The Teacher
To generations of ballet students and dancers, he is “Teacher Shaz.”
Teaching is a role that Shaz took to heart, wanting to impart the same knowledge he had been fortunate enough to learn himself to others. Ballet being a passed-down art, he recognized the crucial role a mentor plays in ensuring that the tradition is continued as it was intended centuries ago.
This is why Shaz is an exacting mentor, aiming to instill discipline and a consistent work ethic in each student. Because he is serious at what he does, he expects the same from those he teaches and in whom he sees potential. In the studio where he could spend the whole day, he is quite strict, his volcanic temper a known trait. In his company classes, he tirelessly makes the dancers go through combinations to build up strength, stamina, technique and artistry. This is not just to prepare them for performances or competitions but to ensure a solid foundation for a long and productive career.
He is particularly meticulous in boys’ classes, conscious that the demands are greater with jumps, turns and lifts. Scholars plucked from public schools have merited his eagle eyes, knowing fully well that ballet is helping to transform their lives. Under his stewardship, he has produced a bevy of strong danseurs and in the process raised the standard for male classical dancing in the country.
Proud of the Ballet Manila culture, mindset, Vaganova schooling and training, Shaz has also underscored the importance of punctuality, grooming and attitude outside of the studio. He regards dancers as ambassadors not only for the company and school, but for the arts as a whole.
With the international partnerships of Ballet Manila and the Lisa Macuja School of Ballet, he and Lisa have helped spread the word about the Vaganova method, particularly in Asia. Shaz himself has conducted classes in ballet schools in Taiwan, Indonesia and India.
With the onset of the pandemic in 2020, Ballet Manila had to adjust by conducting classes via Zoom. Though it was a struggle, Shaz tried to continue his sworn duty of molding the dancers and keeping them in top form – online. Sadly, because of a stroke that year, he had to step away from teaching. With his condition, he has not been able to go back even as the company and the school have started recovering and returned to face-to-face sessions.
For those whose lives he touched, Shaz will continue to be a guiding light even in his absence. His sober voice may be what they hear in their head. The one saying after the high of a great performance or the victory in a competition or even just the completion of a good class, that the next day, it is time to go back to the barre again.
That is the lasting legacy of Teacher Shaz.
Shaz coaches Nicole Barroso and Joshua Enciso at the USA International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi in 2018
One of Shaz’s students, Project Ballet Futures scholar Juan Angelo De Leon, has become an award-winning dancer.
Shaz gets a taste of teaching ballet during a pandemic, conducting classes online from his condo unit.
With members of the Boys’ Class, 2012: “Male ballet dancers are expected to be good dance partners apart from mastering the various technical moves.”
Shaz gives pointers to budding dancers of Taiwan’s Zhongli Youth Ballet in 2020.
