Juan Angelo De Leon: Teen danseur with big ballet dreams
Juan Angelo De Leon (left) gets pointers from his coach, Ballet Manila principal dancer and resident choreographer Gerardo Francisco, in preparing for his classical piece for the 2021 Asian Grand Prix. Photo by MarBi Photography
By Susan A. De Guzman
It was the best gift Juan Angelo De Leon could have hoped for this past holiday season. The day after Christmas, the young danseur – a scholar of Ballet Manila’s Project Ballet Futures program – learned that he had won a silver medal from the Asian Grand Prix which was holding its pandemic-era video competition for the second year.
Winning a silver at the Asian Grand Prix is a feat for Juan Angelo De Leon, who also won a silver in last year’s competition. Photo by MarBi Photography
In fact, Angelo had achieved a rare back-to-back feat as he had also won a silver in the international competition in 2020, in the Junior B Division. This time, he scored the silver in the Junior A Division, dancing the Colas variation from La Fille Mal Gardee for his classical piece and Gerardo Francisco’s Strings for his contemporary solo. As part of his prize, he received scholarships from the Australian Ballet School and the Dutch National Ballet Academy Summer School.
Angelo and his family celebrated his AGP victory a week after the announcement of the Finals results. “Nag-celebrate po kami sa bahay, sinabay na po namin sa New Year's Eve dahil iniiwasan po namin lumabas ng bahay dahil po sa COVID,” Angelo disclosed in an e-mail interview. (We celebrated at home, simultaneously with New Year’s Eve because we’re avoiding going out because of COVID.)
It has actually been a very good year for Angelo who also won an individual gold medal and a group gold medal at the Asian Ballet Competition held virtually last August. The string of successes is particularly sweet as it comes on the second year of the pandemic which has had devastating effects particularly on the performing arts.
Because of restrictions, Angelo – like his fellow Ballet Manila scholars and other students of the Lisa Macuja School of Ballet – has been confined largely at home where he attends dance classes online instead of at the studio. “Mahirap po talaga kapag sa bahay lang po nag-class, pati po mga kasama ko nahihirapan dahil maliit po ang puwesto. Pero nasanay naman din po kami sa ganitong set-up dahil matagal na rin po kami sa bahay nagka-class.” (It’s really difficult when you take classes at home, even my friends also find it difficult because the space is small. But we’ve gotten used to this set-up because we’ve been taking classes at home for a long time now.
Project Ballet Futures scholars (from left) Germaine Dawal, Juan Angelo De Leon and John Stanley Alamer dance as the young princes in Lisa Macuja-Elizalde’s Sleeping Beauty which premiered in January 2020. Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag
Angelo admits there are moments when he doesn’t feel up to it. “Sa totoo lang po, dumating din po ‘yung oras na tinatamad po ako mag-class dahil napagod po sa online class, pero pumapasok pa rin po ako dahil ‘yon po ang trabaho ko bilang scholar. Ang nasa isip ko lang po para ma-motivate ay kailangan ko po mag-improve nang mag-improve at nasa isip ko po na gusto ko po mag-enjoy dahil talagang natutuwa po ako kada class.” (To be honest, there are times when I don’t feel like taking class because online class can be tiring, but I do it anyway because that’s the responsibility of a scholar. To motivate myself, I think to myself that I need to keep on improving and that I want to enjoy because I really have fun in every class.)
Now aged 14 and a Grade 9 student at the Sta. Clara Parish School, Angelo has also continued to balance his schedule between ballet school and academic school. For the latter, he logs on to his school account where lessons and activities are shared.
He is excited when he and his fellow scholars have a chance to go to Ballet Manila’s studio in Pasay, particularly when pandemic restrictions are relaxed. “Parang nasa isip ko po no’n na gusto ko pong sumayaw po magdamag at sulitin ‘yung oras na ‘yon para makasayaw nang maayos. Sobrang saya ko po na nakakasama sila dahil di po palagi nagkakasama dahil po sa pandemic at kada class po eh parang bonding din po namin.” (What was in my mind then was that I wanted to dance the whole night through and make the most of our time so that we could dance properly. I am overjoyed that I get to be with them because it doesn’t happen frequently that we’re together because of the pandemic and each class is bonding time for all of us.)
Together with fellow Project Ballet Futures scholars, Angelo (second from right) listens to their mentor Osias Barroso in a rare class held in the Ballet Manila studio in 2021. Photo by MarBi Photography
Having only started taking ballet classes since 2016, Angelo has shown such talent and flair that his teachers have already said he has a bright future awaiting him in dance. Osias “Shaz” Barroso, who mentored him from the start, declared in a past interview: “He can really go far, if he continues to work hard and finds a good partner in ballet. But all that comes with self-discipline and listening to teachers. He needs to put in the hard work.”
Gerardo “Geri” Francisco, who coached Angelo and choreographed his contemporary piece for AGP, concurs. “He is still young. Ang dami pa niyang puwedeng marating at matutunan. (He still has a lot to aspire for and to learn.) He is lucky that he was given this rare opportunity by Ballet Manila and the LMSB. He will have to stay focused and determined as he continues to fulfill his dream.”
Geri also tells Angelo not to rest on his laurels. “I always remind him to stay humble. Don’t stop yourself from learning new things even if you are already up there. Be grateful of what you have. I also share these with him – ‘Many are called but few are chosen’ and ‘Not everyone can become a great artist but a great artist can come from anywhere.’"
Angelo is the playmate of Snow White (Shaira Comeros, left) and the son of the hunter and his wife (Mark Sumaylo and Nanami Hasegawa) in the fairy-tale ballet Snow White staged in 2019. Photo by Erickson Dela Cruz
Angelo takes these reminders to heart. “Naaalala ko po ‘yung sabi ni Sir Shaz na kailangan po dapat na mag-focus kapag nasa class at lalo na po kapag may show o kaya may competition po.” (I remember what Sir Shaz said that one has to focus when in class and especially when there is a show or a competition.)
He continues, “Challenging po ang class kay Sir Geri pero masaya din naman po. Pinapaalala niya po sa ‘kin palagi na huwag daw po titigil na mag-improve at huwag po mag-stay sa comfort zone kasi kapag nag-stay daw po do’n ay hindi po ako mag-i-improve.”
When the situation improves and Ballet Manila is able to hold shows again, Angelo hopes he could dance as the young prince in Sleeping Beauty again, like he did when the Lisa Macuja-Elizalde choreography debuted in January 2020. Thinking beyond that, he shares what his secret wish is when he grows a bit older and can tackle more mature roles. “Minsan po, napapaisip din po talaga ako; ang dream role ko po ay ‘yung Prince Siegfried (in Swan Lake). Dahil nu’ng una ko pong nakita ‘yung role na ‘yon, na-amaze po ako do’n sa sayaw at sa role at parang nakaka-enjoy po siya sayawin.”
Angelo De Leon dances the Colas variation from La Fille Mal Gardee. Video by MarBi Photography
