Marianne Grace Francisco
Training and Honors
Mara started her ballet training at the age of 7 under Venus Basas. In 2002, she received a two week scholarship at the Australian Conservatoire of Ballet in Melbourne, Australia. She then furthered her training with Brezhnev Larlar, Rolby Lacaba, and Fred Fernandez for classical ballet and contemporary dance.
She has also trained in jazz and hip hop under Hotlegs Dance Company, Philippine Allstars, and the UP Streetdance Crew. In 2012, she was a semi-finalist in the Senior Division of the National Music Competition for Young Artists Ballet Competiton. Continuing her classical training with Anatoly Panasyukov and Ronilo Jaynario, Mara joined PBT as an apprentice in 2016 and was promoted to Company Artist in 2018.
Performances
Mara has performed in the corps de ballet of PBT's Nutcracker, The Great Classics, Filipino Masterpieces, La Bayadere, Merry Widow, and Cinderella. She has also danced the roles of "Chinese Tea" and "Reed Flutes" in the company's production of the Nutcracker.