'Ballerina's prince' Osias Barroso Jr. passes away at 58
Osias "Shaz" Barroso Jr.—who became known as the "ballerina's prince" throughout his stint as a dancer, choreographer, and teacher—has died. He was 58.
Ballet Manila announced his passing in a Facebook post, saying that he passed away on Dec. 16. The company described him as "one of the country’s best danseurs and a committed, distinguished performing artist and choreographer."
"The role we in Ballet Manila will remember him for will be as the exacting yet compassionate rehearsal master, a most generous mentor, constant friend," it said.
"Thank you for your life of and in dance, Shaz," it added.
Until Thursday, Dec. 21, his remains will be at St. Peter Chapels along Scout Chuatoco, Quezon City. He is scheduled for cremation the next day at 3:00 p.m.
'Ballerina's prince'
Barroso co-founded Ballet Manila in 1995 along with his long-time dance partner, prima ballerina Lisa Macuja-Elizalde. It has since become one of the most popular ballet companies in the Philippines, with 5,000 local and 200 foreign performances over the past decades.
According to Ballet Manila, he started his journey in ballet at 18 years old and was dubbed the "ballerina's prince" for his "extraordinary skill in partnering, as well as for his impressive accomplishments as a solo artist."
He portrayed the lead in major full-length ballet productions in the Philippines and abroad such as La Fille Mal Gardee, Petrushka, Le Corsaire, Don Quixote, Swan Lake, Giselle, La Bayadere, The Nutcracker, Coppelia, La Sylphide, Romeo and Juliet, Les Sylphides, Carmen, El Amor Brujo, Pineapple Poll, Serenade, Firebird, among others.
Barroso made history as the first Filipino classical danseur to advance to the semifinals of the First International Ballet and Modern Dance Competition that took place in Nagoya, Japan in 1993.
He, along with Macuja-Elizalde, spent the early '90s providing ballet scholarships to young boys. He then served as a mentor for various ballet dancers competing on the international stage via tilts like the Asia Pacific International Ballet Competitions in Tokyo, the Japan Ballet Competition in Nagoya, the Helsinki International Ballet Competition in Finland, the International Ballet Competition and Contest of Choreographers in Moscow and the New York International Ballet Competitions. His talents emerged as semi-finalists, finalists, and medalists in the aforementioned competitions.
Barroso also showcased his brilliance in choreographies for Ang Prinsipe ng mga Ibon, In Quest, Gabriela ng Vigan, Pinocchio, Belen, Can Can, Princess of the Moon, Munting Anghel, and more.
He was a University of Santo Tomas graduate with a degree in A.B. Communication Arts. He was conferred the Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan Award from the City of Manila in 2007 as well as the AB Gantimpala for the Arts in Dance from UST three years later.
Ballet Manila's co-artistic director retired in 2021 after a stroke.
In October this year, the company gathered 22 dance groups for Dance for Shaz: A Celebration of a Life in Dance to celebrate his contributions to the ballet scene in the country.