Lisa Macuja: Daughter's Dream Come True

It's been a month since my daughter and I watched Giselle at the Aliw Theater. She was mesmerized by the performance of the prima ballerina, Ms. Lisa Macuja-Elizalde.

“She doesn’t run, she floats. She doesn’t balance, she hovers. She doesn’t jump, she flies... And in the end, I hope I won’t be the only one crying at I bid farewell to Giselle,” Lisa Macuja-Elizalde says.

She's wonderful, divine and spectacular. Seeing her do the ballet turns and twists is truly captivating. I was in awe as her body seems to really float, glide and fly in the air. She moves perfectly, passionately and in full emotion. You can really feel the way her eyes sparkle seeing Albrecht and how those same eyes elicit sadness. Everything about her was indeed a sight to behold.

And of course, Mikhail Martynyuk of Kremlin Ballet, all the dancers, danseurs and the Manila Symphony Orchestra are outstanding as well.

Having given the chance to meet and greet Ms. Lisa Macuja after the show makes the day truly memorable. My daughter felt star-strucked.

I know that this signed memorabilia is something that she will forever treasure. It says, "To Skylah, Keep on dancing! Lisa Macuja"

It had been the second year of Lisa Macuja's Swan Song Series, of which Don Quixote, Giselle and Carmen are part of, as she bid adieu to her  signature dance roles. I'm so glad that my daughter and I were able to watch her last performance of Giselle on stage. It’s a once in a lifetime experience.

"Nevertheless, Giselle is a role that I think I can continue to perform again and again and not grow tired of because there are so many ways of interpreting her. I never run out of new discoveries each time I dance her onstage." - from the souvenir program.

My daughter and I had watched a couple of ballet shows, and I can say that Lisa Macuja's Giselle is the best and tops it all. It's memorably incredible. She deserves the multiple standing ovations that everyone at the audience gave her during the curtain call. With the warm reception she received, she gave tears of joy - an emotion that we also had felt.

Yes, a month had passed since seeing Giselle, yet whenever I remember the curtain call while the teary-eyed prima ballerina shakes her head, the cheers and the loving applause seems to resound.

Giselle | October 21, 2012 at Aliw Theater

To Ms. Lisa Macuja-Elizalde, you're an inspiration! For my daughter, in the world of ballet, you reign supreme!

Thank you to Freeway for the tickets... and to Dante Perez, her EA, for the souvenir photo and the meet-and-greet session.

Hopefully, her Swan Song Series Year 3 will push through. We won't miss that for sure.

"A ballerina still dancing in her 28th season is rare. But a ballerina dancing her final Don Quixote, Giselle and Carmen on her 28th season is even more unique. Though one thing is for sure – no matter how ready you think you are, it’s still so hard to say goodbye." -- from the souvenir program.