By Jv Ramos

Just when Sean Pelegrin thought that his 2023 would return to the usual chill off-season days after doing guestings with dance schools, he gets a career-changing phone call from Ballet Manila’s co-artistic associate Gerardo Francisco Jr. one Thursday morning.

“Ang naalala ko po roon ay sobrang aga kong nagising at nang pagtingin ko ng phone ko, may missed call si Sir Geri. Nu’ng tinawagan ko siya at sinabi niya sa akin na hindi makakasayaw si Kuya Romeo [Peralta] dahil sa masakit niyang tuhod, tinanong niya ako kung puwede kong sayawin ang role ni Don Diego [in Ibong Adarna].” (I remember seeing a missed call from Sir Geri very early in the morning, and when I called him, he told me about Romeo Peralta’s knee pain, which hindered him from performing, and asked if I could dance the role of Don Diego.)

“Nag-oo agad ako (I said ‘yes’ immediately),” continues Sean as it’s always been his practice to agree to any task that Ballet Manila throws his way. This time, however, the task was a big deal!  Don Diego in Ibong Adarna was a role that principal artist Romeo Peralta Jr. had danced since 2017 when Francisco’s ballet epic premiered. Not to mention, the character is the mercurial one of the three brothers, requiring stamina and ferocity.

“Nu’ng binaba ko ang phone, ’tsaka ko na-realize na dalawang araw lang ang mayroon ako para aralin ang malaking role na ito. Kinabahan ako siyempre! Pero naisip ko rin na simula na ito ng pagsayaw ko ng big roles, kaya naman nilaban ko lang.”  (It was only at the end of our call that I realized I only had two days to prepare for a major role. I was very nervous, definitely. But I also kept in mind that this may be my start to finally getting bigger roles, so I pushed ahead.)

In those two days of preparation, Sean says his eyes were mostly glued to his phone as he kept studying the previous performances of Romeo Peralta as Don Diego. “Tulog tapos cellphone. Ligo tapos cellphone. Ang sabi ko nga sa iba ay huwag akong kausapin, dahil gusto kong araling mabuti ang role. Naalala ko rin na noong may company class, parang ayaw kong sumayaw ng classical dahil ayokong matabunan ang pinag-aaralan ko!”  (I’d sleep then study on my phone. I’d bathe and then study on my phone again. I even told others not to talk to me because I really wanted to execute the role well. I also remember not wanting to do classical combinations in class, because I didn’t want that to interfere with the role I was learning!)

He continues, “Challenging po talagang aralin ang role ng dalawang araw lang. Buti na lang po sobrang matulungin ang mga kasama ko sa company!”  (Studying to be Don Diego in two days was very challenging. It’s a good thing that everyone in the company was very supportive.) Here, Sean mentions his brothers in the Ibong Adarna production, played by principals Mark Sumaylo and Joshua Encisco, who generously taught him the timing and coordination needed in their shared scenes, plus the corps de ballet who gave him the space to focus on learning Don Diego.

“Sobrang masunurin ang mga boys, grabe. Nu’ng sinabi ko na huwag akong kausapin, hindi talaga nila ako ginulo. At nu’ng sinabi ko na magpahinga kami, natulog kami lahat sa dressing room. Natulungan din ako ni Kuya Romeo sa fight scene ng mga kapatid. ’Yon na ’ata ang pinakamahirap. Bukod sa coordination na kailangan, dapat may intensity kang mapakita kahit hindi naman talaga totoo ang away niyo.” (The boys were especially cooperative. When I requested not to be disturbed, they really gave me the space. And when I said that we should rest to recharge for the next show, we all slept in the dressing room. Romeo also helped out by teaching me the coordination needed in the fight scene of the brothers. That was the most difficult part. Aside from the coordination needed, it requires intensity even if the fight isn’t real.)

Asked if he was worried about performing, Sean replies that he was particularly very nervous during the first Ibong Adarna performance, one of two fundraising shows that happened on November 18. “Kung marami kasing bagay na hindi pa nagagawa sa stage, kinakabahan talaga ako. Kaya nang natapos ang first show, medyo nabawasan na ang kaba ko!” (When the role entails elements that I have never performed, I get really nervous. So when the first show was over, I was relieved.) But just when Sean thought that his period of intense tension was over, he got another request from Geri Francisco.

“Habang nagpapahinga pagkatapos ng unang show, tinanong ni Sir Geri sa akin kung puwede bang ako ang mag-partner kay Shaira [Comeros] sa Star City show, at ‘oo’ din ang naging sagot ko,” recalls Sean. “Kagaya ng dati, nu’ng umalis lang si Sir Geri ko lang na-realize isang madaliang pag-pe-prepare na naman ito. Hindi ko pa nasasayaw ang Sana’y Maulit Muli at may lift doon na sa studio ko pa lang nagagawa. Akala ko na nabawasan na ang kaba ko, pero pumalit na agad dito!” (While resting after my first show, Sir Geri asked if I could partner with Shaira Comeros in the Star City show and I also said yes… Like before, it was only when Sir Geri left that I realized the small amount of time I had. I had never danced Sana’y Maulit Muli, and it involves a high  lift that I had only done in the studio. Just when I thought that I was over the anxiety of learning something new, another thing came to replace it.)

“Pero di ba? Magandang opportunity ang bawat challenge na naibibigay sa iyo, kaya dapat mag-oo ka kahit kabado at gawin mo ang lahat para masayaw mo nang maayos ang role,” points out Sean, who managed to also cleanly execute Sana’y Maulit Muli with principal Shaira Comeros despite the limited amount of time to prepare. (But isn't it supposed that way? There's an opportunity in every challenge given to you, so you  have to say ‘yes’ even if it scares you and just do your best to dance the role well.)

“Oo lang ako nang oo kasi naiisip ko na kapag umayaw ka, baka umayaw na rin sila sa pagbigay ng magagandang role sa iyo,” justifies the danseur. (I keep on saying yes because when you say no, they might stop offering you good roles.) Here, he confesses that he has longed to dance major roles since joining Ballet Manila in 2015, but he knew that opportunities weren’t heading his way as there was still something lacking in him.

“May frustrations din ako,” he admits. “Siyempre, hindi nawawala iyon. Pero naintindihan ko rin dahil nakita ko rin na talagang may mga inconsistencies ako.” (I also had my share of frustrations. That’s inevitable. But I also understood that things were that way because I had inconsistencies.)

Coming from the Steps Dance Studio, Sean was equipped with the training to take on classical and contemporary pieces, but he had his share of off days as a company member. “Example na ng lack of consistency ang aking katawan. Taba-payat- taba-payat talaga ako dati. Ngayong 2023 lang ako naging consistent sa katawan. May dahilan at tamang timing talaga ang lahat.” (One example of my lack of consistency is maintaining my weight. I go from fat to thin repetitively. I think it’s only this year that I managed to maintain my weight.)

It’s also in this year that Sean hardly had any days for rest. Aside from the hectic schedule of Ballet Manila, he also did guest performances with other dance groups’ events, such as the Lyceum Dance Troupe, Rhythmworks Dance Studio and most recently the Hope Academy of Dance, where he performed the Basilio and Paquita variations and Coda. “Tapos bigla pa akong na-cast na Don Diego, kaya bawat buwan na lang ako na kabado,” jokes Sean. (And then suddenly, I got cast as Don Diego. It’s no surprise that I’m edgy every month.)

It was during the December recital of the Lisa Macuja School of Ballet that Sean’s promotion was announced, and at that time, he had just finished dancing the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy’s Prince in The Nutcracker: Clara’s Journey which was the year-end showcase for students. This role entailed a challenging pas de deux for him and his partner, Jessica Pearl Dames. “May mga away kami noong pina-practice namin ang swastika lift ng pas de deux na ito, pero nagawan naman namin ng paraan sa tulong ni Kuya Mark,” Sean relates, reiterating how he’s been consistently challenging himself this year. (We had fights while figuring out the swastika lift of the pas de deux. It’s a good thing we got through those difficult moments and succeeded in executing the lift with the help of Mark.)

Recalling that particular moment when his promotion was announced, he says, “Hindi ko po talaga ini-expect na ma-po-promote ako nang time na iyon. Akala ko kasi na ngayon pa lang ang time ng pag-assign sa akin ng magagandang role… Naiyak ako at hindi ko na rin narinig ang sinasabi ng mga tao nu’ng time na iyon. ‘Kuya Sean, Kuya Sean’ pala ang sinisigaw nila. Sobrang happy ang mga ibang BM dancers at pati na rin ang pamilya ko para sa akin.”  (I didn't expect to be promoted at that time. I just thought that what’s happening is I’m just starting to get better roles… I cried in disbelief when my name was announced and couldn't hear anything. It was only later on that I realized that the other dancers were chanting my name. They were happy for me. My family is also very happy for me.)

“Ngayong soloist na ako, kabado pa rin po ako. Mas malaki na kasi ang expectations nila sa iyo!” But as always, Sean intends to keep saying yes to whatever role he’s thrown into regardless of the time of preparation and his feelings. “Dapat laban pa rin lagi, at mas gagalingan ko pa po ngayon.”  (Now that I’m a soloist, the nervousness still hasn’t stopped. And that’s because people expect more from a soloist… Despite this, I’m determined to keep fighting. I’ll work even harder.) 

At the time of this interview, the newly promoted soloist was scheduled to perform The Nutcracker pas de deux with Pearl Dames in Ballet Baguio’s Christmas production, and all Sean could express was his excitement to do the challenging piece again. “Natutuwa ako na ma-pe-perform namin ulit ito. Memorable kasi ito sa akin. Nu’ng una namin ni-rehearse kasi ito, nasa Steps pa ako at sobrang payat ko pa. Hindi rin natuloy ang pag-perform nito sa AGP [Asian Grand Prix] competition ni Pearl noon dahil hindi kami naka-abot sa Round 2. May tamang timing talaga ang lahat.” (I'm very pleased that we get to perform it again. This pas de deux is a very memorable piece for me. Pearl and I danced it for the very first time when we were students at Steps. It was the piece we rehearsed for the Asian Grand Prix competition, but never got to perform since we didn’t make it to Round 2. There truly is a proper timing for everything.)

Now more experienced dancers, Sean and Pearl know that the version they’re performing is the best one yet. “Napaka-classical ang version na napili namin,” points out  Sean adding that the version they selected was the one Jeffrey Espejo, his first ballet teacher and a Ballet Manila pioneer, had danced many years ago. “Dapat sa mas challenging tayo lagi.” (The version we picked demands a lot of classical technique… We must go for what's challenging to get better.)

So,  is he ready to face life as a soloist? “Mas magiging busy pa ako, alam ko ’yan,” Sean expresses. “Pero mas gusto ko ang mapagod sa isang bagay na gustong-gusto ko gawin, kaya go lang.” (I'll be even busier, I know. But I'd rather be busy and tired doing what I really love, so I'll keep working hard.)

Photos by Giselle P. Kasilag