Lisa on her ballet roles as Kitri, Giselle, Carmen

Prolonged illness prevented me from watching Don Quixote. Ballet Manila kindly sent me the elegant program of its presentation wherein Lisa Macuja recounts how she came to dance the principal role of Kitri in Don Q. Her story, which follows, proves how outstanding talent will inevitably be discovered — and rewarded.

To say that Kitri is my dream role would be an understatement. By now, every balletomane who has followed my career would know that this winsome happy-go-lucky daughter of an innkeeper has become my stage alter ego, a character that fits me like a second skin, the ballet persona that brought out the best in my dancing because of the passion and flamboyance that typified her.

I had my eyes set on that role way before I arrived in Russia. And the prospect of doing a full-length Don Quixote with the Kirov Ballet fueled all my waking hours, so much so that even while I was still relegated to doing variations, I already spent extra time rehearsing portions of the ballet that do not require a partner just so I could fly on my own and enjoy myself.

The much-awaited day came towards the end of 1985, when Kirov Ballet artistic director Oleg Vinogradov informed me that I was dancing Kitri in the full-length Don Quixote in January of 1986! The first thing I did was to run to the post office to book an overseas call and break the good news to my parents.

To prepare for Kitri, I was assigned a new rehearsal mistress — Merited Artist of Russia Gabriella Trofimovna Komleyeva, who was then still a ballerina of the Kirov while in her late 40s. (She was a contemporary of my own teacher, Tatiana Alexandrovna Udalenkova, at the Leningrad Choreographic School.) The days leading to this most cherished performance were nerve-wracking. I also got so absorbed in the character of Kitri that most nights, I had to sit quietly in my dressing room for half an hour to calm down before getting up to take a shower!

Finding a partner to play my Basilio also became a prolonged waiting game because the likely candidates were all injured. Finally, in an interesting (and very welcome) turn of events, it was decided that no less than Faroukh Ruzimatov, principal dancer of the Kirov, would be my Basilio. That completed the fairy-tale-like feeling of this entire episode in my dancing career.

On January 8, 1986, Don Quixote became Kirov Ballet’s first major matinee performance, so I had both my beloved families — the Macujas and the Vikulovs — celebrating this unforgettable moment with me. I felt like I was the luckiest girl alive.

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Exciting bravura was always my forte. My goal is to keep performing Kitri with just the right amount of power to keep the audience at the edge of their seats until the last fouetté is done! (End of quote)

Mikhail Martynyuk, principal dancer of the Kremlin Ballet Theatre, was Lisa’s Basilio at the Aliw Theater. The 27-year-old danseur is 21 years younger than Lisa. But being the ageless, durable prima ballerina, Lisa presumably matched Mikhail’s verve and élan!

For the rest of Lisa’s Swan Song Series, she will be dancing as Giselle with David Makhateli, former principal dancer of The Royal Ballet, as Prince Albrecht on Oct. 19, and Oct. 21, 5:30 p.m. at Aliw Theater, and as Carmen with Rudy de Dios as Don Jose on Oct. 25, 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 27, 7:30 p.m. at Star Theater.

On her role as Giselle, Lisa recounts: Two weeks before my birthday in 1985, the Kirov Ballet informed me that I would be dancing the Peasant pas de deux in Giselle on Oct. 3 — exactly the day I turn 21. My partner was Sergey Vikharev.

This part was known to be a killer and many ballerinas try very hard to avoid dancing it. The first time I performed it on onstage, I could no longer feel my feet by the time I got to the second variation!

On her role as Carmen, Lisa writes in part: I waited a very long time before choreographer Eric V. Cruz announced that I was ready to dance his Carmen. Whether she comes out as a slut, a seductress, a witch, or a victim of circumstance, Carmen is a woman determined to survive, using any means at her disposal in order to do so. Undeniably, sexy Carmen is an adult ballet with a PG rating. My own kids loved the part when Mama gets stabbed. I have died onstage so many times in many different roles, but Carmen is the best because she goes down laughing at the irony of it all.