, went through promotions, tried their hand in setting up their respective modest enterprises, and survived the pandemic years.
Here comes the bride… Pearl is Juliet to the Romeo of Joshua Enciso (right) while Sean is the pastor that marries them in Martin Lawrance’s Filipino-inspired adaptation of Romeo and Juliet (2023). Photo from Sean Pelegrin’s Facebook page
But both agree it has not always been smooth sailing. “Walang perfect relationship. May mga bad days naman kami na napagdaanan,” opens up Pearl. Among those difficult days were disagreements in partnering, which their fellow Ballet Manila dancers have witnessed. “Nag-a-away talaga kami kapag hindi namin makuha ang mga lifts, pero pagkatapos ng rehearsals, tumatawa na ulit kami. Tumatagal talaga ang isang relationship sa choice. Ginawa kong choice na hindi mag-give-up sa amin ni Sean. Theme song din kasi namin iyan!” (There’s no perfect relationship. We’ve had our share of bad days… We would really fight when we cannot get our lifts right, but after rehearsals, we’re back to laughing again. Relationships last because of choice. I always make that choice to not give up on Sean and me. That’s also our theme song!)
“Tama! Usong-uso ang I Won't Give Up ni Jason Mraz nu’ng sinagot niya ako. Tapos ’yon, pareho kaming sumunod sa kantang ’yon,” echoes Sean. “Mahirap din kasi sa amin na matagal na magkagalit kasi hindi pa rin nawala sa amin ang tawanan nang tawanan na ginagawa namin noong magkaibigan pa lang kami.” (That’s true! The song I Won’t Give Up of Jason Mraz was so popular when she said yes to me. And we really followed what that song said… It’s also hard for us to stay mad because we never lost the endless laughing that we would do as friends.)
Pearl says she knew Sean was “the one” when she realized that he managed to make her laugh particularly in moments that she was feeling down. “Gusto ko rin na kahit joker siya, napaka-understanding at mature niya, especially sa mga nangyayari sa ballet.” (I also like that even if he’s a joker, he’s very understanding and mature, especially when it comes to ballet.)
Both lovers of the outdoors, Pearl and Sean are silhouetted in a ballet lift during a beach vacation. Photo from Sean Pelegrin’s Facebook page
She notes Sean never made an issue about her being partnered with other danseurs for romantic pieces and has always been supportive of her love for dance. “Gusto ko rin na kahit ligawan stage pa lang, ipinakilala na ako ni Sean sa buong pamilya niya, at sobrang comfortable ako with them. Na-feel ko na itinuturing nila akong kapamilya.” (I also like that Sean already introduced me to his family even when we were still in the courtship stage. And I’m so comfortable with them. I really felt that they treated me like a member of their family.)
Sean on the other hand says she knew Pearl was “the one” when he realized that he didn’t want to talk about life’s highs and lows to anyone but her. “Nagustuhan ko rin na kahit sobrang opposite ang mga gusto namin, lagi siyang open na i-try ang mga gusto ko.” (I also like that even if we’re into very opposite things, she’s open about trying the things I like.)
Pearl also served as the positive force behind him surviving the pandemic, says Sean. She kept reminding him that there’s hope in Ballet Manila returning, and that he could pursue his coffee-drink business while there were no performances happening yet.
While they were teased by friends about taking their relationship to the next level, they never pressured each other into getting married because they knew that things would unfold at the right time. Pearl comments, “Naniniwala kasi ako na kung meant to be kayo, darating ’yan!” (I really believe that if you’re meant to be, the proposal will come.)
To have and to hold… Sean and Pearl at curtain call for Martin Lawrance’s Winding Road, a Beatles-powered choreography presented in Deux (2019). Photo by Erickson Dela Cruz
“Ako naman, intention ko na talaga mag-propose, pero ang gusto ko handa ko nang ibigay sa kanya ang lahat.” (As for me, it had always been my intention to propose, but I just wanted to be ready to give her everything.) Born with a practical outlook, Sean knows that getting married has its share of expenses and things he must give up, and he wanted to be financially prepared. He jokes, “Kapag kasal na kami, ibubulsa niya ang suweldo niya at pati na rin ang suweldo ko!” (When we’re married, she will pocket her salary and my salary too!)
It was in March 2025 that he decided to ask for Pearl’s hand in marriage, but he wanted to do it the proper way. He informed Pearl’s Uncle Keith first, then her mother as December neared. Then he asked for Pia’s help in getting Pearl’s ring size. “Hinintay ko rin na kumpleto ang mga pamilya namin dahil mahalaga talaga ang pamilya sa aming dalawa!” (I also made sure that our families were around because family is important for the two of us!)
Pearl and Sean won’t be bride and groom for a while yet, but they’re excited about planning all the details for their altar date. Photo from Sean Pelegrin’s Facebook page
It was last New Year’s Eve that Sean decided to pop the question, as their families were gathered in a hotel balcony waiting for 2025 to transition into 2026. As dazzling fireworks exploded overhead, Sean went down on his knee and presented the ring to a disbelieving Pearl. “Kahit matagal na kami, di ko talaga in-expect na mag-po-propose siya,” she relates. “Sobrang masaya ako na ganoon ang ginawa niyang proposal. Intimate lang, pero kasama ang mga mahal namin sa buhay.” (Even if it’s been us for a long time, I really didn’t expect that he would propose then. But I’m very happy with the way he carried out the proposal. It was intimate, but it included our loved ones.)
Pearl remembers how nervous Sean was. “Parang nag-choke siya nu’ng lumuhod at ang narinig ko ay, ‘Will you memory?’ Nawala ang ‘Will you marry me?’” (He seemed to choke when he kneeled down and what I heard him say was, ‘Will you memory?’. He wasn’t able to say, ‘Will you marry me?’)
But, just like the story of their first encounter, this is one that Sean contests, laughingly insisting that he had managed to say the right words. He points out one thing he noticed about Pearl in that moment, though. “Iba talaga si Pearl. Siya lang ’ata ang babae na hindi umiyak nu’ng may nag-propose! Hindi ko rin masasabi na intimate ang proposal ko, dahil buong Seaside narinig ang sigawan namin sa balcony,” teases the groom-to-be. (Pearl is really different. She’s probably the only girl who didn’t shed a tear during a proposal. I also can’t say that it was an intimate proposal, because the entire Seaside witnessed our cheers from the balcony.)
Even as they enter a new phase together, Pearl and Sean are looking forward to more years of dancing – a shared passion at the core of their lives – and laughing while they’re at it. Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag
So, what can we expect from these Ballet Manila artists as they enter the next chapter in their relationship? Now calling each other “Fifi” – short for fiancé and fianceé – Sean and Pearl agree that while their list of things to look forward to includes “getting married,” they still have the same wishes for 2026. “Nagpapasalamat kami na busy na kami sa pag-ta-trabaho para sa mga performances, pati na rin ang tours (I’m very grateful that we’re busy working on our next performances and even tours),” says Pearl, who’s especially excited for her debut as the magical bird in Gerardo Francisco’s Ibong Adarna in Dumaguete this week.
“Wish ko rin na magkaroon ng more projects siyempre, para mas maraming funds sa wedding,” comments Sean with a laugh. “Pero agree kaming dalawa na marami pa kaming taon na maibibigay sa sayaw pagkatapos kami makasal! Mahal naming dalawa ang pagsasayaw, kaya looking forward ako sa future na sumasayaw kami at sabay na rin uuwi.” (I also wish to be given more projects, so we have more funds for the wedding… But we both agree that we’d like to dedicate more years to dancing even after getting married. We both love to dance, so I’m looking forward to a future where we’re both dancing and also going home together.)
With the spectacle of fireworks as their backdrop and both their families around, Sean surprised Pearl with a New Year’s Eve proposal – which she promptly accepted. Video courtesy of Sean Pelegrin
