She's still dance

Although I can never claim that Lucy Torres and I are close friends, I can still say that I have a soft spot in my heart for her — maybe because we have this what I love to call "reversible bond" between us. It was to me that she gave her first TV interview and she was my last interviewee before I said goodbye to a top-rating show (Showbiz Lingo) to migrate abroad.

That was both in one episode — my farewell presentation, which hit the top of the ratings charts presumably for two reasons: 1) The public was curious to see the future Mrs. Richard Gomez and 2) They wanted to make sure I was finally leaving for good.

I remember it was two days before my departure that I did that interview — when I was already stuffing my clothes, books and my life into suitcases and balikbayan boxes. In fact, I was in the middle of packing when I was told that I still had a last-minute assignment to do before I could say adieu.

I actually didn’t know what the interview was about — who it was. The ABS-CBN staff member just came to the house, told me to get dressed because we had to go to Roper’s in Cubao for an interview. But I already had all my good clothes packed — I protested. And since I had already dismissed most everyone in my employ, I was already my own driver and the last thing I wanted to do was weave in and out of Quezon City traffic at the peak of rush hour.

But when I was told that I was interviewing Lucy Torres, I just shut up, grabbed the first shirt that had yet to be packed and drove uncomplainingly to P. Tuazon in Cubao. Even if I was already set to retire as a broadcaster then, I still knew what a good story was if I smelled one.

At Roper’s, Lucy was accompanied by Richard Gomez whom she was marrying in two months. Beside Richard, her very light ivory complexion gave an even sharper contrast to the ebony skin tone of her soon-to-be husband.

For a moment there, I thought she was an image that had leapt off some painter’s canvass. I don’t know if others noticed it, but there seemed to have been a celestial aura about her that time. In fact, with her regal bearing and flowing, long dark hair, I thought she looked like a Murillo rendition of the Inmaculada Concepcion. (It’s Inmaculada, not immaculada — like most Filipinos say).

When she spoke to me, I heard a really gentle voice — soft and pleasant. And although I sensed a little nervousness there, she tried to relax (with the help of Richard) and compose herself throughout the interview.

When we were done, there was a look of relief on her face. She made it through her first interview and thanked me for making it easy for her. But how could I have been tough on a woman who looked so beautiful and so kind?

And then we had to say goodbye. They both wished me well and I said the same to them. I left Valentine’s Day and they married April — I think — that year.

In late 1998, I flew home for a break and I saw that Lucy had joined television and was, in fact, starring in a sitcom that even had her name in the title: Richard Loves Lucy. I thought she still felt a bit awkward and I could hardly hear a word she said. But she wasn’t all that bad for a beginner.

The year after, I was back for good and I saw her do a guest role on Kool Ka Lang — as a Maria Clara type who had another side to her character. She was more confident this time (was funny, in fact) and more effective as a performer.

But the side of Lucy I like best is her being a writer. Sunday reading is never complete without poring over every word she writes in her Lifestyle column (although The Philippine STAR copy delivered to my house this weekend didn’t carry her section — to my disappointment).

I actually relish everything she writes — especially since it’s mostly about food. But I’ve always wondered in my head: Does she really eat all those things she writes about? How come she hasn’t burst like a balloon yet?

Metabolism. She has a fast metabolism. Isn’t that so enviable? That was what Richard Gomez told me when we met at the GMA Broadway Centrum studio last December to do part of the Channel 7 Christmas special.

Lucy’s dancing probably also helps. Her Shall We Dance? program may soon fade away (she will have a new magazine show on QTV 11), but she can’t afford to throw away her dancing shoes yet.

Tomorrow and on Saturday, Feb. 17, Lucy Torres will star in the post-Valentine concert, Pasion y Fuego, which is being staged at the Music Museum by the Fundacion Centro Flamenco (for more information, call its office at 751-2243).

Performing with Lucy are Angel Gomez, Emma Estrada, Marien Gomez Lizares and the Hotlegs group — together with Grupo Centro Flamenco dancers, Yerbaguena, Jay Glorioso and Antonio Soria. Leo Rialp directs the show.

When Lucy was still in the early phase of her flamenco lessons, it was observed that while she was confident of her steps and was consistently attending classes (under Cecile de Joya), she was a bit shy to express herself in this dance form that required her to show a lot of emotion. All that has changed and that should be evident in her numbers in the Pasion y Fuego show.

At this point I am just so happy for Lucy’s transformation from a shy young woman who was relatively new in Manila then to a very confident performer and writer. The one thing that hasn’t changed is her basic sweetness and gentleness.

Her presence may not have entirely changed the landscape of local entertainment, but at least — with her fine breeding and good upbringing — there is one coarse person less in the showbiz firmament.

I think I’ll dance to that — with my two left feet.