The Dawn collaborates with Ballet Manila for band's Ruby anniversary
MANILA, Philippines — Local rock band The Dawn is teaming up with Ballet Manila (BM) for a two-day free post-Valentine show aptly dubbed "The Dawn of Ballet" at the Aliw Theater.
The show presented by the Manila Broadcasting Corp. is a special edition of BM's "Ballet and Ballads" series and is a part of The Dawn's 40th anniversary as a band.
Coincidentally also marking 40 years this 2026 is the homecoming of Ballet Manila's artistic director Lisa Macuja-Elizalde from Russia's Kirov Ballet, now called the Mariinsky Ballet.
"In the show, each of The Dawn songs are a stand-alone number. The dances here are free interpretations, as against the difficulty of performing classical ballet," said Lisa about her company's versatility during a press conference.
Ballet Manila gave a preview to one of the numbers in the forthcoming show. Martin Lawrence choreographed the band's 2000 hit "I Saw You Coming" with a modern interpretation featuring a duet, trio, and quartet segments.
Now on his 11th year assisting Ballet Manila, Martin has choreographed 12 beautiful pieces for the company. For the show, he will be writing the movement to four of the band's chosen songs written in English.
"Dancers come in, dancers mature. Then new dancers come in. It's interesting to see the journey of the dance," said Martin.
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On the other hand, Gerardo Francisco Jr. will be choreographing four other songs of the band that's written in Tagalog. There will be a script in between to connect all featured songs.
"We chose the songs from our biggest hits and a new one we recorded, “Saan Ka Pupunta” in 2025. Ballet Manila’s choreography will make our music a spectacle," shared The Dawn's lead vocalist Jett Pangan, who was present with his bandmates.
"We will be performing based on our gigs but, this time, we will provide space for the dancers to move. It's a collaboration. We have a show!"
After the collaboration, Jett added that The Dawn would be touring Australia and New Zealand in April and May then have an anniversary concert in Manila on June 27.
In the past, Ballet Manila has collaborated with other music artists for its "Ballet and Ballads" series like Lani Misalucha, Basil Valdez, Jaya, and Christian Bautista, to name a few.
Thirty one years of ballet has given rise to a lot of collaborations," Lisa added.
"The Dawn of Ballet" unfolds at the Aliw Theater on February 20 and 21 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be booked via Ballet Manila's Facebook page.
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