Ballet Manila, MSO to stage Sleeping Beauty in March

Ballet Manila and the Manila Symphony Orchestra (MSO) will open their respective seasons with a full-length staging of Sleeping Beauty, set to the music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and performed live by the orchestra.

The staging will feature Ballet Manila’s version, choreographed by Lisa Macuja Elizalde, and part of the company’s Princess Trilogy following Cinderella and Snow White.

The ballet will be performed with live orchestral accompaniment under Russian conductor Alexander Vikulov. Tchaikovsky’s Op. 66 score features ceremonial marches, waltzes, and fairy variations that accompany the story of Princess Aurora. A highlight of the production is the Pas de Deux, which includes a solo violin passage to be performed by MSO concertmaster Alessio Benvenuti.

The staging opens milestone seasons for both institutions. The MSO, founded in 1926 and recognized as Asia’s oldest orchestra, celebrates its centennial season this year. Ballet Manila, meanwhile, opens its 40th performance season.

Both institutions are among the few in the country that continue to present full-length classical ballets with live orchestra. The collaboration reflects their continued commitment to sustaining large-scale productions that integrate symphonic music and classical dance for contemporary audiences.

Ballet Manila’s Sleeping Beauty will be staged on 13 March 2026 at 8 p.m., and on 14 and 15 March 2026 at 5 p.m., at Aliw Theater, CCP Complex, Pasay City. Tickets are available here. *Programs, artists, dates, and venues are subject to change.