Tovic Salvador

Ballet Manila at 30 years is a 'vindication,' says Lisa Macuja

Article (news)

Leah C. Salterio

<p>For Ballet Manila CEO and artistic director Lisa Macuja-Elizalde, the company’s 30th anniversary is nothing short of a vindication. Once doubted to last more than a few seasons, Ballet Manila has grown into the country’s largest classical ballet company, marking its Pearl Year with a grand staging of &quot;Don Quixote&quot; featuring Mariinsky Ballet stars Renata Shakirova and Kimin Kim.</p><p>“Celebrating 30 years is like a vindication of the first time when they said, ‘As soon as Lisa Macuja retires, Ballet Manila will disintegrate.’ It didn’t happen. I retired 10 years ago from the stage and we’re still going,&quot; Macuja-Elizalde said.</p><p>“We’re about to dance ‘Don Quixote’ with two international dancers and I’m very proud. I just want to invite everybody to come and watch the performances.”</p><p>Today, Ballet Manila has 42 professional dancers. “Just the mere fact that we are celebrating 30 years of existence when we first started Ballet Manila in 1995, all naysayers said we would last two years tops, they will disband, it’s not going to be a very big company, it’s not going to be a very successful endeavor,&quot; she said.</p><p>“But here we are 30 years later, Ballet Manila is the largest classical Ballet Company in the Philippines. We have the most number of performances and we have a slew of classical, neo-classical and Filipino ballets in our repertoire.</p><p>“It’s just a little bit overwhelming and also a little sad because I really miss our first artistic director, Eric V. Cruz and Osias Barroso, my co-artistic director who passed away one and a half years ago. I miss a lot of our dancers who have come and gone,&quot; Macuja-Elizalde said.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:633px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1755580895563BM_Ballet Manila_Renata Shakirova and Kimin Kim bring fresh fire to Don Quixote_article_photo1.jpg" style="width:633px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Ballet Manila CEO and artistic director Lisa Macuja (middle) with dancers Kimin Kim (left) and Renata Shakirova</span></span></span></div><p>“Don Quixote” concludes Ballet Manila’s Pearl Year, marking the company’s 30th anniversary as professional performing troupe. “It was a choice between ‘Le Corsaire’ and ‘Don Quixote’,” said Macuja-Elizalde. “But Kimin was not available when we first planned the dates for ‘Don Quixote.’ When he said he was available, I said, ‘Great! Let’s do it.’ It’s the ‘Don Quixote’ that I’ve always dreamed of that shows them at their peak performance.</p><p>“Don Quixote” was first choreographed by Marius Petipa in 1869 at the Marinsky Theater, formerly known as Kirov Ballet. Alexander Gorsky choreographed his own version for the Bolshoi Theater in the 1900s that he eventually brought to Marinsky, which is now the current version of the ballet -- almost the same version that Ballet Manila uses.</p><p>Macuja-Elizalde danced the ballet&#x27;s wedding pas de deux during her graduation performance at the Russian Ballet Academy in 1984.  Two years later, she did the full-length ballet on January 6, 1986.</p><p>“That was one of the most fun performances to do, but also one of the hardest because you have to be full of energy and love of life to dance the ballet,&quot; Macuja-Elizalde said. “The role requires you to jump, turn and be at the highest peak of your performance. There’s no down time. It’s a favorite role of mine because it’s a signature role.”</p><p>“Don Quixote” is a very romantic, comic ballet,” she added. “I can watch it over and over again. It is one of the most performed ballets in Ballet Manila’s repertoire.</p><p>“It’s a happy ballet to watch and a great one to watch, especially if you’re a first timer. It can change your whole concept of coming to the ballet, a brilliant way to close our 30th year.”</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:633px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1755558854302BM_Ballet Manila_Renata Shakirova and Kimin Kim bring fresh fire to Don Quixote_article_photo2.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:633px"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Kimin Kim and Renata Shakirova of the Marinsky Ballet </span></span></span></div><div><strong>Marinsky stars</strong></div><p><strong></strong>Set to portray Kitri and Basilio in “Don Quixote” from August 22 to 24 at the Aliw Theater, Shakirova and Kim return to roles they’ve danced countless times -- but never the same way twice. <strong></strong></p><p>Shakirova, the new prima ballerina of Marinsky Ballet, first danced Kitri in 2015, while Kim, known for his virtuosity, debuted in his role when he was 17 back in 2010.</p><p>The two arrived in the Philippines first week of August and had a quick vacation in Boracay before rehearsing for their performance.</p><p>“When Kimin and I dance, everything comes together, emotion and technique,” said Shakirova. “I love dancing with Kimin in ‘Don Quixote’ because it’s like in a competition with each other, but a good and healthy kind of competition. Like we challenge each other to dance at our maximum effort.”</p><p>Performing a role repeatedly can either deepen a dancer’s mastery or dull their connection to the material. For the two international ballet stars, it’s a challenge they meet with precision, passion and a relentless pursuit of nuance.</p><p>“I think that the role of Kitri is my most performed role in the classical ballet repertoire,” Shakirova admitted. “I have to prepare for the performance like it’s my first time so that we are always paying attention and ready... It is our responsibility to always look into the details and discover something new with every rehearsal or performance.”</p><p>Having danced with Shakirova previously in the same roles, Kim still finds excitement in discovering something new about his partner. “It is always a pleasure to work with Renata. When we are dancing the same ballet a hundred times, there are also a hundred different versions of her dancing,&quot; he said.</p><p>“She is very emotional, and onstage she can show everything differently. As her partner, it is always so nice – I watch her with surprise, so I am never bored with her performance.”</p><p>The running time of Ballet Manila’s “Don Quixote” is a little less than Marinsky’s version, according to Macuja-Elizalde. “We shortened the running time to not include several mime scenes between the inn keeper and Sancho Panza,” she said.</p><p>“We concentrated on one highlight after another, one bravura number after another. We call ‘Don Quixote’ a clap trapper for a ballet. It’s more spontaneous and sincere. It doesn’t look like it was too studied or rehearsed. It looks meaningful.”</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>FROM THE ARCHIVES:</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3_Sh2PGsN2Q?autoplay=1&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eErBXP_D7RI?autoplay=1&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5y87kiGh0mg?autoplay=1&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/O7PDKT_0RFw?autoplay=1&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Once doubted to last more than a few seasons, Ballet Manila has grown into the country’s largest classical ballet company, marking its Pearl Year with a grand staging of "Don Quixote" featuring Mariinsky Ballet stars Renata Shakirova and Kimin Kim.</p>

Once doubted to last more than a few seasons, Ballet Manila has grown into the country’s largest classical ballet company, marking its Pearl Year with a grand staging of "Don Quixote" featuring Mariinsky Ballet stars Renata Shakirova and Kimin Kim.