Gerardo Francisco Jr. on Ibong Adarna being a dream come true and a continuous work-in-progress

*Geri in action in Israel: Rehearsing* Ibong Adarna for the Karmiel Dance Festival in 2018. Photo by MarbiPhotography

By Jv Ramos

Gerardo Francisco Jr.’s Ibong Adarna was first presented to audiences nine years ago. Since its premiere, the adaptation of the Filipino literary epic has been included in two performance seasons of Ballet Manila, has bagged top honors in the Gawad Buhay and Aliw Awards, has been brought to Israel for the Karmiel Dance Festival in 2018, and in 2026 has had tour legs in Dumaguete, Laguna, and the Arete theater in Ateneo de Manila University. It will again go on stage this Friday, October 23, in Iloilo with two shows – a meaningful stop for the choreographer as it is his hometown, where his roots in dance began.

***For choreographer Gerardo Francisco Jr., seeing* Ibong Adarna *being performed in various venues nine years after its premiere still feels like a dream. Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag***

“When it premiered in 2017, it felt like a dream,” reflects Geri. “Even now, as Ibong Adarna is being performed in different places, it still feels like a dream.” Here, he emphasizes the reactions of the audiences – from continuous applause and loud cheering; he’s also seen auditoriums turn into concert-like environments, where people would turn on their cellphone flashlights and scream their admiration for Ballet Manila artists.

“You know that a show is a success when you see those kinds of reactions, and when people keep talking about it, even when the show is done!” he enthuses. In the many runs of Ibong Adarna, people usually go out of the theater humming the mythical bird’s song (composed by Diwa De Leon), recalling the thrilling fight scene of the three princes, and discussing the details they liked most – how funny the monkeys were, how bamboo was cleverly used as a prop, and how the ballet felt like a magical adventure overall.

Principal dancer Shaira Comeros channels the movements of the Ibong Adarna in one of the ballet’s performance tours this year. Video by Joshua Enciso/ JRE Films

As the ballet’s choreographer, however, Geri identifies the process of putting it together, with all the setbacks and victories, as his favorite memory. “Na-enjoy ko talaga ang bawat step sa pagbubuo ng full-length na ito,” he underlines. “Noong binubuo ko siya, kakagaling ko lang sa Dinagyang, at kung nanggaling ka sa isang festival na gano’n, parang lahat ay posible sa sayaw.” (I really enjoyed every step of making this full-length. When I was completing the ballet, I had just come from the Dinagyang Festival, and if you come from that kind of celebration, everything seems to be possible in dance.)

The associate artistic director shares that he originally envisioned the monkey scene to include tall bamboos with dancers jumping from one pole to another to really enhance how chaotic a prince’s journey can be in search for the magical bird. As such a scene would have required many more dancers to secure the bamboos and perform as monkeys, Geri ultimately did not pursue the idea, noting that choreographers should know their limits and be ready to tweak things when presented with all sorts of situations.

*Geri (top) with one set of the new-generation casts of* Ibong Adarna, after a show at Ateneo De Manila University’s Arete, from left: soloist Sean Pelegrin (Don Diego), principal dancer Jessica Pearl Dames (Adarna), company artist Juan Angelo De Leon (Don Juan), and soloist John Ralp Balagot (Don Pedro).

“Ang version na napapanood ngayon ay ibang-iba sa unang ipinalabas na Ibong Adarna,” explains the choreographer. “More on musical play ang una dahil sa singing at grandiose set. Nakaka-miss iyon pero kailangan kong i-re-develop ang Ibong Adarna para mas maging compact dahil sa 1-hour requirement ng Israel festival in 2018.” (What people are seeing now is very different from the first performance. That was more like a musical play with live singing and a grandiose set. I miss that version, but I had to redevelop it into something more compact due to the 1-hour requirement of the Israel-based festival in 2018.) He notes that the shorter version is closer to what’s being performed in tours today, and it works as people’s attention span is shorter and having one exciting scene after another keeps them engaged.

***Ballet Manila artistic director Lisa Macuja Elizalde originated the role of the compassionate queen, Donya Valeriana, when* Ibong Adarna *premiered in 2017. Photo by MarBi Photography***

“Ako rin ang type ng choreographer na nagbabasa ng reviews at nakikinig sa mga comments, at tuwing may nakikita ako doon na makaka-i-improve sa ballet, may mga binabago ako.” (I’m also the type of choreographer who reads reviews and listens to people’s comments, and whenever I encounter something that would improve the ballet, I apply those changes.)

Among the elements he’s adjusted is the miming. As someone had pointed out that seeing the same actions over and over again tended to be dragging, he choreographed new elements to replace the repetitive gestures.

“Siyempre, may mga adjustments ka rin na kailangang gawin dahil sa dancers na mayroon ka. May template ang choreography ko, pero gusto ko na may freedom ang mga dancers na i-apply ang kanilang style. May mga steps din akong pinalitan para mas maipakita pa ang technique nila, dahil alam kong kaya nila!” (Of course, there are adjustments that you have to do based on your current set of dancers. I have a template to my choreography, but I also want my dancers to have the freedom to express themselves. There are also steps that I’ve changed to really showcase their technique, because I know they can do it!)

Principal dancer Abigail Oliveiro, the original Ibong Adarna in Ballet Manila’s adaptation of the literary classic, poses beside a poster announcing the ballet’s shows at the Karmiel Dance Festival in Israel in 2018. Photo by Mark Sumaylo

Geri then praises the younger generation’s strong technique and how the dancers have brought their own personal styles to the characters. “Very contemporary ang approach ni Pearl sa kanyang Ibong Adarna, at si Shaira naman ay very balletic ang ginagawa, at parehong nag-wo-work ito!” (Principal dancer Pearl Dames’ approach to her Ibong Adarna is very contemporary, while principal dancer Shaira Comeros’ take is more balletic, and both styles really work!)

The Amazonas comprise a group of strong and brave women in Ibong Adarna. Video by Joshua Enciso/ JRE Films

The award-winning choreographer continues, “Sa role naman ng Don Juan, natutuwa ako sa improvement ni Paeng [soloist Rafael Perez] compared sa unang run niya. Mas gamay na niya kasi. Si Gelo [company artist Juan Angelo De Leon] naman ay kinabahan ng kaunti, pero nilaban niya ito. Nagulat ako sa Don Juan niya. Ang laki ng improvement ng kanyang partnering, expressions, at artistry. Nakita ko talaga ang pagka-seryoso niya sa pag-perform ng role – sobrang into it siya!” (As for the role of Don Juan, I’m very happy about Paeng’s improvement compared to the first time he did it. He seems to be more comfortable with the role. Gelo was a bit nervous, but he fought through that. I was really surprised by his Don Juan. He improved so much in his partnering, expressions, and artistry. I could really see how serious he is about performing the role well – he was really into it!)

But even if this choreographer is happy about what everyone brings to the table, he refuses to rest on his laurels. “Tuwing may run kami, may mga tweaks pa rin akong ginagawa, especially sa pag-time ng steps sa music para naman mas may impact pa ito. Mayroon at mayroon akong nakikitang puwedeng i-improve pa sa bawat performance, kaya para sa akin, work-in-progress pa rin ang Ibong Adarna.” (Whenever we’d do a run, there are still tweaks that I would apply, especially with the timing of the steps to the music, so there would be more impact. There will always be something to improve on, so Ibong Adarna for me is still a work-in-progress.)

*Ballet Manila co-artistic director Osias Barroso Jr. (upper left, dressed as Haring Fernando) gives a pep talk to the BM delegation shortly before going on stage to perform in* Ibong Adarna as part of the Karmiel Dance Festival. Photo by Mark Sumaylo

Regarding what’s to come in terms of his choreography journey, Geri shares that there’s still a lot of ideas in his head and written on his notebook yet to be translated onstage. “Marami pa talaga akong gustong gawin. Totoo talaga na ang choreography ay informed ng mga experiences mo noong bata ka pa lang at ang mga napapanood mong [sining]. Na-i-inform din ng mga dati kong choreography ang mga choreography ko pang gagawin.” (There’s still so much that I would like to choreograph. It’s true how one’s choreography is informed by childhood experiences and the art you’re exposed to as you get older. Your previous choreography also informs the choreography you’ll still do in the future.)