Storytellers on Toes
(This article is a chapter from the biography Ballerina of the People published in 2006. In it, Lisa Macuja-Elizalde shares her memories of her first ballet teacher Mrs. Felicitas “Tita” Radaic who instilled in her an enduring love for dance and an understanding of the hard work it would entail. On June 25, as a […]
By Michele T. Logarta Ballet Manila alumna Christine Rocas is in Manila on her break from Joffrey Ballet, the renowned American ballet company based in Chicago where she is a company member. But it’s a working vacation as is always the case for Rocas, who always takes the opportunity to return to her roots in […]
By Michele T. Logarta British choreographer Martin Lawrance is back in Manila to do his third piece for Ballet Manila called Amid Shadows. With two weeks to create the work, Lawrance, who had just finished rehearsing with his dancers on a Thursday afternoon in mid-June at the Ballet Manila studios, is getting ready to leave […]
By Michele T. Logarta American dancer Katherine Barkman, when preparing for a role, will dance until her legs won’t work. When that happens, she’ll work on her arms. And, when her arms hurt, she’ll work on her facial expressions. “Every eyelash and eyebrow has to say something,” says Barkman, who is getting ready to play […]
“I stand waiting for the time/ Within the cycle of Time/ For the healing of the brothers/ With their goals and dreams. Live in balance and harmony/ With each of the Other… like brothers.” These are the words choreographer Ernest Mandap used to describe Reve, his choreography for Ballet Manila that made its premiere in […]