In this July 2026 edition of ALPHA, we turn the spotlight on Ballet Manila founder Lisa Macuja-Elizalde, a modern-day icon in Philippine arts and culture whose influence has transformed the local dance landscape for decades.
The country’s first and only locally based prima ballerina for three decades, Lisa Macuja-Elizalde built an extraordinary career that spans the world’s great ballet stages. After graduating with honors from the prestigious Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet in 1984, she became a soloist with the Kirov Ballet (now the Mariinsky Ballet), where she performed iconic roles such as Giselle and Kitri in Don Quixote. She returned to Manila in 1986 determined to champion Philippine ballet on an international scale as a Philippine-based principal ballerina, later founding Ballet Manila in 1995, which has since grown into one of Asia’s leading classical ballet companies.
Lisa’s contributions to ballet and the arts have earned her numerous local and international distinctions, including Ten Outstanding Young Filipinos, Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World (TOYP), and the Order of International Friendship from the Russian Federation. Over the past decades, she has devoted herself to nurturing the next generation of dancers through Ballet Manila, the Lisa Macuja School of Ballet, and Project Ballet Futures (PBF), the internationally recognized scholarship program she founded in 2008 to provide deserving students with professional ballet training.
In this edition of ALPHA, we sit down with the celebrated ballerina, artistic director, educator, and cultural leader to learn more about the woman behind the remarkable legacy.
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What is your idea of the good life?
A restful sleep, lazy mornings, good food and creative projects to keep me busy
What is an overrated luxury?
Bags, clothes, shoes.
What is on your nightstand?
Books, thermos of water, reading lamp, sleeping mask, and ear plugs.
What is a book everybody should read?
The Bible.
What is your favorite film?
I actually don’t have a favorite film. I just like watching all sorts of films.
What have you been listening to lately?
Sylvia (the ballet).
What is your current state of mind?
I’m actually a little scared. I am about to have hip joint replacement surgery.
What ritual brings you joy?
Early morning work out after a cup of good coffee.
What quality do you admire most in others?
Empathy.
What is your pet peeve?
Liars.
What skill do you wish to learn?
To drive a car.
What historical figure would you like to have dinner with and where?
Agrippina Vaganova on Zodchevo Rossi street in St. Petersburg, Russia.
What is your signature drink?
Champagne or prosecco
What is your most prized possession?
My knowledge on classical ballet.
What is your most treasured memory?
My first full length Don Quixote in the Kirov Theater.
What is your boldest decision?
To come back home and be based in the Philippines as a classical ballerina
What’s the most useless advice you have received?
I’m trying to think of something but I think all advice has some use as long as it’s given with the right intention. Maybe making a compress out of my urine for my ankle pain in Russia.
What is your greatest regret?
All the instances that I insisted on dancing in pain believing that the show must go on. I should have been kinder to myself.
Who keeps you grounded?
My parents, my kids, my husband.
What is your guilty pleasure?
Long massages.
What trend should make a comeback?
Reading actual physical books.
What trend should stay in the past?
Padded shoulders.
What is your motto?
No pain no gain.
How do you want to be remembered?
As a person who did her best.
What is next for you?
Upcoming? Life with two artificial hips!!
