(Third of a series)

For people so used to expressing themselves through dance and movement in a spacious studio, the enhanced community quarantine can be a soul-crushing experience. Being in a confined space day after day and unable to do their daily class and rehearsals can indeed be challenging. But fortunately, Ballet Manila’s dancers are finding ways to improvise on their fitness regimen while also filling their time with creative alternatives. This series reveals what some of these artists have been up to in lockdown mode. 

By Susan A. De Guzman

Ballet Manila principal dancer and resident choreographer Gerardo “Geri” Francisco is always on the go. Not even the enhanced community quarantine can keep him still. While going to the studio for daily classes is out for now, he has spent much of his time concentrating on one of his other passions – cooking. His Facebook page has been flooded with mouthwatering photos of his culinary efforts, from soup to main course to dessert and even drinks.

Dance and exercise figure in into his schedule too, and he has shared videos of these. One funny post shows him doing the “labada challenge” in which he mixes a physical regimen with washing clothes.

Geri took it to the next level when he made a musical comedy routine that he shared so he could spread some good vibes and help lighten the mood at this difficult time. In the video which he titled Cooking 101, he assumes a Charlie Chaplinesque character (complete with moustache) who exaggeratedly and comically goes through the motions of cooking, played at a fast pace to the music of Mozart. 

“Nag-start ‘yung idea kasi lagi ako nagluluto, di ba? So, from there, naisip ko na bakit di ko gawan ng sayaw (The idea started because I always cook, right? So from there, I thought why don’t I make a dance out of it),” he relates.

Cooped up indoors because of the quarantine, he has also been watching videos of his favorite choreographer Jiri Kylian which gave him additional inspiration.

What’s amazing is that Geri did Cooking 101 all on his own. He did the shoot using his phone camera on a stand, chose the music that perfectly matched his routine, and edited everything afterwards into a three-minute package. “Yup, one-man show, with a little help from my daughters,” he chuckles. One of the daughters even has a cameo appearance in the clip. 

Not even his wife Jed realized what he was up to until she came out of the bedroom. “Nagulat! Ang ending, pa-deliver ng dinner kasi di na ko nakaluto (She was surprised! We ended up having our dinner delivered because I wasn’t able to cook anymore),” Geri laughingly says. 

Still, Geri is proud of his same-day shoot and edit. “Para maiba naman. Mostly mga naka-post kasi same lang. So naisip ko na kelangan something different. (So that there’s something new. Most of the other posts are all the same. So I thought I have to offer something different).”

It has indeed struck a chord among his friends, especially in the ballet world. On the first day of posting, the video has been viewed more than 700 times. Just as Geri had hoped it would, it generated a lot of good vibes among those who watched it. 

But what’s also fulfilling to the choreographer is that he has expressed himself creatively, and in the process crossed off another item from his to-do list. “At least, nailabas ko na siya sa utak ko (At least, I’ve managed to get it out of my head already),” he notes.

Now, the question is, what will Geri think of next?