It’s ballet or nothing for company member Alvin Dictado
Alvin Dictado performs the Albrecht variation from Giselle in Deux (2019). This classical piece helped him secure the third prize in the 2018 CCP Ballet Competition. Photo by Ian Santos
By Jv Ramos
Growing up, Alvin Dictado didn’t think much about ballet, even if his older brother Anselmo “Elmoe” Dictado was addicted to it. This 22-year-old dancer, in fact, didn’t think that it was a good fit for boys. But after trying ballet in the Ballet Manila (BM) studio, he soon realized that he enjoyed doing barre work and turns after school rather than hanging out aimlessly in his neighborhood.
Ballet Manila company member Alvin Dictado is intent on beefing up his body so he is better prepared to lift ballerinas and to help ensure a long dancing career. Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag
As a result, Alvin just kept showing up in the studio, following whatever his ballet teachers would teach him, and soon, he found himself experiencing the same things that Elmoe, a soloist in BM, did. He entered competitions here and abroad, participated in international dance festivals, and in 2019, was promoted to company member.
“Siguro ang pinakanaaalala kong moment ay noong kumakain kami ni Joshua [Enciso] na kasami si Sir Shaz [Barroso, erstwhile Ballet Manila co-artistic director]. Bigla na lang niya sinabi na, ‘Alvin, Joshua, pupunta kayo ng Russia,’” reminisces the danseur, who was only a teenager in 2016. “Hindi namin ito binigyang masyado ng pansin. Pero nang lumipas ang isang taon, nandoon na nga kami ni Joshua sa Russia para sa Dance Open. At hindi lang once nangyari ‘yon. May time din na biglang binanggit ang Taiwan, at nakarating din ako doon dahil sa ballet.” (The memory that really stuck with me was when Joshua and I were out, eating with Sir Shaz. Our teacher suddenly said that we’d make it to Russia, which we didn’t think much of. But after a year, Joshua and I really found ourselves in Russia, participating at the Dance Open. And this didn’t just happen once! Sir Shaz also randomly mentioned Taiwan and we did go there because of ballet.)
Our subject notes with a grateful tone, “Ang dami kong hindi nakikita nang nag-ba-ballet ako noon, pero ayun pala, may mga pinaplano si Sir Shaz at ang BM sa akin.” (There were so many things that I didn’t expect to happen as I was training for ballet, but apparently, Sir Shaz and BM had so many plans for me.)
In Ballet Manila’s comeback show, Rise!, in October 2022, Alvin (center) joins Rodney Catubay (left) and John Balagot in Nais Ko. Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag
Realizing that ballet opened up so many opportunities for him, Alvin chose to continue his training, even when some studio days involved a lot of mistakes and shouting of corrections from mentors.
“Ang pagsigaw nila sa akin ang talagang hindi ko makakalimutan,” jokes Alvin, who’s always the jester in the room. “Pero kung wala ang mga corrections na ‘yon, baka wala na rin ako.” (It’s all the shouting that makes ballet so memorable for me… But if those corrections weren’t voiced out, then I probably wouldn’t be here anymore.)
He shares that only he and fellow company member John Carl Concepcion lasted in BM since that day they both showed up for an open audition. The journey from being a scholar to members of of BM’s junior company to now being a company member definitely wasn’t easy, but somehow they succeeded by always showing up and doing what’s required of them.
Backstage after Snow White (2019), Alvin (rightmost) and his fellow “dwarves” remove their masks for a souvenir group photo. With him are (clockwise from left) Rafael Perez, Sean Pelegrin, John De Dios, Brian Sevilla, Jamil Montibon and Anselmo Dictado. Photo by Erickson Dela Cruz
So how did this danseur get through the pandemic? Alvin points out that he is wired differently than others. While the rest were starting new hobbies or trying alternative ways of making money, he just remained at home, filling his days in lockdown with BM online company classes and playing computer games. It didn’t matter if he didn’t have a company contract or that there were no signs of live shows coming back, he just continued on with his dance training. “Iba kasi ako eh, kung may gusto ako, ‘yon lang at ‘yon ang focus ko! (I’m just different. If I really like something, I put all my focus there.)
Asked if he ever had a plan B in case the global pandemic went out of hand? Alvin replies that he considered streaming his games as a means of livelihood, but he never really got to start that as BM, in the latter part of 2021, began a string of online-based projects. Among them was joining the 2021 Asian Grand Prix, wherein this talent was assigned to dance Gerardo Francisco Jr.’s Border, the company’s video entry to the group competition.
Alvin performs the contemporary piece Pi-Ang by Gerardo Francisco Jr. in the 2018 CCP Ballet Competition where he landed third place in the junior category. Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag
“Nakakapanibago dahil ang tagal mong nasa bahay at kailangan mong mag-mask ‘pag sumasayaw kayo,” expresses Alvin when asked to comment on his AGP experience, which actually bagged a gold. “Na-feel ko rin ang sakit ng katawan pagkatapos ng filming. Hindi na kasi sanay na ganu’n katagal sumasayaw.” Despite the discomforts, Alvin was happy to be back at the studio with his fellow dancers, and just looked forward to the time when he’d finally be performing in front of an audience again. (The experience felt so different , since I was just stuck at home for the longest time. We also had to wear a mask while rehearsing, which was difficult at first… Then, I also felt body pains after our filming of the dance since it’s been a while since I’d danced so long.)
If there’s anything that changed in him during the pandemic, Alvin says it’s learning to take more responsibility for himself. “Siguro, ang pagiging mas independent. Wala nang gumigising sa akin ngayon, at ako na lang din ang gumagawa ng pagkain at paglalaba,” says the young danseur who faced a lot of personal changes. (I think I became more independent. No one has to wake me up in the morning anymore, and I prepare my own food and wash my own clothes.) After living near the BM compound for many years, his family relocated to Laguna, while his older brother Elmoe took a break from ballet and worked in Pangasinan in 2021.
For the ballet fundraiser Tuloy ang Sayaw-an (2019), Alvin is paired with Shaira Comeros in an excerpt from Giselle. Photo by Erickson Dela Cruz
On maintaining a danseur’s body, Alvin admits that he’s lucky to still be in the early years of his career, wherein he can still easily get back into shape and train for a variety of roles. “Ang inaatupag ko ngayon sa katawan ko ay ang pagpapalaki nito. Umiinom ako ng Whey protein at nag-we-weights araw-araw,” he shares and is quick to jest, “Siyempre dapat hindi sumobra ang laki, ayaw ko naman pagkamalan ako’ng bodyguard ni Ma’am Lise [Ballet Manila artistic director Lisa Macuja-Elizalde].” (What I’m busy with now is building my body. I now drink Whey protein and do weight-training daily… Of course, I don’t plan on being too big. I don’t want to be mistaken as a bodyguard to Ma’am Lise.)
Putting aside the laughter, Alvin explains that the reason he’s building his muscles is he knows that male ballet dancers do a lot of lifting, and he’d like to be performing for a long time. Not to mention, for him to take on his dream roles – Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake when it comes to classical ballet, and Rev if contemporary – he would have to put in the work now.
But really, for one to make it in ballet, according to this happy-go-lucky company member, “Kailangan mong sumayaw nang sumayaw lang para mahasa!” (You have to keep dancing and dancing to really be good in it!)
Alvin Dictado says that he has learned to be more responsible amid the challenges of the pandemic. Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag
