Keisha Almira makes the big leap from Jakarta to Manila in pursuit of ballet

*Keisha considers it a highlight of her ballerina journey to be a part of* Sleeping Beauty, her first production with Ballet Manila as a company apprentice. Photo courtesy of Keisha Almira

By Jv Ramos

Among the new faces in Ballet Manila is Indonesian-born Jacinta Keisha Almira. A dancer who began her training at the age of 3, this apprentice admits that she didn’t really like ballet in the beginning. “It was my mom who made me take classes, and even if she knew that I didn’t really like it, she didn’t allow me to quit, which was good, because when I turned eleven and transferred to a new studio, I began to fully like ballet and take it more seriously.”

***Ballet Manila apprentice Jacinta Keisha Almira moved from Jakarta to Manila to pursue her dream to be part of a professional dance company. Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag***

It was at the Ballet Academy of Indonesia that Keisha furthered her training, and while it wasn’t a professional dance company, the institution gave her the experiences she needed to figure out if ballet was truly for her or not. It was through this school that she got to be part of competitions including the Asian Grand Prix, was taught and got exposed to teachers Anindya Krisna and Yanti Marduli who had both been Ballet Manila dancers, and experienced Summer Intensive classes with Lisa Macuja Elizalde and other faculty and professional dancers from Ballet Manila.

“I’ve been taking summer intensives with Ma’am Lisa herself, the Lisa Macuja School of Ballet, and even [principal dancers] Mark [Sumaylo] and Abi [Abigail “Abi” Oliveiro] since 2019, so I’m very familiar with Ballet Manila,” shares Keisha. “Last year, I danced with Ballet Manila for their Cinderella show in Indonesia, and that’s when I told Ma’am Lise that I was interested in coming here to Manila.”

*Dancing* Paquita variation 6, Keisha competes in the 2025 Asian Grand Prix Singapore where Ballet Manila artistic director Lisa Macuja Elizalde was a judge. Photo courtesy of Keisha Almira

Keisha’s decision to move from Jakarta to Manila had been an easy one, as aside from enjoying the training of Ballet Manila, the Indonesian dancers who once joined the company had nothing but good words to say about their experience. “My dad is also very supportive about me pursuing arts, so he was open to me coming here. Perhaps the only difficult thing was leaving my family and friends, because I really am close to them! Thankfully, Indonesia isn’t that far and there’s always the Internet for us to keep in touch.”

Asked what made her fully like ballet, the teenager claims that what really drew her in is the movement. “As someone who cannot stay still, I really like activities that are movement-based, and in ballet, there’s a lot of movement. Other than that, what I like about ballet is there’s no such thing as perfect. No matter how many times you do something, there’s always room for improvement.”

***Keisha and fellow apprentices Maxeene Castillo and Michi Nabus visit the Ballet Manila Archives to talk about all things ballet. Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag***

Speaking of improvement, Keisha assesses that she’s doing better than when she first stepped into the studio of Ballet Manila. “One of the first things I noticed is how different things are when you are part of the group,” the 16-year-old ballerina starts. “When I encountered the dancers here before in tours, they were always so friendly. I’m not saying they’re not friendly now, but here, you could see how serious they can be! Everyone is serious or focused about dancing well, and this was something I had to get used to. I’m more used to it now, and really, even if they’re serious, everyone is also willing to help out. When we [apprentices] were learning the corps part in Sleeping Beauty, the corps dancers and even principals were all willing to help. So overall, I had a good experience with my first production!”

Keisha opens up that performing with a group seems to be a good fit for the type of person she is. “I’m an overthinker, so I tend to pressure myself, and would even catch myself spiraling inside my head. This happened to me in competition before. While I was capable of executing the steps, I fell towards the end of my Sleeping Beauty variation because I was overthinking everything and pressuring myself.” Keisha adds that she got to redeem herself a year after or when she had better control of her thoughts.

*After a show of* Sleeping Beauty *last March, Keisha has her photo taken with artistic director and choreographer Lisa Macuja Elizalde who was a big inspiration to her in joining the company. Photo courtesy of Keisha Almira*

She continues, “Performing as part of a group or performing for an audience takes the pressure off. Here, I get to experience dancing for myself or experience the joy of dancing. It feels very different, but I really am enjoying that feeling. Here, I am very sure that I love ballet, unlike in competitions, wherein I do tend to question myself if ballet is something I really like to do.”

As of writing, Keisha is learning the ballet Paquita, and while the corps work seems to be more challenging than the one in Sleeping Beauty, she is determined to go through the process and come out as a better ballerina. “My mom never made me quit ballet as I was growing up, and I’d like to continue that. I don’t want to quit even if things are hard,” she proclaims.

“I’m still young and have a lot to still learn. But what I know is dancing for yourself – something that I am still struggling with – is the way to overcome the hard classes and even this industry that can be cruel. If you love dance, you can really get through all that!”

*Keisha’s* Cinderella moment… being part of the fairy-tale ballet when Ballet Manila brought it to Indonesia in 2025 and posing with Cinderella herself, principal dancer Abigail Oliveiro. Photo courtesy of Keisha Almira

As someone who grew up in a country that doesn’t have any professional ballet company, Keisha also acknowledges that one would have to create opportunities for oneself. Other than joining BM-led summer intensives, this ballerina fought to suppress being a nervous dancer and built courage to rejoin AGP and be part of the Cinderella show in Indonesia. “Ballet is also about right timing. You’d have to work hard so you are ready for the things that are meant for you!”