By Susan A. De Guzman

Ballet continues to present young danseur Juan Angelo De Leon, 15, unexpected twists and turns. The events of the past few months provide undeniable proof of how things can suddenly change, from good to bad and back to good again, as he navigates a life in dance.

Last August, Gelo was finally able to avail of a Royal Ballet School scholarship that was part of his prize at the Asian Grand Prix in 2020, long delayed by pandemic constraints. With the world starting to open up, he flew to London for the school’s two-week summer program – an experience he can only describe as unforgettable.

Just a few days short of the program’s end, however, he sprained his ankle and had to take things easy, an incident that seemed certain to have derailed his participation in the Asian Grand Prix Manila Regional. Fortunately, by the time the competition was held on September 24 and 25, held face to face after two years at the Aliw Theater, his injury had healed well enough that his mentors decided that he could join.

The outcome was a pleasant surprise – Gelo winning the gold in the Junior A Division, dancing the Franz Variation from Coppelia, thus guaranteeing him a spot as a finalist in the AGP’s Finals in Bangkok in December.

“Medyo nag-struggle rin po ako kasi kakagaling ko lang po sa injury. Humina po ‘yung left ankle ko at nando’n din po ‘yung takot na baka ma-sprain po ulit ako,” Gelo shares. (It was also quite a struggle because I was still recovering from an injury. My left ankle had weakened and I was also scared I could get sprained again.)

But all’s well that ends well. Through the worries, he can heave a sigh of relief that the result, against the odds, ended in his favor. “Masaya po sobra kasi naihabol po ako. Last minute rin po kasi ako nasabihan na makakapag-compete po ako,” enthuses Gelo, who, along with other Project Ballet Futures scholars of Ballet Manila, had a good showing at the Manila Regional. (I’m happy because I was able to make it. It was also last-minute that I was told that I could go ahead and compete.)

Apart from his latest AGP victory, what’s also keeping Gelo in high spirits is his London experience. Weeks before his trip, he was happy and excited at the prospect of joining ballet students from around the world in the summer program. It was the longest flight ride the danseur, along with his father Edwin De Leon, had ever taken – approximately eight hours from Manila to Qatar and about the same number of hours from Qatar to London. They arrived to 17-degree weather in London, cold but tolerable for the father and son.

From the airport, they bundled their baggage into a cab and headed to their hotel;after a quick meal and some rest, they headed to White Lodge. White Lodge, home to Royal Ballet School students aged 11 to 16, was where Gelo would stay for the next two weeks.

Gelo shared a room with two other students. They would be up by 7:30 a.m. to have breakfast at the cafeteria along with other students. By 8:30, the house parents would meet the students for a quick chat and reminders for the day. Ballet classes would start at 9:45, end by lunch time and resume in the afternoon and last until 4:45 p.m. Other activities would be held after classes, leading to dinner at 6 p.m. By 9:30 p.m., it was lights out at White Lodge.

“First day of intensive, ballet class po ang una. Sunod po ang Pilates, repertoire, and character dance. Ang mga ibang classes po, stagecraft, pas de deux, solo variation classes, contemporary, jazz class, and creative session class,” Gelo recalls his packed schedule.

Though he had to adjust to The Royal Ballet School’s training, which is different from Ballet Manila’s Vaganova technique that he has learned in the past six years, Gelo is grateful that the teachers were understanding.

“Mababait po ang mga teachers doon. Ang galing din po nila magturo. Minsan po naguguluhan po ako kasi hindi po talaga ako sanay sa technique po nila. Minsan, iba-iba din po kasi ang style ng pagtuturo po ng mga teachers. Ang payo lang po sa amin doon is mag-enjoy lang daw po kami sa classes namin, maa-achieve din daw po namin ang mga goal po namin sa pagiging dancer.” (Our teachers there were kind. They were also very good in teaching. Sometimes, I would get confused because I’m not really used to their technique. But their advice to us is to just enjoy our classes and we would achieve our goals as dancers.”

Gelo says he had a good bonding with his classmates from Italy, Spain, Greece, the United States, Canada, Portugal and other countries. Often, they would talk about what they had just learned in class and how challenging some movements could be. They also exchanged stories on how they got their scholarship to the Royal Ballet. “Kinuwento ko po na scholar din po ako sa Ballet Manila at kung paano po ako naging scholar. Nasabi ko rin po na mas marami ang male dancers kaysa sa mga babae po.” (I told them that I’m a scholar of Ballet Manila and how I became a scholar. I also mentioned that we have more male dancers than females.”)

On the weekend when he was off from school, Gelo and his father managed to take in some of the city’s well-known sights such as the London Eye, the Big Ben and Buckingham Palace which he enjoyed visiting as he saw the Royal Guards. He also tried local food treats and particularly enjoyed the fries because of the big size and generous servings.

But of all the things he experienced in London, the most treasured for Gelo was of course related to ballet. “Pinaka-memorable po is ‘yung tinuro po sa amin ‘yung Les Patineurs: Blue Boy's Variation kasi first time ko lang din po narinig at nakita kung paano po ang choreo nito. Naging memorable po talaga siya sa akin dahil sa mahirap po na steps nitong variation po na ito. Natutunan ko po na ayusin ‘yung mga small details sa technique ko po, mga positions ko po na di ko po namamalayan na may mali po ako minsan.” (Most memorable to me was being taught Les Patineurs: Blue Boy's Variation because it was my first time to hear of and see this choreography. It really became memorable for me because the steps of this variation are quite difficult. I learned how to fix the small details in my technique, my positions that I wasn’t conscious I was sometimes committing mistakes in.”

Gelo is grateful to have undergone The Royal Ballet School summer program and is raring for similar prospects to train, if possible. “I’m very thankful po kasi nabigyan po ako ng opportunity na makapag-training sa Royal Ballet. Kasi malaking opportunity at blessing po ito. Kaya kung may chance po ulit ako na makapag-workshop po ulit tatanggapin ko po talaga siya kasi marami po ang may gusto na makapag-training sa ibang bansa.”

The next few months will be very busy for the teen danseur as he balances time between ballet and academics. Now in Grade 10 at the Sta. Clara Parish School, he has been joining other students in attending face-to-face classes again. At the Lisa Macuja School of Ballet, he continues to take the rigorous dance classes, and is now preparing for the AGP Finals.

Gelo’s life changed drastically when he was chosen to be a Project Ballet Futures scholar and welcomed being in dance out of curiosity and, eventually, learned to embrace it for personal fulfillment. Wherever the road may take him next, one thing is sure: Ballet will be part of it.