By Jv Ramos

Despite the pandemic, it's still business as usual for Eileen Lopez of the Lisa Macuja School of Ballet, the educational arm of Ballet Manila. By business, we mean that this teacher continues the hard work of training the next generation of ballet dancers, overcoming setbacks brought about by the prevailing situation.

"Ang hirap! Hanggang ngayon, nahihirapan pa rin ako," honestly answers Eileen when asked how teaching is in the time of COVID-19. "Kapag online kasi, ang tagal dumating sa receiving end ang gusto mong iparating. Maraming factors kasi na puwedeng magpabagal ng pagturo, kagaya ng WiFi connection, distraction sa bahay, at pati na rin ang floor na pinagsasayawan nila." (Teaching during the pandemic is hard. Even if we’ve been doing this for more than a year, I still find it difficult. When teaching is done online, it takes a while for the person at the receiving end to fully understand what you’re teaching. There are many factors that could slow down the learning, such as the WiFi connection, distractions in the house and even the floor they’re dancing on.)

Eileen, who is a Ballet Manila pioneer, paints a picture of how face-to-face classes are different from online ones. For the former, you can teach students more combinations in the allotted hour, as they can all hear instructions and watch demos in real time. Moreover, you can easily catch what students are getting wrong and make the necessary adjustments on the spot. In online classes, there's a tendency to keep repeating demos due to unreliable Internet connection and teachers may miss out on noticing mistakes, especially in those times when they would have to swipe right in Zoom to see and observe each dancer. 

As for the distractions, this can be as simple as a parent carrying laundry passing by or pets approaching the student while on the barre. "Young dancers can't help but get distracted especially when they live in a house where space is limited," notes Eileen with an understanding tone. "And, as a teacher, you would also have to consider the space they're dancing in. We, for example, don't give students as many jumps when they're learning from home. Semento kasi usually ang mga floor sa bahay ngayon, which can cause a lot of stress on the knees. Iba talaga ang pag-aaral ng ballet sa isang contained environment [like in a studio]. Mas madaling mag-concentrate and hindi limited ang movement." (Most houses have cement floors, which can cause a lot of stress on the knees. It’s very different to learn ballet in a contained environment. You can concentrate more and the movement is limited.)

Though difficult, Eileen refuses to complain as online teaching still allows her to share her knowledge about the dance form – which is what she truly loves about her job! "Ang sarap ng feeling na ang alam mo ay natuturo mo sa kanila, and then, you finally see them actually dancing." Seeing her students progress never fails to cheer her up, especially when they’re able to dance with the right musicality, timing, blocking without you having to guide them. 

“That for me is very fulfilling! Before the pandemic, walang recital na hindi ako umiyak sa wings ng finale!" (Before the pandemic, there was never a recital wherein I didn't cry while in the wings during the finale.)

 "I really enjoy teaching," declares Eileen, so even if teaching during COVID-19 demands three times more patience, she gladly dives into it. “As the student advances to the next level, things get easier. Learning online is just really difficult when you’re new or if you’ve transferred from another school. But once you get used to the way things are done in this school [using the Vaganova ballet technique], you’re going to be okay.” Clearly, learning for this teacher doesn’t stop. Progress can take more time than usual due to current circumstances, but if the hard work is poured into learning, one really can advance. 

Speaking of hard work being poured into what you do, our subject recalls that she wasn’t the best teacher when she first started. “My first class was back in 1996 or 1997, and it was for Level 1 students. Naaalala ko na sobrang kabado ako noon. I was always second guessing if what I was teaching was right, if my music was too fast, o kung puwede na bang ituro ang tinuturo ko sa mga bata. Nag-o-observe si Ma’am Lisa at Sir Shaz noon [BM co-artistic directors Lisa Macuja-Elizalde and Osias Barroso], at pati na rin ang mga magulang ng mga bata na may experience na sa ibang school. Nakadagdag siyempre iyon sa kaba ko. Gusto ko nang lumubog sa lupa noon!” Eileen laughingly recalls. (...I was worried if I could teach what I was teaching to Level 1 kids. At that time, Ma’am Lise and Sir Shaz were observing, so were the parents of the kids who already had experience dealing with other ballet schools. These factors contributed to my nervousness. I just wanted the ground to swallow me whole!) 

Knowing that giving up at that time wouldn’t get her anywhere, she just continued on with teaching that Level 1 class despite feeling so nervous, and went on with handling more classes until she became more comfortable doing it. “Hanggang ngayon, kabado pa rin ako, pero hindi na kasing grabe ng dati! Nakakatulong talaga kapag lagi mong ginagawa.” (I still get nervous these days, but it’s not as bad as my first time teaching. It really helps to keep doing something if you want to be good at it.) 

If teaching ballet takes time to master, the same goes for mastering the art form. Eileen notes that one of the biggest changes among students nowadays is that they have a lot of big expectations because of all the videos they can access. While she says it’s great to watch different ballets, this becomes detrimental when they go through actual training.

The teacher explains, “Kunwari nakita nila ang idol nila na umikot ng anim na beses, gusto nila agad gawin iyon. Pero hindi pwedeng agad-agad iyon. Kailangan muna nilang umikot nang malinis bago damihan. Hindi tayo instant coffee. Kailangan trabahuin muna ang technique at artistry bago dumating iyon.” (For instance, if they see the dancer they look up to do six turns, they immediately want to do that too. But you can’t just do that immediately. The student has to first learn how to turn cleanly before executing more turns. Ballet is not like instant coffee. One really has to master technique and artistry before they reach that level of effortlessly doing many impressive turns.) 

She adds that young dancers seem to forget that videos don’t capture everything. It takes many years of training to effortlessly put out six clean turns. Not to mention, being able to turn many times isn’t all that there is to being a ballet dancer. Other than mastering technique and artistry, one has to learn how to captivate the audience when performing and develop a kind of self-discipline that sustains a demanding career. 

Recently, Eileen took part in the Asian Ballet Competition as the coach of Loraine Gaile Jarlega, a long-time student at the Lisa Macuja School of Ballet who has emerged as a finalist in the Asian Grand Prix a few times. Knowing that it has always been Gaile’s goal to win an award in an international competition, this teacher gladly took part in training the young ballerina for ABC. “Seeing how hard she worked for it, I really wanted her to win. I didn’t care what color of medal it was, I just wanted her to get more from this competition. She really surpassed my expectations when she won Gold here!” 

The bonus for Eileen was being given an Excellent Teacher Award by the Asian Ballet Competition, which also gives due recognition to its award-winners’ teachers and schools.

She believes it’s good for young dancers to enter competitions, especially if they’re serious about making a career out of ballet, as training for such events calls for an even stricter discipline.

She avers, “Iba kasi ang discipline na kailangan sa normal class, sa rehearsal at pag-perform sa shows versus sa competition. Mas rigid ang training for competitions. Some teachers would rehearse just the technique for six hours, while some would ask the student to do double classes to build stamina. There are different approaches, but the discipline is always there. As part of the training, the teacher or coach will also consider the student’s diet and sleeping habits, as well as extracurricular activities.” (The discipline that’s required for normal class, rehearsal, and performing is different from the kind of discipline that’s needed for competitions. The discipline is more rigid in competitions.)  In short, the strict preparations a young dancer goes through is good practice for the professional world of ballet. 

With the pandemic restrictions altering the daily lives of dancers, we asked Eileen what key changes have happened to her since March 2020 when the enhanced community quarantine was first imposed. “I’ve learned how to cook. Di na ‘ko prito-prito lang,” she laughs. (I now know how to do more than frying.) “I also discovered the music of BTS through my student, Gaile.” The dedicated teacher underlines that it’s not just the students who learn from their teacher. She, too, is made better by her students, and this goes beyond K-pop fandom knowledge. 

“Noong maliit pa lang si Gaile, sobrang hilig na niya sa ballet. Kahit tapos na ang klase niya, nananatili pa rin siya sa studio. Pinapanood niya ang kasunod na klase. Nag-o-observe siya sa kung ano ang tinuturo ko. Siyempre, kapag may nanood na bata, kailangan conscious ka at consistent sa pagtuturo mo. Dapat pinapagawa mo rin sa company dancers ang gusto mong gawin ng mga bata. Dapat good example ka lagi.” (When Gaile was younger, she was already very addicted to ballet. She would stay at the studio even if class was done. She would watch the next class and observe whatever you teach to the older students. Of course, when a dancer as young as she is watching, you’d have to be extra conscious and consistent with your teaching. You can’t be easygoing with the company dancers when you teach. You have to make them do what you want the younger dancers to do.)

As for her mental health, aside from the feel-good music and filmed band moments of BTS, which she consumes whenever she’s feeling down, Eileen also turns to her furbabies for comfort. “My dogs keep me sane. Sobrang gulat na gulat nga ako sa kanila. They’re very behaved whenever I conduct classes from home. Hindi sila nangungulit kapag nagka-klase ako.” (I was very surprised by the way they acted when I first did online teaching. They don’t bug me when I am in the middle of teaching.) It is as if her three dogs – Duchess, Jill and Hera – understand how important teaching ballet is for her. 

“I have also stopped watching the news since that can make you really depressed,” she adds. “When you’re teaching or training students, you’re okay. It’s only in the moments you’re alone when depression can kick in.” 

To combat this, she just focuses on what’s in store in the future. “I look forward to doing the little things again when this is all over. You know, going to the movies, buying grocery without having to worry about catching the virus, and having coffee – even if it’s just 3-in-1 with friends,” she notes. “But what I really look forward to as a teacher is seeing everyone back in the studio, having classes, rehearsing, and seeing the dancers perform in front of a live audience again!”