By Giselle P. Kasilag

A weekend before Ballet Manila’s restaging of Gerardo Francisco Jr.’s Ibong Adarna, principal dancer Abigail Oliveiro was in Jakarta, Indonesia for a guest appearance at the 3rd Indonesian Ballet Gala with husband and fellow principal dancer Mark Sumaylo. That she did not think twice about accepting the invitation to perform the Black Swan pas de deux from Swan Lake and Bam Damian’s M.A.Z.N. so close to the opening date of the company’s season-ender speaks volumes of her confidence in her dancing and physical fitness.

But that was not always the case. When Ibong Adarna premiered six years ago, classically trained Abi was hesitant in tackling the lead role of this contemporary Filipino ballet.

“The difference between then and now is that I’m more sure now. I was not sure before!” confesses the ballerina. “I was working with Rudy (De Dios, former principal dancer) at that time and I’d never partnered with Rudy. He’s really good! I learned how to work with him.”

“But the style, I feel like… I don’t want to say that it’s for me but I feel like it’s for me!” she continues. “I don’t feel like I’m working against myself. This style of choreography, I feel like I could do this one! I like this one. My body enjoys the movement which is why I think over the years it went in the direction it did because I feel like it’s meant for me.”

Ibong Adarna follows the quest of three princes to capture the mythical bird, Adarna, which has the power to heal their ailing father. It is a story that every Filipino schoolchild knows. But the Singapore-born, Australia-raised dancer had no idea what the story was when she was cast in the role for the first time. It did not help that Mark summarized the story for her saying that it is about a bird whose droppings turned people into stone. Abi has come a long way in understanding the magic of Adarna and has embraced the character completely that she is unable to imagine herself performing any other role in this ballet.

Since the first staging in 2017, she has performed Adarna in every subsequent run save for one. Then principal dancer Joan Emery Sia danced an excerpt for Ballet Manila’s 23rd season show, Iconic 2.0, because Abi was dancing the full-length Carmen for the second half of the program. The challenge for her in the 2023 restaging is how to keep the performance fresh and exciting despite having tackled the choreography so many times before.

“Every role that you perform, you have to make it fresh,” says Abi. “That’s our job. We do it so many times but the audience, they’re always new. The first thing I do is to study the technical side of things. I watch old videos. You want to make it ‘more,’ make it look bigger, see how I can fulfill Gerardo’s vision of Adarna. It doesn’t end. It’s art. There are so many avenues to pull apart and then piece back together. With experience and age, the character itself evolves. You don’t play the same character. The Adarna I once was I don’t think is the same Adarna now.”

Geri is quick to agree. He notes how vastly different Abi’s portrayal of Adarna is this time around. He points out how mature she has become and how deeply she has internalized her character. From the eyes and the bird-like head movements to the arms and hand gestures, it is truly her interpretation but still within his vision. Abi doesn’t dance by the book, says Geri. She goes out of the box to discover new ways to expressing the steps. Not only is he keeping her enhancements of his choreography but is encouraging her to explore more.

“But to be very honest, I’m very insecure with my contemporary abilities,” admits Abi with all humility. “I’m very open about it. I’m not as confident about it as my classical skills but Gerardo makes me feel okay! And he just lets me run with it. Before, I would think. But now, I’m just gonna do it and go with what my body and my heart are telling me. I just gotta keep giving.”

It is with this same level of generosity that she has approached her partnering with principal dancer Joshua Enciso. This is his first time to perform as Don Juan, the youngest prince, and, essentially, the partner of Adarna.

“I trust him completely,” Abi says, fully confident in the abilities of her young partner. “I’m always just like, let’s go for it! When it comes to Joshua, I am not hesitant with how I do it. When there’s chemistry, it is automatically different. You get sucked in as an audience member. But for me as Adarna, it is really interesting because when I first started, Rudy was guiding me a lot. Over the years, I had to get stronger. And now it’s time for Joshua and I feel like I’m ready to stand on my own. You want to throw? Let’s go for it! Throw! Let’s play! Let’s amp it up!”

She added that having worked for so long with Mark as Don Pedro and principal dancer Romeo Peralta Jr. as Don Diego, she feels that she can read them very easily and react to their movements without thinking. But partnering with Joshua for the first time, it is a refreshing change not to know him as well as Don Juan. His character triggers her Adarna and is creating a new kind of tension that is giving depth to their performances.

But Joshua is not the only youthful addition to the cast. As a result of the COVID pandemic and global lockdowns, the corps de ballet of Ballet Manila now consists of a smaller group of dancers who are younger and less experienced. They form the bulk of Adarna’s feathers, performing complicated maneuverings that Abi needs to keep in check.

“My two men next to me are (soloist John Ralp) Balagot and Rodney (Catubay, company member) so my shoulders are good!” laughs Abi. “But perhaps Gerardo feels it a little bit more because he watches and I always hear him say, ‘You’ve got to be extensions of Abi!’ which is how I feel! When I dance with them, it’s not just me but it’s my feathers. So when I flap my wings, I’m actually imagining reaching the very last person. And I’m always looking at my wings. Those are my wings! So I understand when Gerardo goes, ‘More! More!’ I can’t always see them but every time I’m with the feathers, I’m always trying to encompass every single person as if they were part of my body.”

Clearly a lot of thought has gone into Abi’s mind in ensuring that the return of the mythical bird to the stage is as exciting as the premiere, if not more. Indeed, she has set her heart on making Adarna soar higher than ever.

“As time goes on, especially when you repeat a role, you no longer want to make it look like a dance. For me, I want the dance to disappear. I don’t want you to see the dancing anymore. It should be seamless by this point and you just get immersed in the dancing. That’s what I wish for the audience.”

Related links:

Ballet Manila’s ‘Ibong Adarna’: A virtual exhibition

Perfecting Adarna: Gerardo Francisco Jr. takes his masterpiece to the next level

Ibong Adarna: A legendary tale borne on the wings of good old family values

Mark Sumaylo embraces each role as if it was his last

Romeo Peralta Jr. leaps into villain territory once more in ‘Ibong Adarna’

From monkey to prince: Joshua Enciso’s epic ‘Adarna’ adventure