Lisa Macuja prepares for retirement

What do prima ballerinas like Lisa Macuja-Elizalde do when they decide to retire?

Not ride quietly into the sunset, for one.

Lisa will not hang  her ballet shoes and tutu in a far corner of her closet when she retires three years from now.  She will still do those pirouettes, but only on special occasions.

She will focus on overseeing shows  in Aliw Theater, Star Theater and Elizalde Hall, located beside Star City in Pasay City.

It’s what her husband, Fred J. Elizalde,  owner of the said venues, wants.

“The plan to open up the venues to producers (of concerts, independent films, stage plays, corporate events, etc.) has been two years in the making,” she said at a luncheon organized with the help of Pelita Peralta-Uy of Beginnings at Twenty Plus Inc.

The hubby doesn’t want Lisa – and the said venues to be idle.

“My husband wants something always happening at Aliw Theater (which he himself designed) and Star Theater.  He’s bothered when  nothing’s going on,” she reveals.

And since “I can’t dance everyday,” she decided to open the venues’ doors  to other artists.

Money is not the driving force, Lisa tells you. Art is.

For art’s sake

“I never thought of it as a business venture,” she explains. “I’ve always thought of it as a venue for my art, for my performances.”

Now that she’s “on the brink of retirement,” Lisa realized the venues’ huge potential in being a hub for the arts, not just on weekends, but  everyday as well.

Let the Big Dome and the Cultural Center of the Philippines take care of grand productions. Aliw , with its 2,700 seating capacity, can stage medium-sized concerts and events.

“Not all producers can afford shows in grand venues,” Lisa observes. “There are producers who prefer more manageable venues,  marketing-wise. This is the market we want to hit. We want producers to have an affordable venue that will allow them to keep their costs down and offer tickets to the viewing public at a popular price.”

Star Theater, on the other hand, is even more scaled-down, with its 800 seating capacity.  This, Lisa thinks, makes it just right for movie screenings, intimate concerts, plays and musicals.

The artistic director of Ballet Manila, Lisa knows the  aches and pains producers go through.

“I know the importance of keeping costs within the budget,” she relates.

So Lisa is open to co-productions,  guesting in the show and cost negotiations. 

“I can endorse the show, dance in the concert.  There are so many things we can do!” she gushes.

For starters, Lisa will hold the “Swan Song Series 2012,” which includes her farewell performances of Don Quixote, Carmen and Giselle in the said venues.

Her husband, for sure, will take the front seat,  applauding her all the way.