As 2014 came to an end, balletomanes had a beautiful surprise when beauty queen-turned-culture advocate Margie Moran Floirendo and Isabelle Garachon, the wife of the French Ambassador to the Philippines Gilles Garachon, alternated as the stepmother in Ballet Philippines’ “Cinderella.”
The former Miss Universe recalled, “I had a wonderful experience acting and dancing on stage again after 42 years, since I used to perform professionally with Julie Borromeo and Karilagan.
“Alternating with Madam Isabelle Garachon as the stepmother in Ballet Philippines’ staging of Alice Reyes’ ‘Cinderella’ was fun, but difficult when you add on my age as a factor. I had so many dance steps to remember.
“But I loved the performances. The sets and costumes of Badong Bernal were majestic. Isabelle was great and so much fun, as she was once a professional dancer, too, and we felt sad when it ended after 12 performances. This experience was once in a lifetime for me, and I felt great doing it for Ballet Philippines.”