VAIO Celebrates 25 Years of Prestige of “The Ballerina of the People”

One of those who belong to this exclusive and distinguished circle is none other than the most phenomenal ballerina the Philippines has ever produced, Lisa Macuja-Elizalde.  Beyond the realm of ballet, she is also a cultural icon, a champion for Philippine art, and a visionary.

Macuja’s unique contribution to the Filipino people was celebrated by Sony Philippines during the launch of the New VAIO Collection held at The Peninsula Manila.  Sony Philippines recognized the unmatched achievement of a valued and loyal customer, who has touched audiences throughout the Philippines and in more than 85 cities in 5 continents around the world.

Prima Ballerina

She inherited her love of ballet from her mother, a ballerina herself.  She was nine when she stepped into her first ballet class in the studio inside St. Theresa’s College, where she was enrolled as a grade school pupil.  These ballet classes also became lessons on dedication and commitment to her craft.  All hard work soon paid off spectacularly, as straight out of high school, she was accepted into the Vaganova Choreographic Institute in Saint Petersburg as a scholar of the USSR Ministry of Culture.  She soon found herself graduating at the top of her class, and becoming the first non-Russian to be invited to join the Kirov Ballet – a 260-year old institution in Dance.

Three years later, Macuja became the first Filipina ballerina to ever bring home a laureate prize, as the recipient of the silver medal from the Asia-Pacific Ballet Competition in Tokyo. 

With her unprecedented number of performances and length of career, she was able to keep her top form with the help of her Handycam, which she used to capture her performances, both for sentimental reasons as well as objective evaluation.  She is someone who seeks perfection in every dance, no matter how imperfect external conditions maybe.  She turns to her VAIO to review the nuances of her pirouettes, leaps and turns, and see where she can improve further.

A Leader with a Vision

Pure ardor allowed her to be called a prima ballerina at an early age.  As the years went on, Macuja continued to receive numerous citations attesting to her world-class achievements.

But even with her accomplishments on the international stage, she chose to come home to the Philippines, and nurture its ballet scene and Filipino performers to global prominence.  In 1995, she helped create Ballet Manila, a school and a company that adheres to the high standards of discipline and creativity, using the pedagogy of the iconic Russian ballet pioneer Agrippina Vaganova. During the first 10 years of Ballet Manila’s touring, Macuja has led the Company on classical ballet performance tours in Russia and in the U.S.A., and in arts festivals in Scotland, South Korea, China, Cambodia and Japan.

Back in her home country, Ballet Manila is loved for bringing to life Filipino tales and tradition, through Ang Tatlong Kwento ni Lola Basyang and the Halo-Halo Concert Series.

The Ballerina of the People

In her dream to make ballet more accessible to Filipinos, Macuja led the Company in outreach performance tours of more than 45 cities and towns throughout the Philippines. Often, they have to contend with less-than-deal conditions for performances, especially in the provinces.   Because many venues do not have resources for a live pianist, Macuja uses her VAIO as an audio-video instrument, doing basic music editing on the spot, so she can playback a piece according to the requirements of her students.

Still in pursuit of a vision to hone future prima ballerinas, she pioneered Project Ballet Futures with the Philippine Christian Foundation.  It is set apart from other programs as it caters to aspiring young talents from indigent families to receive ballet training, tights, plus a supply of milk and vitamins all for free, aside from a modest stipend.

Her passion to bring ballet to the masses has led many to call her the “Ballerina of the People.”  In recognition of all that she’s accomplished, she received awards such as The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service (TOWNS) in 1989, the special Prize for Artistry by the House of Diaghilev (Moscow) in 1992, The Outstanding Young Filipino (TOYF) in 1995, The Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World (TOYP U.S.A.) in 1997, and the Order of International Friendship by none other than Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2001.

An Advocate for Philippine Culture

But aside from being a champion for Philippine ballet, Macuja is also actively involved in the promotion and preservation of culture.

Two years ago, she also started hosting “Art 2 Art”, a groundbreaking radio program over dzRH, which pays tribute to National Artists and features interviews with artists from various disciplines in a light and casual moment, making them more appealing and familiar to the listening public.

She has served as Commissioner of the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women; and is currently completing her elected term as Vice-Chairman of the Philippine UNESCO National Commission.  She also serves as founding treasurer of the Artists Welfare Project.

Commitment to Family

Above it all, no matter where her responsibilities as prima ballerina, Ballet Manila artistic director, and humanitarian may take her, Macuja makes sure she devotes herself completely as a wife to industrialist and painter Fred Elizalde and as a mother to Missy and Mac.

As a mom, she is a hands-on and influential figure, as she finds time to talk to them as they come home from class. Missy and Mac are already manifesting signs of the social conscience of both parents, as they use the VAIO units given by their mother to advocate for issues like the environment and endangered species in their blogs. They are also budding artists, who had surprised their mother with a creative audio-video production they made and played on her VAIO as a gift for Mother’s Day. 

Macuja’s Ballet Manila staff comprise of an extended family with whom she is constantly connected, whether she’s at home or in the office.  They, too, are owners of VAIO, after being given laptops by Macuja as gifts on personal occasions.  She has multiple social networking accounts, a website, and a blog, all of which she actively maintains using her laptop.

And as the connectivity of the internet overcame geographical barriers, Macuja used her VAIO to fulfill her dream of going back to college.  Her hectic schedule as a ballerina has made this difficult in the past.  But now, she is very happy to have used her VAIO to expand her horizons, being her study partner that helped her complete a Management Degree with honors from the University of Phoenix online.   

Lisa @ 25

An incarnation of a true renaissance woman, Lisa Macuja-Elizalde is a woman of many passions, who trusts VAIO, the desired luxury laptop brand, to help her take on her varied roles with the same effortless grace she has shown onstage all these 25 years as a prima ballerina.

Today, she is still as passionate and devout not just to ballet but also to her vision for ballet.  This year, she will be celebrating her 25 years as a ballerina with a series of performances that will encapsulate the highlights of her magnificent career.  This celebration will be a chance for us to get to know the life that Macuja had lived with her art, and perhaps for some, a chance to get know her art for the very first time.  Her long roster of achievements and the way she has chosen to share her life with her countrymen holds her up as a shining personification of true VAIO Prestige.

Since its introduction in the market, the Sony VAIO has been the trusted and choice personal computer of icons, leaders, and luminaries.