History of ballet
Ballet is a formalized form of dance with its origins in the Italian Renaissance courts of 15th and 16th centuries. Ballet spread from Italy to France with the help of Catherine de' Medici, where ballet developed even further under her aristocratic influence. An early example of Catherine's development of ballet is through 'Le Paradis d' Amour', a piece of work presented at her daughter's wedding, Marguerite de Valois to Henry of Navarre. Aristocratic money was responsible for the initial stages of development in 'court ballet', as it was royal money that dictated the ideas, literature and music used in ballets that were created to primarily entertain the aristocrats of the time. The first formal 'court ballet' ever recognized was staged in 1573, 'Ballet des Polonais'. In true form of royal entertainment, 'Ballet des Polonais' was commissioned by Catherine de' Medici to honor the Polish ambassadors who were visiting Paris upon the accession of Henry of Anjou to the throne of Poland. In 1581, Catherine de' Medici commissioned another court ballet, "Ballet Comique de la Reine", however it was her compatriot, Balthasar de Beaujoyeulx, who organized the ballet. Catherine de' Medici and Balthasar de Beaujoyeulx were responsible for presenting the first court ballet ever to apply the principles of Baif's Academie, by integrating poetry, dance, music and set design to convey a unified dramatic storyline. Moreover, the early organization and development of 'court ballet' was funded by, influenced by and produced by the aristocrats of the time, fulfilling both their personal entertainment and political propaganda needs.
Ballet Manila
Ballet Manila School started as a spin-off from the “Lisa Macuja Summer Workshop” which was originally conducted in the summer of 1995. Previously, the classes were held at the old Ballet Manila Studio which was located in Quezon city. The pilot class performed their first piece entitled Etudes on June 1996. The company officially opened its own summer workshops in April 1997, this time at the permanent facility, where the first enrollees were thirty six students. 
The Ballet Manila School has direct links with the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia. Here, the students are trained in the vaganova ballet methodology. The classes held at this school are split into five levels from 3 levels for girls, namely beginner, intermediate and finally to advance. The boy’s levels however are only split into beginners and advance classes. From the time that the school opened, it has held several auditions wherein the company offers full and half scholarships to those who would successfully pass the screening. In previous years ballet was predominantly still viewed as a female art form until recently wherein more people are now more appreciative of ballet which opened the opportunity for more male dancers to enroll at the institution.