The Teacher in Pictures
“Daily classes are the best preparation for dancers. That is the foundation of their technique.”
A perfectionist, Shaz gives last-minute instructions to the Ballet Manila team before the curtains rise for Lisa@20, Lisa Macuja-Elizalde’s 20th anniversary show in 2006.
It’s a proud moment for Teacher Shaz after his students sweep the top prizes in the 2018 CCP Ballet Competition’s junior division: Alvin Dictado, bronze; Brian Sevilla, gold; and Rafael Perez, silver.
Shaz (left) shares tips with fellow dancers backstage before the company’s show in Tacurong, Sultan Kudarat in 1995 as artistic director Eric V. Cruz (right) listens in.
A big believer that ballet can transform lives, Shaz meets a new batch of Ballet Manila’s Project Ballet Future Scholars.
Together with Eileen Lopez (center), Shaz (right) rehearses the Ballet Manila corps for Giselle at CCP’s Main Theater in October 2019. Still reeling from a fire that had damaged Aliw Theater days before, the company decided they should continue with the show when an alternative venue was offered.
Shaz is a tireless teacher and mentor. “One of the hardest things is, I need them to be able to comprehend what I tell them – every combination – because every day, it’s different.”
Even in an improvised studio – this time a gazebo while on Ballet Manila’s US Tour in 2004 – Shaz manages to conduct company class for the dancers.
Shaz leads the Ballet Manila delegation to the 15th International Ballet Festival Dance Open in Russia in 2016, composed of Joshua Enciso, Marinette Franco, Nicole Barroso and Alvin Dictado. In any event, he encourages dancers to be well-groomed and poised as they are representing not just Ballet Manila but the arts.