Prima ballerina Lisa Macuja-Elizalde bids farewell to her most enduring dance partner.
By ANJIE BLARDONY URETA
As the first Philippine-based prima ballerina, Lisa Macuja-Elizalde had long been celebrated for the breathtaking artistry and captivating performances that were the hallmarks of her extensive and illustrious dancing career.
Yet, her brilliance found its truest expression when paired with her most enduring dance partner, Osias Barroso. Their 30-year journey together, marked by unparalleled chemistry onstage and shared artistic vision as the driving force behind Ballet Manila, has become quite the stuff of legend.
Sadly, the local dance world now mourns the loss of that celebrated partnership. Last December 16, Barroso took his final bow, succumbing to a lingering illness and leaving his lifelong collaborator grappling with the profound loss of a creative soulmate.
“In Shaz, I found not only an excellent partner but also a loyal friend and a dependable ally,” says Macuja-Elizalde. “Over the years we have gone through the best and the worst of times together. He is irreplaceable and I will always be grateful for him.”
A gallant danseur
Osias Barroso, a former Thomasian and a resident dancer of the University of Santo Tomas’ Salinggawi dance troupe, began his formal dance training at 18 and enjoyed a long and prolific career as one of the country’s finest principal danseurs. Hailed as a “ballerina’s prince” for his exceptional skill in partnering, he performed the lead roles in both local and international productions of timeless classics such as Don Quixote, Swan Lake, Giselle, La Bayadere, The Nutcracker, Coppelia, La Sylphide, and Romeo and Juliet, as well as a good number of contemporary Filipino works.
“We first shared the stage at my homecoming concert in 1986,” the prima ballerina recalls. “Dancing Giselle, my Prince Albrecht then was Nonoy Froilan, while Shaz played Hilarion. He was so overwhelmed by the experience that he cried during curtain call. When he asked me to sign his souvenir program, I wrote: ‘Next time, you will be my partner.’ Neither of us realized how that short message would turn out to be self-fulfilling.”
The next two decades saw them dancing together in over 250 shows in five continents, 60 of which were full-length ballets. He was the sprightly Basilio to her playful Kitri, the steadfast Siegfried to her enchanted Odette/Odile, the inconsolable Don Jose to her capricious Carmen, the ill-fated Romeo to her star-crossed Juliet, among scores of classical roles that they have made distinctly their own.
“The secret of our success was quite simple: we danced as one,” she reveals. “We’ve become so comfortable with each other that I can dance with abandon and be assured that things are not likely to go wrong.”
“He was a gallant danseur who presented his ballerina with so much care and attention. He always said that a danseur’s primary job was to help his ballerina shine — and this was the same attitude he imparted to all his male students.”
Generous to a fault
Their seamless collaboration extended beyond the stage, with the creation of Ballet Manila in 1995. After the passing its first artistic director, Eric V. Cruz, the duo took over the company’s leadership, with Macuja-Elizalde as CEO/artistic director and Barroso as co-artistic director, ballet master, and resident choreographer.
Under their guidance, Ballet Manila became synonymous with artistic brilliance, garnering accolades and invitations to prestigious festivals worldwide, and producing a long list of winners in local and international competitions. Their commitment to nurturing local talent has contributed to the development of a new generation of dance professionals, many of whom went to pursue their own careers as artists and teachers.
As ballet master, Barroso was in-charge of the daily training of dancers whom he drilled unrelentingly in the rigorous Vaganova technique. Known to the younger company members and students as “Teacher Shaz,” he was a formidable figure inside the studio who exacted the highest standards of performance and commitment from his dancers, while at the same time remained as a big-hearted and open-handed mentor who was generous to a fault.
“He was devoted to the company,” says Macuja-Elizalde. “He would always go the extra mile, not just for individual students or dancers but for the entire company as an organization. He spent more hours than anyone else in the studio, to the point of sacrificing his health. He found it very difficult not to give 110 percent of himself.”
As his career progressed, Barroso transitioned into choreography, creating pieces that have become staples in the BM repertoire such as Ang Prinsipe ng mga Ibon, In Quest, Gabriela ng Vigan, and Pinocchio. His lavish choreography, Ecole, which depicts the different stages in the life of a classical dancer, remains to be one of Ballet Manila’s signature show-stoppers.
A Legacy of Inspiration
Unfortunately, Barroso’s unwavering dedication faced a formidable challenge when his rapidly deteriorating health compelled him to retire in 2021.
Last October, Macuja-Elizalde organized the tribute concert “Dance for Shaz: A Celebration of a Life in Dance” which featured over 20 companies and schools that have worked with Barroso in various capacities over the years. Although his condition had been unstable in the months preceding the show, Barroso made a surprise appearance and was able to witness the entire program, to the delight of his colleague and students.
However, the happiness was destined to be short-lived as they lost their beloved Teacher Shaz two months later.
According to his sister, on the night he passed away, Barroso had been watching an old video of Ballet Manila’s concert OPM At Iba Pa, which included his powerful solo performance in the choreographic piece, Nais Ko.
A few hours later, he died peacefully in his sleep.
“I miss him. We all miss him,” says a pensive Macuja-Elizalde. “I think the best way we can keep him close to our hearts, as his friends and as a company, is to continue being motivated by his example — his generosity, his loyalty, his passion, his genuine love and commitment to dance which he dedicated his entire life to. We can just carry out that legacy.”
