Jessa Balote is a 14 year old girl who grew up in Tondo, one of the poorest slum areas in Manila near a huge dumpsite. She couldn’t expect much from her future, but things changed in the last four years since she got a scolarship to join the Manila ballet school.
She had never done any ballet but she was selected after an audition.
It was tough in the beginning, but after some training she grew to become one of the best dancers of her age in the company and she now earns money from her performances and helps her family to have a better life. She dreams of becoming a ballet teacher.
Credits:
Video, Audio: Biel Calderón
Script: Biel Calderón – Eric San Juan
Editing: Biel Calderón
Text: Eric San Juan
Research: Eric San Juan
Music: Habanera aria from Georges Bizet’s opera “Carmen”
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