Exactly forty years ago, Lisa Macuja Elizalde made the defining choice to leave behind a flourishing career at the Kirov Ballet (now Mariinksy Ballet) in Moscow and return to the Philippines. That homecoming became the cornerstone of her mission to bring ballet to the people and people to ballet, a mission that has shaped generations of dancers and audiences.
4. (L-R) Ballet Manila company artists Samantha Garay, Rodney Catubay, and Ana Graciela Andes; with principal dancers Abigail Oliveiro and Junmark Sumaylo; and company artists Ana Katharina Andes, Jos David Andes and Celine Astrologo in a scene from La Bayadère.
Forty years later, Lisa marks her homecoming milestone through Ballet Manila’s PRIMA Performance Season, a curated program of classical works that highlight the company’s Vaganova roots and its commitment to sustaining excellence while making ballet accessible to Filipinos. The landmark year also features a special collaboration with The Dawn, staged at Aliw Theater on February 20 and 21 at 8:00 p.m. Both Lisa and The Dawn are icons of their generations, and this production links their parallel 40-year journeys through a fusion of ballet and rock music. The performance will showcase some of The Dawn’s most popular and iconic songs reimagined through dance, underscoring Ballet Manila’s continuing effort to make ballet relevant and accessible.
L-R) (first row) Ballet Manila principal dancer Joshua Enciso, company artist Shamira Drapete with principal dancers Jessica Pearl Dames, Abigail Oliveiro and Junmark Sumaylo;
(second row) The Dawn members Bim Yance, Rommel Sanchez, Jun Boy Leonor, Francis Reyes and Jett Pangan; Ballet Manila CEO and artistic director Lisa Macuja-Elizalde, associate artistic director and resident choreographer Gerardo Francisco Jr., and resident choreographer Martin Lawrence; The Manila Symphony Orchestra president Maan Hontiveros and music director Maestro Marlon Chen
The collaboration is being presented as part of the Ballet & Ballads series and produced by Manila Broadcasting Company (MBC). A brainchild of Fred J. Elizalde in the early years of Ballet Manila, Ballet & Ballads has contributed immensely to the mission and vision of Macuja-Elizalde to make classical ballet more accessible to the general public by performing alongside mainstream artists and keeping ticket prices either free or minimal.
Ballet Manila company artist Shamira Drapete and principal dancer Joshua Enciso perform an excerpt from Sleeping Beauty.
From Ballet & Ballads, the PRIMA Performance Season of Ballet Manila will unfold with a series of landmark productions. Sleeping Beauty will be staged on March 14 and 15, 2026 at Aliw Theater, accompanied by the Manila Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Alexander Vikulov. The season continues with Paquita on June 20 and 21, 2026, featuring a showcase of the company’s Vaganova heritage and classical precision. Finally, the season will culminate with La Bayadère on August 22 and 23, 2026, featuring the triumphant return of guest artists Renata Shakirova and Kimin Kim of the Mariinsky Ballet, who made their Philippine debut in 2025 with Don Quixote.
Paquita Pas de Trois featuring Ballet Manila principal dancer Jessica Pearl Dames with company artists Rafael Perez and Nanami Hasegawa.
Reflecting on the milestone, Lisa shared: “Forty years ago, I came home with a mission to make ballet part of Filipino life. 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.
These events frame 2026 not only as a year full of performances but as a cultural cycle completed, a legacy fulfilled, and a future opened by a ballerina who chose to come home even while at the cusp of international success.
Lisa Macuja Elizalde’s 40th homecoming year is more than a personal milestone. It is a testament to endurance, to the completeness of a vision, and to the fulfillment of a promise —that ballet also belongs to the Filipino people.
Keep up-to-date with Ballet Manila’s schedule of performances and celebration events by visiting Ballet Manila’s website www.balletmanila.com.ph or Ticketworld page www.ticketworld.com.ph
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