Star Powerhouse

Ballet Manila closed its 23rd season in spectacular fashion as it recently premiered its newest double header Deux, which gracefully combined classical with contemporary ballet to the tunes of Chopin and The Beatles, at the Aliw Theater, CCP Complex.

The young and the best ballet dance company in the Philippines, treat their guests as they showcase the world premier of Martin Lawrence’s Winding Road and the classical piece of Michael Fokine, Les Sylphydes(Chopiniana).  To make the ballet concert longer and more fun to watch the dance company decided to include other repertoire in the program like La Bayadere of Marius Petipa, an excerpt from Vasily Vainonen’s Flames of Paris, Albrecht’s variation from the romantic ballet Giselle, Ali’s variation from the picturesque Le Corsaire, Aramica by Augustus “Bam” Damian III, and the love story of the goddess of hunt, Diana and the hunter, Actaeon. LA BAYADERE  (The Temple Dancer) Choreography: Marius Pepita Music: Ludwig Minkus The tandem of Akari Ida (Gamzatti) and Joshua Enciso (Solor) heat up the stage with their extraordinary energy as they flawlessly performed the relaxing masterpiece. It was no surprise that Joshua would perform such level, but he exc...

Ballet Manila always has this specific performance for specific audience. The careful selections of its program always makes the watching experience more enjoyable and exciting. Below are my personal point of view why you should catch the upcoming performance week of Ballet Manila's Cinderella.

"If we are to go by the dictionary definition of "iconic" as something that is "widely recognized and well -established" and is "acknowledged especially for distinctive excellence," then we could honestly say that we have many such jewels in our collection. It wouldn't be possible - or even fair -- to fit them all in one production. So how about two?

ICON 1.0 of Ballet Manila is a well patterned and well textured performances that will play to the audience senses. The intention of the dance company to showcase and highlight different ballet styles was well patterned in a manner that level of the energy and emotions has been expressed without overpowering the performances one after another. Clearly it shows the teamwork of everyone, it's a complete package. Everything has been delivered well.

Ballet Manila opens their 23rd performance season, Tour de Force, with a presentation of the company’s most iconic performances. In a two-weekend affair, Iconic 1.0 and Iconic 2.0 will revisit some of Ballet Manila’s most memorable collaborations, selected from a repertoire of over 200 ballets performed since 1995.

Int’l competition marks milestone for Ballet Manila; PH now among the world’s hubs for Ballet From being just a participant, Ballet Manila is now a co-organizer of an international ballet tilt. The prestigious Asian Grand Prix (AGP) kicks off on an exciting note this year, with Ballet Manila proudly hosting the AGPRegionals in the Philippines. This marks the first time that preliminaries are held in Manila, putting the country in an illustrious map that includesother ballet hubs such as Seoul, Sydney, Osaka, and more.

Eisa Jocson’s newest creation, “Your Highness” will have its world premiere on July 27 (8pm) and 28 (3pm, 8pm) at the CCP Little Theater, and will be performed at several major European performing arts festivals from August to September 2017. The work is a production by Ballet Philippines and Künstlerhaus Mousonturm Frankfurt am Main (Germany), in co-production with Internationales Sommerfestival Kampnagel (Germany), Zürcher Theater Spektakel (Switzerland), La Bâtie – Festival de Genève (Switzerland).

Meet two living proofs that art can change lives. Graceful, strong, and well-traveled. One quick look at Jamil Montibon(22) and Jessa Balote (19) will never give you any clue that the two dancers grew up in the slums of Tondoand used to scavenge for a living. As scholars of the country’s premier classical dance company, Ballet Manila, both Jamil and Jessa have been to some of the most prestigious theaters around the world, performing in front ofworld leaders and society’s elite.

As a fabulous fitting finale of Ballet Philippines’ 47th season entitled “Wings”, come and watch the new staging of “Swan Lake”, the most famous and legendary ballet adored by audiences all over the world for over a hundred years. On March 4, “Swan Lake” will be celebrating the 140th anniversary of its premiere.

As a fabulous fitting finale of Ballet Philippines’ 47th season entitled “Wings”, come and watch the new staging of “Swan Lake”, the most famous and legendary ballet adored by audiences all over the world for over a hundred years. On March 4, “Swan Lake” will be celebrating the 140th anniversary of its premiere.

I was invited to watch a ballet performance produced by Ballet Philippines held at Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo, CCP Main Theater, Pasay City for the 47th season of Wings composed of 4 different act namely: Weighted Whispers (World Premiere), Moving Two, Ne Neh Le Dej (Philippine Premiere) and Firebird (World Premiere).

Philippine Ballet Theatre (PBT) now in it’s 30th Season as Resident Company of the Cultural Center presents THE GREAT CLASSICS on July 29-31 at the CCP Main Theater with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Maestro Herminigildo Ranera.

Ballet originated in the 15th Century Italian Renaissance Courts and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia.  It has been globally influential and has been the foundation of other dance genres.

Ballet Manila Artistic Director and CEO Lisa Macuja-Elizalde joins the 30th anniversary celebration of the People Power Revolution with "Rebel" a full-length ballet about a hero’s journey to freedom. Inspired by the story of “Spartacus” and set against the backdrop of the 1986 Edsa Revolution, “Rebel” is Lisa’s dream project.  "I’ve had this in mind since 2010,” says the prima ballerina.  “I was waiting for the right choreographer to share my ideas with and when I met Mr. Lawrance two years ago, the concept resonated well with him. I knew he was the one so we shook hands and went to work right away.” she said.

Enter the world of Gabriel Barredo’s acclaimed creation in Ballet Philippines’ season ender, “Opera”. This production brings a synergy between artists and art forms, with French choreographer Redha transforming the groundbreaking installation into a contemporary ballet premiering at the CCP Main Theater on February 13 & 14, with a Fundraising Gala on February 16 at 8:00PM.

Continuing its series of international tours, BP sets off once again to perform in China this October. The company will be at the Chongqing Guo Tai Art Center in Chongqing on October 26, the Jinrong Theater, Xiamen Little Egret Art Center in Xiamen on October 29, and Guangdong Cantonese Opera Theater Performance Center on October 31. The tour is co-presented by the Department of Foreign Affairs-Manila and the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Similar to the Middle East Tour in August, this trip is an initiative in cultural diplomacy by the Office of the Undersecretary for International Economic Relations, led by Undersecretary Laura del Rosario. It marks the 40 th Anniversary of the establishment of Philippines-China diplomatic relations.

Philippine Ballet Theatre, Inc. (PBT) a Resident Company of the Cultural Center of the Philippines will present the classic all-family Christmas favorite, “The Nutcracker” on November 13-15 at the CCP Main Theatre. By popular demand, the “Golden Boy of Ballet”, Joseph Phillips, will return to Manila from Russia to perform the role of the Nutcracker Prince, partnering PBT’s home grown ballerinas,  Lobreza Pimentel and Regine Magbitang who will take on the roles of Clara and the Sugar Plum Fairy.