This Month in BM History: April 2002
Principal dancers Osias Barroso Jr. and Lisa Macuja Elizalde led Ballet Manila’s show featured in Intramuros Evenings. Souvenir program from the Ballet Manila Archives collection
On April 19, 2002, Ballet Manila was the featured guest in Intramuros Evenings, a performing arts series hosted by the Intramuros Administration at the Puerta Real Gardens located inside the famed Walled City of Manila.
Ballet Manila presented a show called Symphony at Sayaw, with a repertoire showcasing the best of the company’s offerings in the classics, neo-classics and Filipino contemporary dance.
Tony Fabella’s Classical Symphony, set to the music of Sergei Prokofiev, was led by principal artists Lisa Macuja Elizalde and Osias Barroso Jr. They were joined by eight other dancers who wove together the choreographer’s visual images ranging from the flamboyant to the still but consistently characterized by precision throughout.
The classics were represented in three numbers – Swan Lake Adagio from Act 2, Harlequinade Pas de Deux and Le Corsaire Pas de Deux.
For a taste of Filipino contemporary material, Ballet Manila performed Sayao sa Pamlang, a colorful suite of dances inspired by Southern Philippine culture as interpreted by choreographer Agnes Locsin (now National Artist for Dance).
As a finale, the full cast presented Sabihin Mo, choreographed to the Smokey Mountain hit song of the same title composed by Ryan Cayabyab (now also a National Artist). This particular number was by then a Ballet Manila staple, often performed in the group’s tours abroad as it celebrated pride in being Filipino. With dancers wearing Filipiniana and waving Philippine flags, it was a particularly fitting number to close a show set in the historic and culture-rich venue that is Intramuros.
