Mark Sumaylo on portraying Iñigo, the complicated villain of ‘Paquita’
In the Paquita divertissement presented in The Pearl Gala, Ballet Manila’s 30th anniversary show in 2025, Mark was Lucien to Abigail Oliveiro’s Paquita. Photo by Erica Marquez-Jacinto
By Jv Ramos
Principal dancer Mark Sumaylo is no stranger to villain roles. He's played the evil sorcerer Von Rothbart in Swan Lake, the selfish eldest prince Don Pedro in Ibong Adarna, and the obsessed Sultan Ali Adab in Florante at Laura. Despite his string of antagonist roles, this danseur finds his upcoming role in Paquita to be a rather challenging one.
Ballet Manila principal dancer Mark Sumaylo has learned to be more intentional about movement in portraying the atypical villain Iñigo in Lisa Macuja Elizalde’s Paquita. Photo by Missy Macuja Elizalde
It is the first time Ballet Manila is staging a full-length version of the romantic classic with Lisa Macuja Elizalde as the choreographer. Mark – who is one of two dancers playing Iñigo in the ballet’s premiere run (the other being principal dancer Romeo Peralta Jr. – wants to portray the gypsy leader in such a way that the complicated nature of the character is seen.
"What's different about Iñigo is he's not the usual kind of villain," he points out. "He's a very complicated character actually. It was his parents who kidnapped Paquita, so they grew up together. Then, he too has become the leader of the gypsies with a secret love interest in Paquita. But even if my character is a leader, you'd find that he's often leaning towards following the general, like in trying to kill or poison Lucien."
Since Iñigo is very nuanced character, Mark is conscious about not turning him into a typical villain, who just spends a lot of time disrupting the lovers in a story. As the head of the gypsy troupe, he's meant to appear superior and protective, but not entirely independent and decisive.
"With the acting, I feel very lucky that Sasha [Alexander "Sasha" Kurkov, BM’s ballet master] is around because his coaching is very detailed," expresses the principal danseur. "From him, I learned that there’s a different way of picking up a rose as Iñigo… He also taught me that as Iñigo, I should maintain a certain distance with Paquita. Yes, basically, Sasha has coached me to be more intentional about movement—that everything I do has to capture my complicated relationship with Paquita."
Mark Sumaylo feels very lucky that Russian ballet master Alexander “Sasha” Kurkov (right) is around as his coaching is very detailed, helping him give a more nuanced performance. Photo by Missy Macuja Elizalde
Asked how he finds the piecing together of Paquita, Mark replies that there's something very special about the process. "You can really see the teamwork of everyone. There's Ma’am Lisa heading the choreography, then we have Natasha [Radulgina, BM’s ballet mistress] taking care of the group dances and the technicality. There's Sasha helping with our acting and the boys’ technique and the tricks. Geri [Gerardo Francisco Jr., co-artistic associate] is there to turn on the music whenever needed and together with Teacher Lops [Eileen Lopez, co-artistic associate], they’re there to oversee everything! I think, as dancers, we're very lucky to be part of the full-length version of Paquita, especially with all their support. It's been a good experience!"
Speaking of experiences, one of things that this upcoming production has granted is seeing his own wife, principal dancer Abigail Oliveiro, take on a truly playful character. "Paquita is the closest character to Kitri [in Don Quixote], a role that's very playful, which isn't something that she is used to doing... One of the scenes I really like to do and look forward to performing in front of an audience is the beginning of Act 2. There, my character is trying to kill Lucien, and Abi as Paquita has her own playful way of stopping me from doing it."
Other than that key scene where Paquita bravely saves Lucien, Mark puts forward there's also something special about the group dances. "The Mazurka dance is something I also really like, which happens before the grand pas. Ma'am Lisa choreographed it with kids, and I think it’s something that brings the entire ballet together.
This principal danseur of Ballet Manila concludes, “While there are still many things that are still changing in the choreography, we like what we are seeing so far and we're all working hard on it!"
Mark (rehearsing with John Ralp Balagot as Don Lopez De Mendoza) is enjoying the creative process behind the full-length Paquita, with teamwork making the experience satisfying. Photo by Missy Macuja Elizalde
