Submitted by admin on Sun, 12/08/2013 - 00:00

Arts and Culture

Children and Youth

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A Philippine ballet school helps kids defy gravity in many ways.
Poor people dance?
Poor people dance?

There's something intrinsically beautiful about ballet. It's so graceful, the dancers so poised, so powerful.

But with costly lessons and attire, it's out of reach for the average Filipino.

And truth be told, many of us probably think it's a luxury anyway, and that if you can't afford it, you just shouldn't be dancing. Right?

Ballet Manila thinks differently.

Led by the Philippines' most famous prima ballerina, Lisa Macuja-Elizalde, Ballet Manila offers a dance scholarship that provides free ballet education to disadvantaged students.

Called Project Ballet Futures, the programme offers those in public elementary and high school a chance to be trained, to get food and transportation, and a chance to choreograph a brighter future.

Take Action

Jessa Balote, Jamil Montibon and Raymart Ramos are just three of the programme's students who are defying gravity in many ways.

Find out how you can help more students like Jessa, Jamil and Raymart through the Ballet Manila Foundation.

This is where 15-year-old Jessa Balote came from, a shanty town
The fifth of six children in the family, she used to go with her parents at night to collect, sort and sell rubbish
She was 10 when she passed an audition and won a scholarship with Ballet Manila
essa has reached the finals at the Asian Grand Prix ballet competition in Hong Kong and been promoted to become a salaried apprentice with the ballet company, giving her hope of a better future
 
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amil Montibon was asked to jump as high as he could during an audition that he was hesitant to even go for. But he did, and passed the audition
A runaway child, without a father, that jump propelled him out of the slum and gave him motivation.
Raymart Ramos was 18 when he became one of Ballet Manila's first dance scholars. Before that, he lived in orphanages or on the streets, doing any work he could find to feed himself
Now he has three children of his own and he's shared his love for ballet with his nine-year-old daughter, who dances too
Jamil, Jessa and Raymart are ballet dancers — poised, elegant, beautiful, and poor
Dance
Poverty
Mentorship
Skills-based
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Project Ballet Futures
Project Ballet Futures has been going strong since 2008, and currently has 25 students from the Philippine Christian Foundation in Tondo and public elementary and high schools in Pasay City, Makati City and Manila.
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