By Giselle P. Kasilag

Run-throughs for Ballet Manila’s season productions are usually held at Studio 1 – the open-air space that’s the largest among the company’s rehearsal venues. But a week before the opening of its season production of Don Quixote, co-artistic associate Gerardo “Geri” Francisco Jr. decided to hold it in the smaller but airconditioned Studio 2. Though San Francisco Ballet principal dancer Esteban Hernandez, who is performing the lead role Basilio, didn’t ask for any concessions, Geri’s instincts told him that the guest artist would struggle with the heat, having arrived just early that week and had yet to acclimatize to Manila’s punishing summer.

As soon as he walked into the rehearsal venue, his eyes were already darting around to check on the dancers. His gaze landed on principal dancer Mark Sumaylo who was experiencing some difficulties with his back after some exertions during an earlier rehearsal. Mark gave him a thumbs-up sign, assuring him that he will be ready by showtime, much to his relief.

Another look around and he spied principal dancer Jasmine Pia Dames who will being dancing the female lead Kitri. She smiled. She was fully warmed up and prepared for the run-through. After a quick consultation with co-artistic associate Eileen Lopez who was handling the music for that afternoon, he gave the signal, and everyone immediately assembled.

The music began and Geri – the skilled multi-tasker – was everything, everywhere, all at once.

He was the rehearsal master ensuring that the technique of the entire company was on pointe. He was mentoring Esteban on the spot, ensuring that the latter was performing the beloved role following the storytelling and nuances of BM’s version. He was a coach to Pia whom he partnered as Basilio in 2017 when the pair and the company last performed Don Quixote. And he was also dancing Gamache, the flamboyant suitor of Kitri, in the current staging.

Indeed, he was a show unto himself. Geri ran the rehearsals with the flair of a chef and the precision and relentlessness of a drill sergeant. He handled the dancers with the same care as a cook would give his various ingredients. But stray a little bit from the technique and out comes the taskmaster demanding that the steps be repeated until he is satisfied with the performance.

“’Yung standard ng BM, dapat ma-keep namin (We need to keep the standard of BM),” he said. “Kasi nga nag-set ng standard ang BM na kailangan world-class ’yung performance. Kahit na baguhan ka sa BM pero pag nag-train ka talaga, alam mong makakasabay ka talaga. So ’yun ’yung tinututukan namin sa rehearsal, lalo na ang mga corps natin mga baguhan. As in, bago talaga. Mga bata pa. Walang experience. ’Yung iba diyan hindi nga alam siguro ’yung story ng Don Quixote. Sasayaw lang sila na hindi nila alam kung ano ’yung nangyayari. So ’yun ’yung medyo challenging du’n. Kailangan ipa-intindi ko sa kanila na ’yung part na ito, dapat ganito kayo. Detail by detail talaga ’yung mga poses at ’yung mga gesture. (Because BM set a standard that the performance should be world-class. Even if you’re new in BM, once you’ve trained here, you should be able to keep up. That’s what we are focusing on in the rehearsals, especially since the members of the corps are new. As in, really new. They’re still kids. No experience. They probably don’t know the story of Don Quixote. They will just dance but they don’t know what’s really happening. So that’s the challenge. We need to make them understand that in this part, this needs to be this way. We break down the poses and gestures detail by detail).”

Along with the technique, Geri equally stressed the importance of musicality. Sometimes, the success or failure of the production falls on something as simple and as basic as listening to the music. His pet peeves are dancers who merely follow the movement of the person in front of them rather than listening to the music to determine the correct timing. The music should be the cue and waiting for another person would mean being half a second behind someone else. Thus, the dancers would no longer be in unison.

“Pag lumabas na medyo hindi ako satisfied du’n sa rehearsal, talagang hindi ako mapakali (When I’m not satisfied with the rehearsals, I really get apprehensive),” he admitted. “Let’s say may magkamali o wala sa music, talagang hindi dapat ’yun mangyari. Sorry! May pagka-perfectionist ako pero I want it for the good of the show. Doon makikita ’yung discipline. So ulit. Kasi nga kung papabayaan mo sila, malay nila hindi pala sila nagsasabay-sabay. So that’s my obligation. It’s my job na tingnan sila at kailangan magsabay talaga sila.” (Let’s say someone made a mistake or was not in tune with the music, that really shouldn’t happen. Sorry! I guess I’m a perfectionist but I want it for the good of the show. That’s where you see the discipline. So repeat. Because if I let it go, they might not know that they’re not dancing in unison. So that’s my obligation. It’s my job to look after them and make sure that they’re dancing as one).

Geri continued, “Ang dancer, kapag hindi ina-apply ’yung correction, kahit 1,000 times mo uulitin walang mangyayari (When a dancer doesn’t apply the correction, even if he repreats it 1,000 times, nothing will happen),” he continued. “Like sa class – diyan nagsa-start lahat sa class. Kung paano mo i-take ’yung class mo, seriously dapat, pag sumayaw ka ganyan din. Magre-reflect talaga sa sayaw ’yun. Makikinig ka sa correction kasi ia-apply mo sa sarili mo. That’s how you grow. ’Yun ’yung ina-apply ko sa mga younger generation dito. Hindi ibig sabihin na kino-correct ko itong tao na ’to eh wala kang pakialam. It applies to all! Sabi ko pag nag-correct ako dito, pay attention kasi malay mo mali din pala ’yung ginagawa mo, hindi mo lang alam. ’Yung corps, du’n ako tutok na tutok lagi kasi ’yan, kapag hindi nagsabay ibig sabihin… anong klaseng company meron ka? ’Yun ang gusto kong ipagpatuloy, kung ano ’yung sinimulan nila Shaz [former co-artistic director Osias Barroso].” (Like in class – everything starts in class. How you take your class, and it should be seriously, when you dance it’s that way too. It will really reflect on your dancing. You have to listen to the correction because you will apply it to yourself. That’s how you grow. That’s what I’m trying to apply to the younger generation here. Just because I corrected someone else doesn’t mean it has nothing to do with you. It applies to all. I tell them that when I make a correction here, pay attention because you might be doing it incorrectly too but you just didn’t know. The corps is what we are focusing on because if they’re not dancing as one… what kind of a company do we have? That’s what we want to continue – what Shaz and others started).”

Keeping the corps in line is just one of the many tasks on Geri’s plate, particularly on a week that artistic director Lisa Macuja-Elizalde is away for a family event. He is also paying extra attention on Esteban to ensure that he is ready for his first full-length performance of Don Quixote as Basilio.

He is very grateful for the guest artist’s professionalism. Despite his difficulties with the heat and humidity, the younger dancer would show up for his rehearsals fully prepared and completely focused on the task on hand. He has reviewed the choreography and has practiced his parts. Geri only has to worry about making sure that Esteban blends seamlessly with the company.

“Bata pa nga siya pero ‘yung character niya medyo mature na (He’s still young but his character is quite mature),” Geri observed. “Meron na siyang alam talaga. Mexican siya so may pagka-Spanish. So alam niya ’yung kultura. May exploration. Natural na ’yung galaw, ’yung expression. Although first time niya mag full-length Don Quixote, makikita mo parang may experience ba. Parang nagawa na niya ’yung full-length.” (He knows what he’s doing. He’s Mexican so there’s the Spanish influence. He knows the culture. There’s exploration. His movement and expressions are very natural. Although this is his first full-length Don Quixote, you can see that he has experience. He moves as though he has already done the full-length.)

“Bagay sila ni Pia (He’s a good match for Pia),” he added. “Pero sa ngayon, medyo nangangapa pa. Hindi pa gamay masyado lalo na sa mga ikot. Kaya nagsabi ako sa kanya na if okay sa kanya na mag-rehearse ng extra. Three days pa lang kasi. Kahit ako mangangapa! Pero nakikita ko na magwo-work! Madali siyang mag-adapt.” (But for now, they’re still adjusting. They’re still getting used to each other especially with the turns. That’s why I asked him if it’s okay to do extra rehearsals. It’s only been three days. Even I would still be adjusting! But I can see that it will work! He adapts very quickly).”

Geri himself is adapting too – to a new role. He is performing as Gamache for the first time. Gamache is the suitor that has the approval of Kitri’s father, Lorenzo, but Kitri of course only has eyes for Basilio. Though it might seem like a minor role, the principal dancer is treating it with the same dedication as he would if he were performing Basilio himself.

This time around, Macuja-Elizalde decided to shake up the role and spice it up. Gamache is traditionally heavy on acting and miming with barely any dancing. Taking advantage of Geri’s abilities, she expanded the role, giving Gamache an opportunity to seriously dance as well.

“Pinag-aralan ko ’yung Gamache (I studied Gamache),” he said. “Ganito pala siya. Feeling makukuha lahat pero, Diyos ko, hindi pala siya gusto. Royalty ang dating… privileged! ’Yung mga ibang nagdaan na Gamache, medyo may pagka-beki ’yung dating. So merong ganu’n pero huwag naman too much. Since comedy siya, naglagay ako ng konting facial expressions. So hindi lang pang seryoso kundi pang comedy pa! So watch out!” (Apparently he’s this way. He feels like he can get everything but, my god, he’s really disliked! He acts like royalty… privileged! The past dancers who did Gamache, the approach is quite gay. So there’s that but not too much. Because it’s comedy, I added some facial expressions. So I’m not just for drama but for comedy too!)

Indeed, there’s no such thing as a small role for Geri – something that he has stressed time and again especially with the younger dancers. Each assignment is important and the responsibility to the company and to the audience is to perform it to the best of their abilities.

Geri’s roles, come to think of it, are not small at all. From running rehearsals to dancing Gamache, his mark can be seen in every aspect of the production – everything, everywhere, all at once.

See also:

Ballet Manila Moments: In love with Don Quixote