Creative / Artistic Team

Speaker

Lisa Macuja-Elizalde

Artistic Director & Chief Executive Officer

Ballet Manila Inc.

Lisa Macuja-Elizalde is a celebrated prima ballerina and co-founder of Ballet Manila, known for her dedication to bringing ballet to a broader Filipino audience. Trained in the rigorous Vaganova method at the Leningrad Choreographic Institute (now the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet) in Saint Petersburg, Russia, she became the first foreign soloist to join the prestigious Kirov Ballet (Mariinsky Ballet).

Upon her return to the Philippines, she became the first artist-in-residence at the Cultural Center of the Philippines and performed as a principal dancer with various companies. Since founding Ballet Manila in 1995, she has served as Artistic Director and CEO, leading the company in numerous acclaimed productions both locally and internationally.

Awards and Recognitions:

  • Order of International Friendship awarded by the Russian Federation
  • Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World (TOYP U.S.A.)
  • The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service (TOWNS)
  • Gawad CCP Para sa Sining Award for Dance

Notable Ballet Productions:

  • Swan Lake
  • Giselle
  • Don Quixote
  • Romeo and Juliet
  • Ibong Adarna (choreographed by Gerardo Francisco)

Lisa Macuja-Elizalde continues to shape the Philippine ballet scene with her commitment to dance education, outreach programs, and her vision of bringing ballet to the people, and more people to the ballet.