By Jv Ramos

Ballet Manila's delegation to the 2019 Asian Grand Prix in Hong Kong last August ended with the triumph of their “bunso” (youngest member), then 11-year-old Juan Angelo de Leon. Placing bronze in the prestigious competition's Pre-Competitive B Division, this Project Ballet Futures (PBF) scholar proved that having a good work ethic and a strong determination is the key to progressing quickly and reaping the many opportunities in ballet.

Angelo, as many call this boy, has not been doing ballet for long. He, in fact, only began dancing in 2016, when faculty members from The Lisa Macuja School of Ballet Manila held auditions in his school. "Naisip lang ng teacher ko na baka mahiligan ko ang ballet, kaya sinunod ko po ang utos niyang mag-audition," he recalls. "Natanggap naman po ako. Actually, marami po kaming natanggap noong time na iyon." (My teacher just thought that I would like ballet, so I went through the auditions. I got accepted. Actually, many of us got accepted at the time.)

As the months passed and as classes in the studio and periodic evaluations came, however, the group that had passed the auditions at the same time as Angelo became smaller and smaller. They were either not meeting the required standards or had lost their interest in ballet.

"Noon, akala ko talaga na magiging parang Milo clinic lang ang ballet para kay Angelo – na hindi siya magtatagal dito o hindi ito isang activity na seseryosohin niya," comments Edwin de Leon, Angelo’s father. "Pero dahil nakita kong curious siya, in-encourage ko siya na i-try niya, at ayun, never na niyang naisip na tumigil!" (Before, I really thought that ballet would be something like a Milo clinic for Angelo – that he won’t last in it or it won’t be an activity that he would take seriously… But since I saw he was curious about it, I encouraged him to go and try it. He never thought of quitting ballet once he started.)

Asked if he recalls anything about his first ballet class, Angelo laughs and points out that he went through feelings of shock and pain. "Una, nakita ko kasing naka-split ang ibang mga dancers. Naisip ko noon na masakit ang ginagawa nila! Tapos, kahit stretching lang ang ginawa namin, sumakit po talaga ang katawan ko pagkatapos ng unang klase ko." (At first, I saw some dancers doing splits, and that just looked painful to do. And then, even if it was all stretching, my entire body was in pain after my first class.)

But even then, Angelo says giving up never occurred to him. "Di naman po pumasok sa utak ko na mag-quit kahit masakit. Gustong-gusto ko po kasi ma-experience kung ano talaga ang ballet, kaya itinuloy-tuloy ko lang." (I didn’t think of quitting even if my body was in pain. I really wanted to experience what ballet is like, so I just continued with the training.)

After many months of immersion in this dance form, Angelo would realize that what he loves most about ballet are the everyday classes. "Dati kasi, pagkatapos ng pag-aaral ko, ang ginagawa ko lang ay maglaro ng tablet,” shares Angelo.  “Boring po iyon. Gusto ko po na gumagalaw ang katawan ko." (Before, every time I’d get home from school, all I would do is play with my tablet. That’s boring. I like that I’m able to move my body.)

"Gulat na gulat po ako nu’ng nahiligan ni Angelo ang ballet. Wala kasing sumasayaw sa amin. Ako, hindi. Si misis din, hindi! Wala talagang sumasayaw sa buong angkan namin!" exclaims the father. (I was very surprised when Angelo started really enjoying ballet. That’s because no one dances in our family. I don’t. My wife also doesn’t! No one from our clan dances!)

From simply being surprised, Edwin moved on to being grateful and very proud of his ballet-loving son. He explains,"Maraming pagbabago rin naman kasing nagawa ang ballet para kay Gelo. Dati, laging nakayuko iyan. Ngayon, dahil sa ballet, gumanda na ang posture. Mas disciplined rin siya ngayon." (Many changes have happened since Gelo started ballet. Before, his head was always bowed down and his body stooped. Now, because of ballet, his posture has improved. He’s also more disciplined now.) Since he’s the parent who brings his son to the studio, he knows Angelo's everyday efforts to make it to his ballet classes on time.

The father also brings up how ballet has taught Angelo to set personal goals. He discloses, "Ang anak ko rin ang nagsabi na makakasali siya sa regionals ng AGP noong hindi pa i-na-announce ang mga isasali. Sobrang gusto niya talagang makapasok, kaya pinagbuti niya ang mga klase." (It was my son who also said that he would be able to join the AGP Regionals at a time when they had not made any decisions. He really wanted to make it, so he really gave it his all in class.)

Having been oriented about the opportunities that ballet may bring, including the possibility of travelling abroad to compete, Edwin wished then that Angelo would make it. But that dream, he admits, seemed too unlikely to happen when he watched his son's competitors during the AGP Regionals in Manila.

"Kahit ang babata pa nila, alam mo na matagal na silang nag-ba-ballet. Ang gagaling nila! Napansin din ‘ata ni Gelo ito, kaya sinabihan ko siya na-i-enjoy na lang niya ang experience. The fact na napasali siya makes him a winner. Bonus na lang kung may medalya siyang makuha. Kasama ng mga dasal, nanalo siya ng silver sa regionals," says his father, with a sigh of relief. (Even if they are so young, you know that they have been dancing ballet for a long time. They were very good! Angelo must have noticed this too, so I told him to just enjoy the experience. The fact that he was chosen to join AGP already made him a winner. Getting a medal would just be a bonus. With the help of prayers, he won silver in the regionals.)

In Hong Kong, Angelo and his father's emotions were very synchronized. Their first airplane ride and sight-seeing in Hong Kong during the first day got them excited. The classes in AGP made them feel a little bit of pressure. "Tapos, nang dumating ang semi-finals, sobrang kabado kaming dalawa. Sinasabihan ko siya ng 'Relax ka lang!' pero hindi epektibo. Halatang kabadong-kabado rin ako!" (Then, when the semi-finals came, we were both very nervous. I would tell him ‘Just relax!’ but that wasn’t effective. It was so obvious that I was also very nervous for him.)

"Marami po kasing magagaling na babae sa division ko na galing Indonesia," reasons Angelo. "Akala ko nga na hindi ako makakapasok sa finals at hindi rin ako nag-expect na makakakuha ako ng medalya dahil sa galing nila. Noong finals, hindi ko alam kung ano ang gagawin ko sa kaba. Naisip ko, 'Aatras ba ako?'" (There were many good ballerinas  from Indonesia in my division … Because of them, I didn’t think I’d make it to the finals. I also didn’t expect to medal because they were so good. During the finals, I didn’t know what to do anymore because I was so nervous. I even thought, ‘Maybe I should just back out?’)

Keeping in mind his father's advice, Angelo just enjoyed the experience of dancing the Blue Bird Variation from The Sleeping Beauty one last time in Hong Kong. Smiling, he declares, "Opo, happy naman po ako sa ginawa ko noong finals. Feeling ko, nagawa ko naman po doon ang gusto ko." (Yes, I’m very happy with what I did in the finals. I felt that I was able to do what I wanted to do.)

BM co-artistic director Osias "Shaz" Barroso, who handpicked Angelo to join the AGP Regionals, shares that he was sure from the very beginning that the young dancer would do well in the competition. "Aside from having the lines, Angelo had the dedication and drive that other competitors did not."

Robert Peralta, a teacher at The Lisa Macuja School of Ballet Manila who helped train Angelo for the competition, said the boy also had the right attitude that would serve him well in the long run. “Masunurin siya at nagawa niya ang mga corrections sa kanya ng teachers and coaches niya (He is obedient and he was able to work on the corrections given him by his teachers and coaches.”

Shaz paints a picture of what is in store for this determined PBF scholar. "If Angelo continues to work hard and finds a good partner in ballet in the future, he can definitely become a company soloist. Yes, he can really go far. But all that comes with self-discipline and sa pakikinig, lalo na sa aming mga teachers. Kailangan niyang pagbutihin ang mga klase dito." (But all that comes with self-discipline and listening, especially to us, teachers. He needs to put in the hard work in the classes here.)

After hearing Shaz's opinion, Angelo confirms that he definitely wants to make it in ballet. In fact, he already has goals of dancing Basilio from the classic Don Quixote and Don Juan from the very first full-length ballet that he saw, Gerardo Francisco's Ibong Adarna. He, too, hopes that ballet would help land him a college scholarship.

"Sa bahay, nagkakantsawan kami kung kaya ba niya ang variation ni Basilio," the father chimes in. "Ang sagot naman niya ay kaya niya... Natutuwa kami na nag-e-enjoy siya sa ballet at pinagbubuti niya dito para makamit ang mga goals niya." (At home, I would tease him if he could already do the variation of Basilio… He would answer yes… We’re very happy that he’s enjoying himself in ballet and that he is striving to do his best to achieve his goals.)