Fifteen years ago, a pioneering dance group--spurred by the vision of its leader, prima ballerina Lisa Macuja-Elizalde--dared to bring classical ballet to the masses. From Abra to Zamboanga, in the most unusual venues like cockpits, town plazas and basketball courts, they pirouetted in their tutus and balanced on their toe shoes to audiences that were left in awe and reduced to showering the dancers with applause and cheers.
The gamble has paid off as today, Ballet Manila is the foremost proponent of classical ballet, using the Russian Vaganova method, and continues to widen its viewership with a full season line-up and more performances throughout the year.
This year, the group kicks off its 15th season with Halo-Halo ni Juan-The Ballet Manila Crystal Gala! It is a concert that celebrates and captures the essence of its evolution as the country's premiere dance company, featuring an all-original OPM suite, new neo-classical choreographies by Bam Damian and Sergey Vikulov, and excerpts from a world classic.
Halo-Halo ni Juan-The Ballet Manila Crystal Gala! premiereson August 20, Friday, 7:30 p.m., at the Aliw Theater, CCP Complex, Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City. Succeeding shows are scheduled on August 21 and 28, Saturdays, 1 and 5 p.m., and August 22 and 29, Sundays, 1 p.m., at the same venue.
"Bringing ballet to the people is the inspiration that led to the creation of Ballet Manila, and that mission continues," affirms Lisa.
For the ballerina, the numbers don't lie. As documented by Cesar Macuja, Lisa's father and the president of the Ballet Manila Foundation, the group has racked up the following jaw-dropping statistics:
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4,008 Ballet Manila performances that include 38 in Russia, 23 in South Korea and 31 in the United States of America;
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3,879 Philippine performances in a total of 48 cities and towns in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao;
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537 full-length ballet performances with 74 Nutcrackers, 55 Don Quixotes, 34 Tatlong Kuwento Ni Lola Basyangs and 49 Pinocchios;
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2007 Circus D'Ballet performances with a tough-to-beat record of 543 performances of the pioneer holiday production Belen;
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112 ballets in the Ballet Manila repertoire.
But beyond just the figures lie the passion and the commitment to excellence in dance. Lisa states: "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."
The latest Halo-Halo production also continues Lisa's year-long celebration of her 25th anniversary as a professional ballerina which kicked off last October.
For tickets and other inquiries, please call Ballet Manila at 400-0292 or 525-5967 or Ticketworld at 891-9999 or send an e-mail to info@balletmanila.ph