The two-act production celebrates the dance company’s 30th anniversary and showcases its promising students.
A young girl awakens from her slumber one Christmas Eve. She wakes up to her Nutcracker toy transformed into a brave prince ready to do battle in a land of candied sweets, Sugar Plum Fairies, and waltzing flowers—all these set to one of the most recognizable scores in classical ballet. This scene is part of the radiant Christmas Ballets presented by Steps Dance Studio, which celebrates its 30th year as one of the country’s most progressive dance schools.
“Highly talented young students and top-quality sets, lights, costumes, and choreography—I promise you will smile throughout the show and feel the full joy and spirit of Christmas!” beams Steps Dance Studio founder Sofia Zobel-Elizalde as she watches a round of rehearsals in their bright and festively decorated studio. “It will be a feast for the eyes.”
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Dancing through life from a very young age and professionally for seven years with Ballet Philippines before getting married and founding Steps Dance Studio, Sofia speaks with much joy and nostalgia. Her eyes especially light up when talking about her kids and all those nights rehearsing the legendary yuletide ballet, as Clara, just like it was yesterday. “I didn’t want to go home. My dancing years were wonderful and all great memories! But a highlight for every young girl is to get the role of Clara. It is the one ballet where a young girl can get the lead role and the story revolves around her. It’s a magical role, and so much fun!”
She now enjoys her role not only as managing director of the dance school, but also as a mentor paving the way for young dancers as they explore the life-changing possibilities of dance. For Sofia, Christmas Ballets is an opportunity for audiences to see talented students from her school, which encourages the study of classical ballet at a very early age.
As the spirited music of National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab comes alive, performers 20 years old and younger confidently burst into the scene accompanied by James Laforteza’s fluid mixture of classical and contemporary movements. Sofia reminds us that all performers are pre-professionals and students.
Magic truly happens as the youthful ballerinas move with poise and confidence from song to song, a coming together of magic and discipline. Sofia explains her studio does not have the hierarchy of professional companies (no principals or prima ballerinas here), yet her academy is steeped in the syllabus of The Royal Academy of Dance, with older students going into the Vaganova Method.
Nothing makes Sofia prouder than her students, and the success of her graduates and scholars who have turned professional in different dance companies here and abroad. “So many stories, and too many to share. But most recently, two of our former male scholars, Elwince Magbitang and Vince Pelegrin, have both joined the main company of American Ballet Theater,” Sofia shares, beaming from ear to ear.
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Both were spotted at Steps by director of ABT Studio Company Sascha Radetsky, who invited them to join the Jackie Kennedy Onassis School in New York City. After a year, Elwince was accepted to the studio company and later into the ABT’s main company. Meanwhile, Pelegrin was recently invited as an apprentice in the main company.
As we continue into the second act of the Christmas warhorse, Sofia points out that Danier Laganzo, who plays the Nutcracker Prince, will leave for Canada to join Alberta Ballet as an apprentice. “In the end, it is our hope to keep this beautiful art form of classical ballet alive in the Philippines and to pass to the next generation the joy and passion of it all to raise the barre in classical technique to be competitive with the rest of the world,” she emphatically shares as the company takes a quick break.
Sofia looks wistfully at her very young students, some fitting their wings as guardian angels in the restaging. She gently reminds them to smile and take their time. “It has been a complete joy and passion for me to be able to pass down to the next generation all the work ethic and learning I have gotten through the years of being in this industry,” she shares.
Steps Dance Studio is excited to once again work with award-winning scenographer Gino Gonzales who created the sets and costumes for the two-act show.
“Christmas Ballets is a grand reunion of very talented artists and friends I have worked with through the years. All very seasoned at their craft and we are more or less from the same generation,” Sofia mentions, adding, “We know each other’s work ethic very well and are all very demanding of the highest standards.”
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Traditions will always be at the heart of Christmas, and Gino takes a range of inspiration from time-honored renditions of the Nutcracker and colorful pastillas paper wrapper motifs (pabalat) from Bulacan. Christmas lanterns (parol) made in Las Piñas and Bulacan round up the festive vibe.
“It’s been awhile since I’ve done a traditional set with a false proscenium, incorporating characters from the story, and traditional legs and borders. So it was a great privilege to be able to create in this classic manner,” Gino shares. Without giving much away, the result is gorgeous and magical.
The recent Gawad CCP Para Sa Sining 2024 awardee was, once again, given full artistic freedom in creating sets and costumes for both acts of Christmas Ballets. He works closely with Pinoy Christmas choreographer James Laforteza and Nutcracker Second Act re-stager Jeffrey Floyd Espejo, with assistant Pamela Espejo giving invaluable notes on the version they wanted to mount. “Working with Gino is a privilege,” Sofia enthuses. “He is an outstanding and very meticulous designer that anyone would be so fortunate to work with.”
Choreographer, in-house teacher, and a long-time friend of Sofia’s, James is well-known for his choreography in The Little Mermaid. For Christmas Ballets, he takes on familiar heartwarming themes and sets them against Cayabyab’s music and OPM. Former Ballet Manila principals Jeffrey and Pamela Espejo, meanwhile, take on restaging responsibilities based on Marius Pepita’s original choreography. Both are seasoned teachers as well.
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During a break, Sofia leans into theater lighting veteran Katsch Catoy, and consults a detail on a Nutcracker segment. Katsch was also the lighting designer for Sofia’s first turn essaying Clara over 40 years ago.
Christmas Ballets has been an enchanting time for everyone involved in the production, especially for Sofia and Samsung Theatre’s Christopher Mohnani, a former principal with Ballet Manila, who created a memorable experience even before the curtains go up.
“We don’t just want people to watch the ballet, we want to give them an experience and a feeling when they come to the lobby, it’s festive and colorful, with a little corner full of candies and friends singing Christmas carols, an hour before each show,” Sofia excitedly shares with a twinkle in her eye.
Will there be a not so distant probability of mounting a full-length Nutcracker production perhaps? “We are slowly working our way to a full length in the future! So you must stay tuned!” Sofia teases. In this season of possibilities and magic, anything can really happen indeed, when one believes.
And Sofia Zobel-Elizalde is a true believer in magic, discipline, and joy.
Christmas Ballets by Steps Dance Studio is a ballet in two acts. Act 1: Pinoy Christmas has music by Ryan Cayabyab and choreography by James Laforteza. Act 2: The Nutcracker is restaged by Jeffrey Floyd Espejo with Pamela Espejo. For both acts, production design and costumes are by Gino Gonzales, with lighting by Katsch Catoy. Performances were staged from Dec. 13 to 15 at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit Makati.
