Bianchi Espiritu as Aurora and Ivan Yson as Prince Desire in ‘Sleeping Beauty’ to be shown August 13, 5p.m., MRA at Assumption, San Lorenzo village, Makati
MY shift from golf to ballet was a no-brainer. When I lost my husband two years ago, I felt the pain of loneliness. We were together for nearly 55 years, sharing the highs and lows of married life. I was his favorite buddy, sharing our love of travel and his love of golf. I joined him in this sport when I turned 65, determined not to be a “golf widow.”
But suddenly, after a little over a decade, I became a grieving widow. But not for long. In my loneliness, God told me that He would always be by my side, and that He would be there when I called on Him. This promise became real to me when He reminded of my early dream.
The author as ballerina now
The Glamorous Swans will perform as guests for the first time onstage on August 13, MRA at Assumption. With founder of Claravall School of Dance, Malen Claravall (in yellow), they are, from left, Yvonne Peralta, Grace Raqinio, the author, Eva Santa Clara, Grace Mangubat
I have loved ballet since I was eight years old. It started when Nanay took me to watch a movie where I saw a scene with a ballerina doing pirouettes. I was captivated as she floated across the screen. That’s when my love for ballet began. I begged her to enroll me in a ballet class. She enrolled my sister and me in the ballet classes at the local YMCA. I remember that I danced with other classmates to a piece called Mazurka at my first recital. I was in a white costume with a coronet of flowers in my hair. I imagined myself as a fairy tale princess.
The author at eight years old
Nanay was so proud of me and my sister, that she volunteered the two us to perform whenever there was an occasion, like a fiesta or a birthday celebration. I continued taking lessons for a few more years, stopping only when ballet was banned by the nuns. I resumed my classes in high school at the Philippine omen’s University (PWU), then switched to folk dancing in my third year by joining the Bayanihan Dance Company, which was added to swimming and volleyball as a PE elective. I chose dancing because I was too short for volleyball, and was scared of the water.
Maribel Difiore flies in from New York, after a year and a half of online training, to join the performance at Assumption.
As Teacher Malen plays the classical music, each note brings me back to a realm where challenges of age or physical limitations do not matter
Little did I know that my childhood dream of becoming a ballerina would be fulfilled when, many years later, as an 80-year-old grandma, I was brought by God back to my eight-year-old self. I am currently enrolled at the Claravall Dance Studio (and loving every minute) under the tutelage of Marilinda Claravall-Yee, where I am now realizing my dream.
In a Christmas performance at SM BF, the author (in pink) with co-Glamorous Swan Eva Santa Clara
As one of the seniors in the Adult Ballet Class and for an hour two times a week, I get to put on my ballet slippers, my leotards, and half-skirt, enjoying every moment as I go through the barre exercises and center work with my classmates. We have performed twice in shows staged at the SMBF Mall in Sucat, and at a dance concert at the Assumption Theater featuring the classic Sleeping Beauty ballet.The best part is that I get to share the stage with my granddaughters Bianchi and Sophie Espiritu, who share the same love for ballet. As Teacher Malen plays the classical music, each note brings me back to a realm where challenges of age or physical limitations do not matter. As soon as I hear the music I am dancing—transported to a world where these challenges do not exist. In my mind and heart, I am a ballerina floating in my early memories of love for ballet.
Sleeping Beauty Cover
Watch The Awakening of Aurora, a two-part full-length story tweaked from the classical ballet Sleeping Beauty as she wakes up to the realities of life around her. It includes classical, character, contemporary, and modern dances providing not only entertainment, but also imparting inspirational messages. The performance is on Aug. 13, 2023, 5 pm at the Assumption Theater Makati by the students of the Claravall School of Dance with Marilinda Claravall-Yee, founder and directress, at the helm.
