Three of a Kind: Father figures

They say that good things come in threes and the Ballet Manila Archives wholeheartedly agrees! In this series, we feature three photos or videos with the same theme that celebrate the history of ballet, the company, and its dancers.

Ballet is not wanting for portrayals of fathers – from the conservative figures who are often a disapproving lot to the more expressive ones unafraid to show their emotions. In celebration of Father’s Day, we focus the spotlight on three dads of differing temperaments who have graced the Ballet Manila stage.

King Stephan (Mark Sumaylo) is every inch the doting father to Princess Aurora (Shamira Drapete) whose birth he and Queen Leah prayed for in Lisa Macuja Elizalde’s Sleeping Beauty (2026). On her sixteenth birthday, Aurora falls into an eternal slumber following the curse cast by the evil Caraboose. To King Stephan’s relief, true love’s kiss will eventually save the princess. Photo by Missy Macuja Elizalde

Romeo Peralta Jr. (right) is the supportive father while Abigail Oliveiro is the caring mother to Rodrigo (Gerardo Francisco Jr.) in Ang Mahiwagang Biyulin, one of the tales penned by Severino Reyes (popularly known as Lola Basyang) and retold by Christine Bellen. In Ballet Manila’s Tatlong Kuwento ni Lola Basyang (2023), the trio is locked in a tight hug as the parents send their son off to find work. When he eventually escapes from the clutches of the scheming employer Ahab, father and mother expectedly welcome the young man back with a similarly warm embrace. Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag

Lord Capulet (Marcus Tolentino) is the strict and uncompromising father in Romeo and Juliet (2007), Sergey Vikulov’s interpretation of the tragic love story for Ballet Manila. In this scene, Juliet (Lisa Macuja Elizalde) protests when Lord Capulet (Marcus Tolentino) declares that she is to be married off to a man of his choice, Paris. The patriarch is unaware that his daughter has actually fallen in love with Romeo, son of the Montagues who are sworn enemies of the Capulets. Photo by Ocs Alvarez