Ballet Manila shares the stage with The Dawn as ‘PRIMA’ season opens
Since its inception in 1998, Ballet Manila’s Ballet & Ballads series has been proving time and again that the dance form is something that everybody can enjoy.
Through the years, the company has choreographed dances based on songs by OPM icons including Lani Misalucha, Side A, Basil Valdez, Christian Bautista, Jaya, and Nonoy Zuniga.
According to Ballet Manila Artistic Director Lisa Macuja Elizalde, Ballet and Ballads came to be because her husband, Manila Broadcasting Company Chairman Fred Elizalde, wanted to merge radio and ballet in one grand production.
The idea proved a success, contributing immensely to the mission and vision of Macuja Elizalde to make ballet productions more accessible to the general public by having Ballet Manila perform alongside mainstream artists while keeping ticket prices either free or at a minimal cost.
This year, it is the turn of OPM band The Dawn to lend their music—eight songs, to be precise—to ballet when The Dawn of Ballet rocks the Aliw Theater on February 20 and 21 at 7:30 PM.
Making this event even more special is that the band is celebrating its 40th year in the music industry, coinciding with the prima ballerina’s homecoming. In 1986, Macuja Elizalde returned to the Philippines, leaving behind a flourishing career at the Kirov Ballet (now Mariinksy Ballet) in Moscow.
”It was destiny, I was meant to come home and stay in the Philippines,” says Macuja Elizalde.
”It’s a big celebration on both sides (and) in our humble little way, we want to celebrate that as well,” said The Dawn’s lead Jett Pangan. “In a nutshell, it kind of features the 40 years of The Dawn. We chose some of our biggest numbers plus a new one… we believe that these songs will resonate with our audience the most. And if you haven’t heard much of our music, I think the visual work that Ballet Manila has done for the songs will be a spectacle.”
During the press launch, Ballet Manila gave a preview of what the audience can expect by performing The Dawn’s “I Saw You Coming”. Joining Pangan were bandmates JB Leonor, Francis Reyes, Bim Yance, and Sancho Sanchez.
Each song, including “Enveloped Ideas”, “Salamat”, and “Saan Ka Pupunta” to name a few, will tell a unique story and will be choreographed by Martin Lawrance and Gerardo Francisco Jr., who have both agreed to split the workload in half.
“Before it was ballet, then ballads, and in the end, the musicians, singers and ballet dancers come together,” Macuja Elizalde says. “This time, all songs will be like a finale.”
“Excitement is simply building up especially after seeing a sample of what they can do,” Pangan adds.
Prime classical choices
After the collaboration with The Dawn, Ballet Manila’s 31st season “PRIMA” will bring forward a curated program of classical works that highlight the company’s Vaganova roots.
“Classical ballet is the most difficult form of dance,” shares Macuja Elizalde.
And to showcase their ability to perform the classics, it’s only apt that the new season for Ballet Manila begins with Sleeping Beauty.
Ballet Manila company artist Shamira Drapete and principal dancer Joshua Enciso perform an excerpt from ‘Sleeping Beauty’; Photo Credit: Ballet Manila
The last in Macuja Elizalde’s princess trilogy series after Cinderella and Snow White, the performances will be accompanied by the Manila Symphony Orchestra (MSO), which is celebrating its 100th year this year as well. Under the baton of Maestro Alexander Vikulov the performances will run from March 13 to 15.
“It’s such a wonderful opportunity for all the arts to come together,” said Maestro Marlon Chen, MSO’s music director. “What makes ballet such a profound non-discursive art form is that it penetrates the soul deeply. It immediately amplifies the very primal instinct of our soul’s inspiration for hope and love. I just want to encourage everybody to come and feel the beautiful synergy that will occur this season.”
Next is Paquita, which will be a world premiere as it is the first time for the full ballet piece to be performed in the Philippines. It will be held from June 19 to 21.
L-R: Paquita Pas de Trois featuring Ballet Manila principal dancer Jessica Pearl Dames with company artists Rafael Perez and Nanami Hasegawa; Photo Credit: Ballet Manila
The season-ender La Bayadère, from August 14 to 16, will feature the triumphant return of guest artists Renata Shakirova and Kimin Kim of the Mariinsky Ballet, who made their Philippine debut as a duo in 2025 with Don Quixote.
“Forty years ago, I came home with a mission to make ballet part of Filipino life,” Macuja Elizalde says. “To see that vision continue through Ballet Manila and the PRIMA performance season is deeply meaningful not just for me but for everyone in the company. It proves that ballet can endure, adapt, and belong to everyone.”
Other performances throughout the year include Ibong Adarna in Dumaguete in February and at Ateneo’s Areté in October, an international tour in Kuala Lumpur in September, and the Holiday Cheer Series in December.
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