By Jv Ramos

Like many of us, choreographer Martin Lawrance pictured the year 2020 to be different. After closing his 25-year chapter with the Richard Alston Dance Company, where he began as a dancer and then transitioned to work as a choreographer and rehearsal director, he planned on leaving England for good, and starting a new life in the Philippines with his partner Jeffrey Rogador. The two had met through Ballet Manila and had worked together on the company’s epic Spartacus-People Power production Rebel in 2016, with Martin as choreographer and Jeffrey as costume designer.  

“I had already given up my London apartment, but then the lockdown happened,” starts the soft-spoken choreographer.  “I was scheduled to leave on April 5, but because of the lockdown, the last flight from England to the Philippines became March 29. As the company was closing, I had a lot of things to wrap up and I wasn’t ready to leave at that time; in addition, that flight was really intended for Filipinos who wanted to come home.”

The British national – who’s behind some of Ballet Manila’s contemporary pieces that still highlighted the classical technique such as the full-length Rebel, and Aria and The Winding Road – instead found himself moving in with his mother in Leicestershire. It was a living arrangement that Martin expected to last for only two weeks, but he ended up staying there until early 2022 or when the borders of different countries began opening up again. “I’m very thankful to my Mum for letting me stay for a long time, especially since I had lost my job with RADC.” 

Martin explains that in England, things had been very hard for everyone in the dance world. “Especially for someone like me, who wasn’t out there in social media. Work was scarce. I mean, I had projects here and there. I was busy, but it wasn’t the same.” He missed the busy days of being in a dance company, especially the part where he was able to interact and work on choreography with dancers. 

Burdened by the everyday slow pace and that hunger to create, he reached out to Ballet Manila artistic director Lisa Macuja-Elizalde. “I spoke to Lisa and said, ‘I’m bored. Can I create something with Abi and Mark?’ She then told me, ‘Why don’t you create something with all the dancers that live together?’” Presented with a bigger opportunity, Martin embraced it and soon worked with the pandemic bubbles that Ballet Manila had: The principals who were also real-life couples, Abigail Oliveiro and Mark Sumaylo, and Joan Emery Sia and Elpidio Magat Jr.; the twin ballerinas, principal dancer Pia Dames and soloist Pearl Dames; and finally, soloists and also real-life pair Shaira Comeros and Joshua Enciso.

The setup, of course, wasn’t the most ideal given that they were in two different time zones and working with the limited space for dance that they all had.  “But that gave me so much life, so much hope because one, I was still a choreographer, and two, I still had that connection with Ballet Manila and the Philippines – something that I never wanted to lose!”

Martin reflects further on the experience: “The only thing I found difficult in doing choreography remotely is that there’s a delay in the musicality in Zoom and Messenger. I would get angry at myself – not at the dancers – because I honestly couldn’t see what I wanted to get out of it musically. But eventually, I think we got there.” His interaction with the eight principals and soloists of Ballet Manila gave birth to a piece called Home, which the company later on filmed and released in November 2020.

“I wanted the work to convey an intimacy between those two dancers in the confined space they’re in. It was something very warming,” puts forward Martin. Here, he is referring to the kind of support two dancers living in one space give one another, especially in those times of doubt and hopelessness. “It was important that Lisa was in the ballet so I asked her if I could make her a solo for the beginning as she was the one orchestrating; she was the one keeping these dancers and the company together.”

Speaking of togetherness, this was something Martin proactively worked on during the long lockdown. “Because things were put on hold and we had loads of free time, Jeffrey and I would talk every day for hours; it was even longer than before. Though we were far away, I was still very hopeful that every month, I would re-book a flight to the Philippines. This kept going on and on until November 2020 came, and Jeffrey suddenly passed away of COVID.”

Martin can’t even begin to describe how helpless he felt then, as he couldn’t come to Manila, or the ensuing  heartache over such an immense loss. “Every day without Jeffrey is difficult; but day by day, it’s feeling easier."

Finally, Martin was able to travel to the Philippines earlier this year and the visit was especially comforting, as he got to spend a lot of time with Jeffrey’s family, taking part in their traditions, particularly in honoring Jeffrey’s memory. Moreover, Martin was able to step into Ballet Manila’s studio again. “It’s been so long that the guard in front is already different; I was asked to fill out a small piece of paper. You could sense a lot of changes that have happened in the past two years, but when I entered the studio, there was that familiar feeling.”

When the Rebel choreographer stepped into the company’s unique three-walled studio, he saw Lisa Macuja-Elizalde busy as ever with teaching. Once the company members spotted him, they all paused and applauded to welcome him, as he and Lisa hugged each other and cried.

Being that his visit was during recital season last July, Martin was invited to put together a piece that combined 11 of Ballet Manila’s dancers and 14 of Lisa Macuja School of Ballet’s students, which conveyed the big idea of training the new generation of dancers. From the movements to the sound, Unearthed had a flavor quite unlike his previous works for Ballet Manila.

“You know me, every time I’m here, I always want to come up with something different from the last thing I choreographed,” shares the visiting artist. “So even the music for this recital piece was different from anything I’ve used before. It’s The Serpent’s Egg from the ‘90s, by the Australian band Dead Can Dance. It’s Indian-inspired, quite tribal… This recital piece is perhaps the best I’ve done with Ballet Manila. And this is because I came back hungry and fresh!”

He says that the same could be said of the dancers he’s shared a studio with. “The dancers are hungrier to dance and they’re all dancing beautifully. Everyone is at their best. And when Lisa comes in, she even adds a spark and a different kind of energy! It’s beautiful!”

As of this writing, Martin has started transforming his Romeo & Juliet suite into a full-length choreography which will open Ballet Manila’s 25th performance season in February 2023. The piece, which he made for the company in 2019 and which was premiered in Tuloy ang Sayawan, featured Joshua Enciso and Jessica Pearl Dames who reprised their roles in an excerpt presented at the Aliw Theater relaunch last August. 

“Everything important to the story was in what I had made before, so expanding it would be more about bringing it to the now,” he notes. Martin envisions his version of the Shakespearean tragedy to involve elements that most people now could relate to, including text messages and social media, the Filipino pastime of karaoke, and popular songs from various decades, including Original Pilipino Music (OPM).

“Martin created a Romeo & Juliet using music from West Side Story and Sana’y Wala Nang Wakas, which was so different from your regular Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet. So we wanted to build on that original idea of a new Romeo & Juliet for the company that is unusual. It is unexpected,” comments Lisa.

“Current but retro” is the challenging mix that Martin is eyeing for his expanded Romeo & Juliet. There’s an assortment of interesting elements that he’s considering so his choreography will continue to evolve in the coming months, although he is certain of one thing. “I’m still putting it together… But Sana’y Wala Nang Wakas will still be there!”

The Filipino music he assigned to the young lovers for the Balcony Scene, as it turns out, is extremely significant for Martin. It is actually a song that Jeffrey sang for him at karaoke – a touching moment between the two that was even documented on video. “It’s a very special song for me. It means so much more now since I’m dealing with loss. And Romeo & Juliet seems a fitting ballet to do when someone’s hurting about death,” he wistfully muses.