In the name of the father

Loving, dependable, compassionate, thoughtful, strong-willed – these are just some of the noble traits that have been associated with fathers. Ballet Manila has depicted many fathers in its productions, though not always in a positive light as the head of the family can conversely be complicated, temperamental, or overbearing. With the upcoming observance of Father’s Day on June 18, we take a look at the dads – the good, the bad and the in-between – that have made their presence felt at the ballet.

In Don Quixote (2023), the innkeeper Lorenzo (Martin Lawrance) wants his daughter Kitri (Jasmine Pia Dames) to marry well and the barber Basilio is not exactly on top of his list. She tries to sweet-talk him in this scene, but seemingly to no avail. In the end, however, after his frustrated attempts to pair Kitri with the wealthy Gamache, Lorenzo has a change of heart and gives his blessing to Kitri and Basilio. Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag

Tatay (Harold Salgado) can’t contain his excitement as his son Rodrigo (Gerardo Francisco Jr.) returns home after months of being away to work so he can help support the family. This is how the enthusiastic reunion – with the excited father cradling his beloved son in his arms – happens in Ang Mahiwagang Biyulin, one of the featured stories in Tatlong Kuwento ni Lola Basyang (2011). Photo by Ocs Alvarez

In Gerardo Francisco Jr.’s Ibong Adarna, Haring Fernando (second from left) is ready to banish his two older sons, Pedro (Elpidio Magat, left) and Diego (Romeo Peralta, right), after learning they had deceived their brother Juan (Anselmo Dictado, kneeling) to take credit in bringing home the Adarna (Abigail Oliveiro, back) whose voice cured the king of a lingering ailment. Prevailed upon by the queen, Donya Valeriana (Lisa Macuja-Elizalde, center), however, Fernando ultimately forgives the erring brothers and the family reunites amid celebration in the kingdom. Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag

Upon the request of her daughter Honoreé (Joan Emery Sia, right), Giorgio Germont (John Balagot, center) pleads with Violetta (Abigail Oliveiro, left) to cut ties with her lover, Giorgio’s son Alfredo, as the scandal of their relationship might affect Honoreé’s forthcoming marriage to a nobleman. The dramatic scene is from Lisa Macuja-Elizalde’s La Traviata (2022). Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag

As the head of the Kapuleto family in Martin Lawrance’s Romeo and Juliet (2023), Mark Sumaylo rages when daughter Juliet (Jessica Pearl Dames) rebels against his wishes for her to marry the man of his choice. In an emotionally charged pas de deux, Juliet tries to appease her displeased father but her heart yearns for Romeo, not Paris. Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag

The Huntsman (Rudolph Capongcol) is the considerate parent to his son (Germaine Dawal) and dependable husband to his wife (Sayaka Ishibashi), as well as a kind father figure to Snow White in Lisa Macuja-Elizalde’s ballet adaptation of the fairy tale (2019). Ordered by the Evil Queen to kill the young girl, the Huntsman instead takes her to the forest so she may be able to live peacefully, away from her scheming stepmother. Photo by Erickson Dela Cruz

In the environmental fable Alamat: Si Sibol at Si Gunaw (2009), the mortal Kapuy (Nazer Salgado, right) doesn’t serve as a fine example for his son Gunaw (Francis Cascaño). When Kapuy’s wife, the goddess Luningning, goes back to her home in the sky, he is unprepared to care for their twin children Sibol and Gunaw. Thus as the latter grows up, he lives up to his name that is synonymous with destruction, mistreats his hapless father and wreaks havoc on nature. Photo by Ocs Alvarez