BALLET MANILA
 
As the country's most sought-after and only touring classical ballet ensemble, BALLET MANILA has held true to its ideal of "ballet for the people".  Since its inception in January 1995, Ballet Manila has achieved an impressive track record of over 100 local concert performances--from Abra to Zamboanga--bringing the magic of dance to Filipinos from all walks of life and in all corners of the archipelago by performing classical and neo-classical ballet pieces in nontraditonal venues without compromising the fine artistry of its craft.

In 1995, within six months of its creation, Ballet Manila was invited to represent the Philippines at the 2nd International Music Festival of the Asia-Pacific Region in Krasnoyarsk, extending to a six-week Russian tour comprising 16 performances in four Siberian cities.

The following year, BM went on a four-city tour of the United States, including a debut performance in New York city on the occasion of the Philippine Independence Day celebration hosted by the Philippine Consulate. This marked the first gala performance of a classical ballet ensemble in what was considered the "dance capital of the world."

By October 1996, Ballet Manila scored another first with its unprecedented collaboration with the Kranoyarsk State Ballet, a 30-man Russian company who joined BM on s three-week tour of key cities in Luzon and the Visayas, on the occasion of Lisa Macuja's tenth anniversary as a homebased classical ballerina.  With their highly successful performances of Swan Lake and Don Quixote, the Filipino and Russian ballet companies forged a pioneering joint artistic venture--not only for both groups, but also for the countries they represent.

Artistic Director Eric V. Cruz, who has 30 years of experience in dance behind him, is heartened by how Ballet Manila has proven to be an important link in the chain of development in Philippine Dance. Cruz believes the competitive edge of BM rests on four important qualities of the dancers: youth, talent, a steadfast commitment to ballet, and most of all, belief in the group's aims and aspirations.

Aside from bringing classical ballet to the farthest-flung regions of the country and to audiences abroad, Ballet Manila has also set its sight on attracting a younger  crowd of balletomanes--one that will grow and mature with the group.  To achieve this each and every member of Ballet Manila has dedicated himself to working long and hard to earn his rightful place in the ballet world...knowing fully well that in this profession, only those who truly love to dance survive.
 
 
 

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