<B>Declasse to purists, pure fun to Pinoys</B> <BR>BY MARGE C. ENRIQUEZ in The Philippine Daily Inquirer<P><BR>IN JUST six years, Ballet Manila has reached the pinnacle of success. From a breakaway ensemble group with a safe repertoire of classical divertissements, it now has a full-fledged company, replete with male and female corps de ballet, a studio, commissioned works, a budget for visiting guest-teachers and choreographers, and its very own Star City Theater.<P>That's the biggest news of all. The company's new location in the Star City complex augurs well for its mission of making an arcane art form accessible to the mass market.<P>The 840-seater theater, with plush upholstered seats and marble flooring, costs nearly P60 million. The engineers traveled to major entertainment complexes in the world for the latest sound and technology systems. The walls are lined with life-size posters of Ballet Manila's soloists in their signature roles. Unlike the GSIS Theater whose stage is too small for full-length ballets, the Star City Theater is deep and wide for spectacle dancing.<P><A HREF="http://globalarchive.ft.com/globalarchive/article.html?id=011210002748&query=ballet" TARGET=_blank><B>click for more</B></A>