The manangs return: Shall we Dance?

MANILA, Philippines — Retired – I don’t want to say old – dancers don’t fade away; they just huff and puff a lot more and have a hard time getting their legs up on the barre. But why would they need or want to, you ask; well, when they decide to come back to their “home” in the rehearsal hall where a new generation of dancers is going through their barre and floor exercises, jeté-ing and pirouette-ing a la second with effortless grace, they’ve got to show some spunk.

Five never-say-die dancers – for they will always be dancers – are spearheading a grand return of former members – not just dancers but also tech, office and artistic staff – as Ballet Philippines celebrates its 50th year. Surviving half a century is indeed quite a feat, especially for an arts company that has stayed on its toes – literally and figuratively – through financial crises, political turmoil, natural calamities and artistic meltdowns.

The Ballet Philippines Alumni Association (BPAA) got together five years ago to “celebrate the shared experience that is Ballet Philippines,” to “give back, when able, to the new generation of our BP family” and to “serve as a significant medium through which the alumni can collectively channel their resources and participate in the promotion of Philippine culture and arts in the country.”

Together, they have remodelled and upgraded the company room at the CCP basement (put in working showers and toilets, makeup tables with proper lights, etc.), held a photo exhibit and danced in the 2017 Christmas production of Nutcracker (no, not as the Sugar Plum fairy or the snowflakes but as guests in the ballroom scene).

The “balikBP” mode takes off from the return of the founder herself, after an absence two decades. Alice Reyes, named National Artist for Dance in 2014, returned in 2017 to lead the company into its golden year.

The BalikBP@50 celebration gets into high gear next month, with a welcome merienda on July 9 to get everybody in the groove and an Intramuros tour on July 10 that should be perfect for the balikbayan alumni who are here with their families.

The give-back activities include master classes by alumni dancers (July 9-13), a special talk on mental wellness of young dancers geared towards dance teachers and parents (July 11) and performances on July 13 and 14 by some of the alumni as well as the schools and companies of alumni. A celebratory dinner on July 14 caps the homecoming, with an alumni magazine (BalikBP@50 Alaala) to record the nostalgia.

Join the manangs as they balikBP@50. Call the CCP Dance school at 832-3689 or email [email protected] for details. “It’ll be super fun!” they chorus.

The manangs – as they call themselves – have been meeting feverishly the past months. You’ll find them huddled in a corner in the baby ballet studio, a supot of Pan de Manila (“yumyumyum,” says Gina) in the middle of folders and laptops; or crowded around the lone table in the artistic office until they are shoo’ed away for Alice’s next meeting.

Gina Katigbak-Garcia, Perry Sevidal, Imee Tatad-Pagdanganan, Jeng Halili and Joanne Ko-dela Calzada have gone on different paths since leaving BP, becoming mothers, teachers, forex trader, flight attendant… But they have found their way home, and there are moments when it seemed like they never left. We corralled the five for a quick Q&A. Excerpts:

Favorite/best role:

Gina: Giselle – my dream role! I had two dream roles: Giselle and Juliet…but unfortunately I was never a Juliet; always a Lady Capulet!

Perry: Four Little Swans (she defined the role – Ed), Tinkerbell, Luningning from Ibong Adarna and so many more.

Joanne: Sita in Rama Hari. It was my most memorable and most frustrating too…because I contracted chicken pox! The first rash decided to appear the day before opening night.

Jeng: Cygnets, because it jolted me. I learned I was going to perform it only the day before opening night… I was the understudy… I did not feel ready so I begged to be ‘uncast’ but my plea fell on deaf ears… I was panicking before each show but I completed the entire run.

Fondest memory:

Imee: Camaraderie among dancers. The eagle eye of Alice. Memorable national tours. WEIGH IN! During my time, dancers should weigh 10 lbs lower than the prescribed weight. Overweight means deduction from your pay. There was a time when my half-month pay was only P150! (Perry once got all of P5! –Ed)

Jeng: The Sunday in Caracas, Venezuela when we were ecstatic that we had a day off, only to find out that all shops were closed on Sundays! The spontaneous circle dance that ensued at the Main Theater Lobby after the 1984 ASEAN Festival Night. I truly felt the unifying power of dance.

Gina: The first international tour I joined, when I experienced for the first time curtain calls that would last 5-8 minutes of non-stop applause and stomping of feet in appreciation of the Filipino artist.

Advice to the dancers today:

Perry: Keep the fire burning, be patient, be determined, always dance with a heart, stay humble and just be happy whether dancing a small role or a big role, do your best. There is no small role or small player.

Gina: In a way, I am just glad I’m not their contemporary because they are just so fantastically technically well-equipped! One thing I feel with today’s crop of BP dancers is that they still have great respect for us “sages,” such that this respect makes it a joy to be with them as they shyly turn to us as if asking, “Teacher, ano po ang correction ninyo? How can I improve?” What I’d like to say to them: Keep that yearning to learn from those who have lived through the history of this esteemed 50-year-old company. We were there when these pieces were created (they were literally not yet born when these pieces were mounted on us). Allow us to bring you, with all your fantastic technique, back into how we were taught to breathe, to rise, to fall, to move.

Jeng: Dance now while the body is still young. Know, and get involved – dancers are an integral part of society.

Joanne: Have a Plan B. Hahaha. Your being a dancer is a gift. It is not about you. It is a reflection of the creativity and the beauty of the master artist himself, God. I hope dancing will not just be reduced to number of turns, suspensions, extensions, physical prowess. Don’t get me wrong; I am not against those, but I think those are tools, not the be all & end all. For me, it is not art if it ends with in-reach. It has to reach out. It has to attempt to touch someone’s life in ways that words can’t even explain. It has to be others-oriented. That is when true fulfillment is experienced – when you see others being blessed by the gift. It is not just for self-flourishing but for others’ as well. I’d also say, enjoy the season. Enjoy the gift. It is to be shared. Give. Do not be scared to give.That is when true joy is experienced.

Imee: I still go for lyricism in dancing where the story can be felt through fluid movements. It distracts me when legs go high but with no control. Contract from the gut, not from the shoulders. BP is a classical, modern and contemporary dance company. Learn all of it. Love it. Embrace it. Do not lean on one but on all.