With less than a month to prepare for Ballet Manila’s 15th anniversary celebration, in between the familiarly difficult technique classes of Tatiana Udalenkova who is here for six weeks for our annual intensive training and the choreography rehearsals of Russia’s People’s Artist Sergey Vikulov, Augustus Damian III and Ballet Manila’s resident choreographer Gerardo Francisco plus the various corporate shows, Ballet & Ballads concerts and Pistang Pinoy weekend performances in Star Theater, okay, okay I’ll stop now.

To say that the last few weeks have been busy is an understatement – but not very different from any other period right before a season opening – it’s just that it’s our 15th season we are opening and we have added on the pressure of topping our overtly successful Today’s Stars of the Russian Ballet Gala last July 10.

I owe these jaw-dropping statistics to our President of the Ballet Manila Foundation – who happens to be my Dad – ’s meticulous records and close to obsessive-compulsive personality…
• 4,008 Ballet Manila performances that include 38 in Russia, 23 in South Korea and 31 in the United States of America.
• 3,879 Philippine performances in a total of 48 cities and towns in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
• 537 full-length ballet performances with 74 Nutcrackers, 55 Don Quixotes, 34 Tatlong Kuwento Ni Lola Basyangs and 49 Pinocchios!
• 2007 Circus D’Ballet performances with a tough-to-beat record of 543 performances of the pioneer production Belen.
• 112 ballets in our repertoire

15 years of delivering classical, neo-classical, contemporary and Filipino ballets in both traditional and non-traditional venues. 15 years of consistently working towards the vision of having a ballet institution that was created by dancers for dancers with the well-being of the dancing professionals in heart and mind. 15 years of family, friendship and a singular passion to dance…

We began with a makeshift studio floor and mirrors on wheels in our home porch – we now have three spacious rehearsal studios occupied from noon till nine pm. We began without a home theatre – we now have two. We began with three scholars, we now have 127 students in the Ballet Manila School. We began with 12 dancers united in a leap of faith – we now have 52 strong dedicated to dancing every performance even better than the last one.

The mission continues – the vision a lot closer – the legacy remains. Our direction is as crystal clear as the GALA we are celebrating: Preserve the classics, create new works, develop several generations of audience and dancers and always, always tell a good story – preferably on pointe – without having to say a single word.

Sometimes, I feel old. Like when I would be encircled by the dancers during green room right before a show and remember all the past faces that stood before me once, all eyes and ears, expectantly waiting for words of encouragement and assurances that everything was going to be perfect onstage. Thankfully, it is often a sweet yet fleeting memory that is soon replaced by excitement over the performance to come. This is when I appreciate the confidence that maturity brings – I feel ready for anything. I am also humbled and filled with gratitude, thankful to still be able to be an active part of the performance and so lucky to still be able to dance.

There are also times when I also feel melancholy, when a part of me wants to bring back the old guard and the old members that I knew were not dancing anymore or have moved on to other careers and lives outside of Ballet Manila. But most of all, at the end of this mixed rainbow of emotions, I feel victorious. I remember how our detractors used to give Ballet Manila a maximum lifespan of two years – and here we are going strong at 15.

The easiest way to make an assessment of how the company has flourished since 1995 is to tick off the numbers. As of the 14th season, Ballet Manila has had:
• 4,008 performances that include 38 in Russia, 23 in South Korea and 31 in the USA;
• 3,879 Philippine performances in a total of 48 cities and towns in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
• 537 full-length ballet performances — including 74 Nutcrackers, 55 Don Quixotes, 34 Tatlong Kuwento Ni Lola Basyangs and 49 Pinocchios!
• 2,007 Circus D’Ballet performances with a tough-to-beat record of 543 performances of the pioneer production Belen.
• 112 ballets in our company repertoire, ready for performance anytime, anywhere

Fifteen years of delivering classical, neo-classical, contemporary and Filipino ballets in both traditional and non-traditional venues. Fifteen years of consistently working towards the vision of having a ballet institution that was created by dancers for dancers with the wellbeing of the dancing professionals in heart and mind. Fifteen years of family, friendship and a singular passion to dance. This is how I can best sum up the last decade and a half for Ballet Manila.

We began with a makeshift studio floor and mirrors on wheels in our home porch; we now have three spacious rehearsal studios bustling with activity from noon till 9 pm, six days a week. We began without a home theatre – we now have two. We began with three scholars; we now have 127 students in the Ballet Manila School. We began with 12 dancers united in a leap of faith – we now are 52-strong, dedicated to dancing every performance even better than the last one.

Ballet Manila is proud to have adhered to its commitment to a “dancers first” policy – giving the dancers the most ideal working situation as possible. We have worked hard to provide all the tools that would nurture a good performance, from the best floors and stage, adequate studio and rehearsal time, new pointe shoes, costumes – everything that can help our ballerinas and danseurs achieve the best standard of dancing as possible. And in a vision we shared with our first artistic director, the late Eric V. Cruz, we continue to run a company that would enable young Filipino dancers to stay in our country and support themselves with what they earn as professional artists, and to nurture each and every dancer individually for the collective good of the company. The fact that all our ballerinas and danseurs work full-time and choose to stay longer with Ballet Manila is a good sign that we are on the right track.

I am happy that Ballet Manila has been able to enrich the lives of these young dancers, not just financially, but with wonderful experiences and performances that showcase their artistry as well. As a dancer, first and foremost, I look back and remember the good times more than the bad. I remember the successful performances and the great friendships and experiences brought about by an active dance career. I am happy that Ballet Manila has been able to provide and deliver on our promises to all the artists – past and present — who have entrusted us with their lives and dreams.

The mission continues… the vision a lot closer… and the legacy remains. Our direction is as crystal clear as the Gala we are celebrating : To preserve the classics, create new works, develop several generations of audience and dancers and always, always tell a good story – preferably on pointe – without having to say a single word.

To say that the last few weeks have been busy is an understatement – but not very different from any other period right before a season opening – it’s just that it’s our 15th season we are opening and we have added on the pressure of topping our overtly successful Today’s Stars of the Russian Ballet Gala last July 10.

I owe these jaw-dropping statistics to our President of the Ballet Manila Foundation – who happens to be my Dad – ’s meticulous records and close to obsessive-compulsive personality…
• 4,008 Ballet Manila performances that include 38 in Russia, 23 in South Korea and 31 in the United States of America.
• 3,879 Philippine performances in a total of 48 cities and towns in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
• 537 full-length ballet performances with 74 Nutcrackers, 55 Don Quixotes, 34 Tatlong Kuwento Ni Lola Basyangs and 49 Pinocchios!
• 2007 Circus D’Ballet performances with a tough-to-beat record of 543 performances of the pioneer production Belen.
• 112 ballets in our repertoire

15 years of delivering classical, neo-classical, contemporary and Filipino ballets in both traditional and non-traditional venues. 15 years of consistently working towards the vision of having a ballet institution that was created by dancers for dancers with the well-being of the dancing professionals in heart and mind. 15 years of family, friendship and a singular passion to dance…

We began with a makeshift studio floor and mirrors on wheels in our home porch – we now have three spacious rehearsal studios occupied from noon till nine pm. We began without a home theatre – we now have two. We began with three scholars, we now have 127 students in the Ballet Manila School. We began with 12 dancers united in a leap of faith – we now have 52 strong dedicated to dancing every performance even better than the last one.

The mission continues – the vision a lot closer – the legacy remains. Our direction is as crystal clear as the GALA we are celebrating: Preserve the classics, create new works, develop several generations of audience and dancers and always, always tell a good story – preferably on pointe – without having to say a single word.

When the curtain rises July 10 for the performances of the Stars of Russian Ballet at Aliw Theater, another dance cycle will have been completed involving both Filipino and Russian dancers on one hand and Filipino dance audiences, on the other.
There is a lot to look forward in this coming production produced in collaboration with Kantor Pos. For one, the coming dance event also headlines top dancers from the most prestigious ballet companies of Moscow, St Petersburg, Amsterdam and Manila.
But if there is one who can represent the country’s Russian connection, it would be no other than Lisa Macuja Elizalde who is the first foreign soloist of the Kirov Ballet and who is the epitome of Russian training. Notably the Vaganova method.
“It is simply hard to beat more than 250 years of tradition in classical ballet handed down from one generation of Russian artists to the next,” Lisa pointed out. “This gala will not only be first-class ballet treat, but I believe it will reveal to Manila audiences how global our own standards of dancing are in the local arts scene. It is a wonderful opportunity to see these artists perform here in Manila and not have to go abroad to enjoy international star-studded dance concerts like this one.”
At the helm of this big dance production is the Society for Cultural Enrichment Inc. (SCEI) headed by Consul Helen Ong. “Ballet Manila is very proud to have the SCEI as our partner in this very important event especially as it is their first fundraising activity,” announced Macuja-Elizalde who is also Ballet Manila’s artistic director. “We share a common vision for the improvement of cultural literacy and the enhancement of arts appreciation, especially among our youth.”
Some 87 years ago in 1915, according to dance chronicler Reynaldo G. Alejandro, the first performance in the Philippines of Paul Nijinsky (not related to Vaslav Nijinsky) of the Imperial Russian Ballet was held for the benefit of the Belgian Red Cross. The venue was the old Manila Hotel Roof Garden and the repertoire included Greek, Egyptian, ancient and new classical dances. According to Alejandro, costumes were done by Leon Bakst and most of the dances were performed barefooted.
This revelation is of course a gem from the past for the history-conscious balletomane. Bakst is a name directly linked with Sergei Diaghilev who launched Vaslav Nijinsky’s career which created an unmatched sensation at the turn of the century, the same period that fanatic dance historians would like to refer to as the “golden age of dance.”
As if this revelation were not enough, dance chronicler Alejandro (who used to dance and choreograph) also wrote that one of the greatest ballerinas of all time, Anna Pavlova, also danced at the original Manila Grand Opera House in 1922, some two years before she announced her retirement. (This is a discovery I couldn’t believe until Mr. Alejandro asserted he had in fact a slide of the souvenir program of Pavlova’s Manila engagement.)
Dame Margot Fonteyn in her book, “The Magic of Dance, “described Pavlova as a “unique phenomenon, without explanation, like the evening star or the Chinese flower that blooms only once in a hundred years.”
If early and current accounts are to be believed, local dancers were at one time or another inspired by Russian dancers.
The late National Artist for Dance Leonor Orosa Goquingco admitted to me she fell in love with dance at the age of 12 when she saw a Russian dancer named Olga Dontsoff perform in Bacolod. Mrs. Goquingco, whose accomplishment as a choreographer is a near legend in this country, did not even foresee that many years after her first glimpse of a Russian ballerina, she herself would be the object of generous praises from Russian artists.
After her Filipinescas’ stint in Russia, even Russian ballerinas cheered her. Ludmilla Filina, prima ballerina of the Leningrad State Ballet, lauded the dance company’s “high artistic quality.”
Another outstanding Filipino figure in dance also in awe of Russian artists was Maniya Barredo, who had a triumphant reign as prima ballerina of Atlanta Ballet in the United States. Maniya who was part of that Stars of World Ballet organized by Dame Margot Fonteyn once intimated to me she couldn’t help watching from the wings each time Maya Plisetskaya was about to enter the stage and dance. From the wings, and watching Plisetskaya unfold her magic, Maniya said she didn’t hope to catch up with Plisetskaya’s art. “Plisetskaya is all magic. She is very human in her approach to ballet. I will never do the Dying Swan after I saw her do it.”
The dance intercourse between Russian and Filipino artists and balletomanes is indeed astounding considering the fact that this country has no tradition to speak of insofar as ballet is concerned.
While the Philippines is indeed not a part of the early sanctuaries of ballet, it is a source of cultural pride that Manila has seen a part of the Russian Imperial Ballet, that it had seen the legend that was Anna Pavlova and had witnessed for the first time the early 80s the great Maya Plisetskaya.
When the Russian dancers finally share the stage July 10 with Macuja-Elizalde’s Ballet Manila, one can derive divine inspiration from the fact that Anna Pavlova was once here 60 years ago although in another theatre.
For once, Manila will once again witness the best of ballet from the new generation of dancers that include Jurgita Dronina, principal dancer of the Swedish Royal Ballet and Dutch National Ballet paired with David Galstyan, soloist of the Ballet du Capitole Toulouse, for the Le Corsaire pas de deux and Don Quixote pas de deux; Yana Selina and Maxim Zyusin, soloists of the Marinsky Ballet in the Blue Bird pas de deux from Sleeping Beauty and the Giselle pas de deux; Viktoriya Ananyan and Alexander Zhembrovskyy, soloists of the Dutch National Ballet, featured in two contemporary choreographies; Marina Mishina and Dmitry Zagrebin, soloists of the Bolshoi Ballet in the Flames of Paris pas de deux and the La Fille Mal Gardee pas de deux; and Yelizaveta Cheprasova and Filipp Stepin, soloists of the Marinsky Ballet, for the Corsaire pas de’Esclave and Balanchine’sTarantella.
Macuja-Elizalde, together with Ballet Manila, will also perform several numbers from their repertoire: Tony Fabella’s Dancing to Czerny, and Bam Damian’s contemporary pieces Rebel and Reconfigured.
When that July 10 dance event unfolds, it will confirm the observation that Manila is also a city where you see the world’s greatest artists perform.
(For a rare evening of ballet at its finest, get your tickets to Today’s Stars of the Russian Ballet with Ballet Manila from Ticketworld at 891-9999 or www.ticketworld.com.ph, or through Ballet Manila at 400-0292, 525-5967 or e-mail info@balletmanila.ph. Proceeds from this one night performance will benefit SCEI’s programs for the improvement of culture and arts teaching in the Philippines.)

One can easily spot a Russian trained dancer when watching a classical ballet performance. There is a more regal carriage of the arms, inclination of the head, epaulment or angle of the shoulders and the neck, 180 degree turn-out of the legs in the hip socket, clean, fluid line, musical phrasing and the list can go on and on…

So, what exactly is it that gives Russians the upper-hand when it comes to classical ballet training?

My own theory is that the Vaganova method (ballet vocabulary and steps collected and put into an eight year level sequence and class structure of ballet education by Professor Agrippina Y. Vaganova) topped off by more than 250 years of classical ballet tradition handed down by one generation of dancers to the next is simply tough to beat!

When a ballet classic such as Swan Lake, The Nutcracker or The Sleeping Beauty is performed in a different style, again in my personal view, it’s like trying to re-invent the wheel. Why try to change two and a half centuries of history and tradition? Yes, it may be in the Russian style of dancing and shouldn’t the classics be global but is it a more beautiful rendition of the classics?

For this, I will ask the audience to decide.

Today’s Stars of the Russian Ballet – a ballet concert gala that will feature many pas de deux from the highlights of these classical ballets, as well as the Asian premiere of two choreographies by famous Dutch choreographer Hans Van Manen – is coming to Manila – on July 10 in Aliw Theater to be exact! The audience will be treated to such Russian classical staples as the Don Quixote Grande Pas De Deux, Flames of Paris, Sleeping Beauty pas de deux, Le Corsaire pas de deux and Giselle. It will also be obvious how a strong Russian schooling can serve as a solid foundation to build on a neo-classical and contemporary ballet repertoire.

But, you see, I’m biased. I am Russian trained.

(For tickets to “Today’s Stars of Russian Ballet”, go to www.ticketworld.com.ph.)

Way before “Project Ballet Futures” was officially given a name, the scholarship program of the Ballet Manila School (which began as the Lisa Macuja Male Ballet Scholarship Program) had already produced professional ballet dancers such as Eduardo, Jeffrey and Jerome Espejo, Marcus Tolentino and Raymart Ramos. In fact, my very first male scholar, Rolando Tagaro, had gone on to become Ballet Manila’s costume master and was earning enough from his job to send money back to his family in Surigao and send several children to school!

But Project Ballet Futures, although extremely effective, had one glitch. Since the scholarship program was limited to male ballet students (there is a continuous global market demand for male ballet dancers) Ballet Manila is now the only classical ballet company with more male members than female! And, when I was faced with the fact that I didn’t have enough swans for a Swan Lake, I had to make some changes fast.

Enter the now official program called “Project Ballet Futures” which is currently a partnership with three public schools – Philippine Christian Foundation in Tondo, Gotamco Elementary School and Bonifacio Elementary School of Pasay City. Through an audition, 40 children are chosen to undergo daily ballet class training in an accelerated dance program. These scholars are also given ballet uniforms, shoes, pointe shoes, and a nutritious meal with vitamins and milk after class. It is our hope that Project Ballet Futures will result in qualified ballet dancers who will continue on into having full time dance careers.

We have scholars from outside of our partner schools. We also have former scholars who compose the current crop of Ballet Manila soloists and company members. We are even proud of the fact that we have lost former scholars to companies and institutions abroad and have sent our scholars to international and local ballet competitions – with some of them bringing back medals and awards from these competitions.

I guess this is why I am dancing Giselle on May 29 and 30 in Aliw Theater in order to raise funds for us to be able to continue our ballet scholarship program. It’s because it’s a program that has produced astounding results! Each scholar costs Ballet Manila around P.30,000 a year. Aside from the training, food and equipment already mentioned, we also give transportation allowances, subsidized dormitory facilities and all the costumes, music and technical support necessary for great performances.

That’s what Project Ballet Futures is about really – producing great dancers for great performances – providing these kids with lifelong skills and knowledge that will translate into employment and careers in this highly specialized field of classical ballet.

With my daughter Missy enrolled as a student in the Ballet Manila School, I cannot help but keep one eye trained on her while the other eye is working overtime overseeing everything, and everyone, else. And that is no mean feat considering that we have more than a hundred students currently dancing in our summer workshop – with some girls coming all the way from Naga, Cagayan De Oro, Iloilo and even Indonesia!
It was extraordinarily hot this summer. Often, as I was choreographing the Sleeping Beauty Divertissment, I wanted to order every student to just jump into the pool in order to cool off. I think the choice to dance existing Ballet Manila repertoire in order to pass down the choreography of popular Ballet Manila choreographies was inspired. Pinocchio was first choreographed by Osias Barroso and received its world premiere in Aliw Theater in 2002. Since then, this original children’s ballet has been re-staged almost every other year and has even been performed on Christmas Day for Star City park-goers and in the Luce Auditorium in Dumaguete as well as in SM Mall of Asia. With a refreshing cast of young students and new company members taking on all the supporting roles, it is notable that one of the original Pinocchio’s – Soloist Alvin Santos – is sharing with us his wisdom garnered from eight years of interpretation and experience.
The company performed excerpts of The Sleeping Beauty just last season during the Tchaikovsky ballet trilogy, “The Swan, The Fairy and The Princess”. It is always a joy to perform and choreograph to this great Russian composer’s music because he makes his melodies so dance-friendly. The regular concert part of our annual recitals have been replaced by carefully selected pas de deux and soloist pieces from The Sleeping Beauty to include many regal excerpts from Princess Aurora’s Wedding. This part of the program will highlight the Russian Vaganova style and training that the Ballet Manila School specializes in.
Not to be outdone by the school, the Ballet Manila senior company will join forces with the older students in order to present the full-length romantic classic GISELLE just a week after the Just Dance performances. After five years of absence, I am happy and excited for the opportunity to dance this dramatic role once again – not just as a ballerina, but as a director that is looking forward to the company growing stronger in the classical repertoire. Because the performances next week are for the benefit of Project Ballet Futures, I am particularly proud of the fact that we are featuring dancers who are currently beneficiaries of this ballet scholarship program.
So, from this Ballet Mom to all our summer workshop students, family, friends, colleagues and of course, fellow faculty members – thank you for coming to Just Dance 2010! Enjoy the show!

(This is my Director’s Notes for Just Dance 2010, the recital of the Ballet Manila School summer workshop.)

When I was in high school, summer vacation meant that I could devote all of my time and energy into ballet classes and rehearsals – and our summer workshop recital at the end of two months of dancing. Yes, I really looked forward to the summer because I didn’t have to wake up early and I just danced my days away.

This summer, I am looking forward to teaching in the Ballet Manila School’s intensive summer workshop (www.balletmanila.ph) I assigned to myself the Level 1A class because these are girls and boys that are not anymore complete beginners, but still young and fresh enough to correct bad habits before they become permanent errors in technique. I also am teaching the oldest teenagers in the school in Level 4. Here, the work intensifies with pointe class, partnering, variations and even modern ballet. Level 4 is composed of really serious dancers at the brink of their professional careers. It is such an exciting time for these kids. Trying out their first pas de deux or soloist roles, preparing for the NAMCYA competition in July and – if I remember right (when I was also the same age), most probably having their first romances as well.

For the next two months, some 100 boys and girls will be trooping into the Donada Studios to practice their tendus and pirouettes. With such a capable faculty, the Ballet Manila School offers the best training in classical ballet in the Russian Vaganova method for kids three years old and up. We are proud to have students from Cagayan De Oro and Naga City this year – as well as one student all the way from Indonesia! Our ballet recitals will be on May 22 and 23 in Star Theater. This year, my choreographic task will be to create the Sleeping Beauty Waltz for Baby Ballet and Levels 1, 2 and 3 – a formidable challenge as of course, every parent would want to see their children perform at least 32 counts in the front line…Ah! I am already sweating more than the kids.

I would like to say a special thank you to the wonderful staff and management of Eskaya Beach Resort and Spa in Panglao Island of the province of Bohol where our family spent seven glorious days during Easter break! We met the strange suicidal tarsier, gone on the Loboc River Cruise complete with buffet lunch, cupped some fireflies in our hands during the night cruise and went snorkelling in the sanctuary off Balicasag Island. One of the best summer holidays I’ve had being a tourist in my own country.

It was our first stage rehearsal for Ballet & Ballads with Basil Valdez that opens on Friday, March 19 in Aliw Theater and I was about to rehearse the very same number where I sprained my ankle a month ago which caused the postponement of this performance run in the first place. My heart was fluttering and my legs were collapsing underneath me. I knew it was nerves and I just had to commit to the rehearsal and move my body forward. The stage was darker than the studio and both my partner and I had difficulty adjusting to the stage setting. Not to mention, we were both traumatized by the memory of the accident.

Rebel is an extremely difficult piece and what makes it even more challenging is that it is really not the kind of ballet dancing I am used to. Choreographed to the emotionally charged Khachaturian masterpiece “Spartacus” pas de deux by Augustus “Bam” Damian III, it was full of unfamiliar off balanced moves, pulls, twists and turns – and at one point having me lift my partner on my back for a full eight counts! During the rehearsal last February, my pointe shoe slipped in an off-balanced move and the next thing I knew I was on the floor with a swollen ankle.

When Rudy De Dios and I finished the 10 minute adagio, we just looked at each other breathing so hard and fast and I had to laugh. It worked! Timing was synchronized, all the lifts and turns were done and we even had the energy to portray two lovers caught in a conflict of individual choice. I love my job!

Time for my undisguised PLUG!

Ballet & Ballads, Ballet Manila’s final production of our 14th season goes onstage in Aliw Theater on March 19 at 7:30pm; March 20 at 5pm and March 21 at 1pm. For tickets and other information, go to www.balletmanila.ph or www.ticketworld.com .ph or call 525-5967 or 891-9999.

Also, please do check out our Summer Workshop that offers classical ballet training in four levels from April 6 until May 23 in the Ballet Manila School based at 1915 Donada Street, Pasay City. Registration and enrolment going on and we are so excited to announce two ballet recitals at the end of the workshop in Star Theatre on May 22 and 23 at 3pm – all inclusive!