Golden moments: Geri Francisco on passing the La Bayadere ‘Idol’ torch to soloists Jos David Andes and Rafael Perez

*In 2004, Gerardo Francisco Jr. debuted as the Golden Idol in* La Bayadere. He remembers being rehearsed meticulously by Russian mentors as it required specific movements and angles. Photo Ocs Alvarez

By Jv Ramos

Ballet Manila’s restaging of La Bayadere after 13 long years involves the passing on of legacy roles to the next generation of dancers. Among these iconic characters is that of the Golden Idol, a statue gifted during the arranged marriage of the warrior Solor to Princess Gamzatti which comes to life. It is a role Gerardo “Geri” Francisco Jr. carried out in the three years (2004, 2006 and 2013) the company has presented this full-length classical piece. While he had alternates on each of those years, Geri is the only one who has remained with the company since.

*After being the Golden Idol in Ballet Manila’s past three performance runs of* La Bayadere, co-artistic associate and principal dancer Gerardo Francisco Jr. (middle) is turning over the iconic role to soloists Rafael Perez (left) and Jos David Andes. Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag

For Ballet Manila’s 31st year, Geri – now Ballet Manila co-artistic associate – is entrusting the role to soloists Jos David Andes and Rafael “Paeng” Perez. It was a casting move that both dancers did not see coming.

“Hindi ko siya in-expect talaga dahil sa height ko,” starts Paeng, acknowledging that while Geri isn’t the tallest of danseurs, he himself may just look awkward in the presence of the towering Mariinsky artist Kimin Kim, who would play Solor. “Pero kahit imposible ang ideya, hopeful pa rin ako! Nilagay ko pa rin siya sa listahan ng roles na sana’y makuha ko, kaya tuwang-tuwa ako na na-cast ako.” (I really didn’t expect it due to my height… But even if being cast as the Golden Idol seemed an impossible idea, I was still hopeful. I still placed it on my list of roles that I hope to dance, so I was elated when I got the role.)

For David, who’s fresh from taking the lead role of Lucien in Paquita, playing the Golden Idol was initially out of reach as he thought that La Bayadere would only have one cast. “When guest artists come here to perform, the other soloist roles are usually done by our principals. So I honestly thought that I would be dancing corps, which I was really okay with. But when Ma’am Lisa [Macuja Elizalde, artistic director] announced the casting, I was very thankful to be given the opportunity to play this role.”

***Learning the coordination of movements was a struggle, admits soloist Rafael Perez who says it took him weeks to be comfortable doing it. Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag***

Asked why they are both excited to portray the Golden Idol, the two share that it’s because of the reputation of the role. Paeng shares, “Gusto ko siyang sayawin dahil isa siya sa mga highlights ng La Bayadere.” (I want to dance it because it’s one of the highlights of La Bayadere.)

Always seeking to be a better dancer, Paeng saw the Golden Idol as something that would bring him out of his comfort zone of portraying a very princely role. “Hindi siya role na balletic. Mas emphasized ang posing niya, parang puro kanto ang pagsayaw mo dapat sa kanya!” (This role is not balletic. What’s emphasized here is the posing and the sharpness of movements.)

“I guess it’s exciting to play because it’s been described as one of the most challenging soloist parts in the ballet world,” articulates David. “It involves a lot of difficult jumps with the right posing in the end. I mean, your jumps have to be very clear, since the goal is to have a picture-perfect pose in the air in between jumps.”

Geri’s advice for the new Golden Idols: “Be ready to be the earliest in the theater and the last one to leave.” That’s because of the paint they have to apply on their whole body and remove afterwards. Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag

He continues, “It was a real struggle for me and Paeng at the beginning, especially the coordination of the arms with the feet, but we have improved along the way. We’re better at it now.”

“Struggle siya talaga. Ilang weeks ko yata inaral ang coordination bago ko nakuha,” echoes Paeng. “Pero sobrang na-enjoy naman namin ang process, lalo na kasi marami kaming nakukuhang input kay Sir Geri mismo.” (It really is a struggle… I must have spent a couple of weeks just to get the coordination right. But the process has been so much fun since we receive a lot of input from Sir Geri.)

So, is the Golden Idol really that difficult to portray according to Ballet Manila’s original Golden Idol? Geri confirms that it is because of the precision required for each step and pose. The veteran danseur recalls that when he was assigned the role the first time in 2004, Russian artist-couple Sergey Vikulov and Tatiana Udalenkova – the latter Lisa’s mentor at the Leningrad Choreographic Institute – who were restaging the classic for Ballet Manila would rehearse him every day so he could get it right.

“Well-coordinated akong dancer – hindi ko problema ’yon – pero gusto nila ng maraming rehearsal dahil very specific nga ang movement at pati na rin ang angles na required sa Golden Idol.” (I am a well-coordinated dancer – I didn’t face the same coordination problem – they just wanted to do many rehearsals because of the specific movements and even angles expected from the Golden Idol.)

***For soloist Jos David Andes, the role is challenging as it involves a lot of difficult jumps with the right posing in the end. Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag***

The co-artistic associate shares that David and Paeng were chosen to portray this iconic La Bayadere role as he could see them do well in it. Because he is taller, David will be dancing Golden Idol to Kimin Kim’s Solor and Renata Shakivora’s Nikiya. Paeng, on the other hand, will be in the cast headlined by principal dancer Abigail Oliveiro and soloist Noah Esplana.

“Maganda rin na very strong ang technique nila. Ang Golden Idol na version ni Natasha [Radulgina, ballet mistress] ay mas mahirap. Sa version ko, pag land, open at attitude ang gagawin. Sa version nila, on demi-pointe sila pag land at may mga passé in between the jumps.” (It also helps that both are very strong with their technique. Natasha’s version for them is more difficult than the version I danced. In my version, when I landed, I’d open and do an attitude. In their version, they’re on demi-pointe when they land and they have to do passé in between jumps.)

*In 2006, Geri reprised his performance of the Golden Idol. The variation may just be two minutes in length, he says, but it is a much-awaited part in* La Bayadere. Photo by Ocs Alvarez

Asked what he enjoyed about portraying Golden Idol, Geri comments, “Ang La Bayadere ay napaka-grandiose na classical ballet! Sino ba ang hindi matutuwa na maging part ng ballet na iyan, lalo na kung ikaw ang Golden Idol na inaabangan ng lahat?” Kahit two minutes lang ang variation, itinuturing na main character ang Golden Idol na kung wala siya, parang hindi na La Bayadere ang production.” (La Bayadere is a very grandiose classical ballet. Anyone who’s part of it should be very proud, especially if you’re cast as the Golden Idol, which is one of the parts people look forward to. Even if the variation of this role only lasts two minutes, it’s treated as a main character. Without the Golden Idol, it’s like you’re not watching La Bayadere.)

If there’s anything that Geri didn’t like too much about the role though, it’s having to be covered in vibrant gold paint. His advice to the two soloists? “Be ready to be the earliest in the theater and the last one to leave. Kailangan ma-apply, mapatuyo at ma-retouch kung kailangan. Noong una kong ginawa ang role na iyan, sobrang late na akong nakauwi. Nagkukuskos pa kasi ako sa shower para matanggal ang lahat ng pintura!” (The gold paint has to be applied, dried and retouched when necessary. When I first danced this role, I remember going home very late. Because I was scrubbing in the shower to remove all the paint!)

***In 2013, Geri was the Golden Idol once more. For him, it was an honor to have been entrusted the part thrice. Photo by Ocs Alvarez***

Hearing Geri’s Golden Idol experiences and the demands it took on him, David and Paeng admit that they feel a lot of pressure in carrying out the role. “Sa akin, parang double pressure pa nga. Dahil nasayaw nga ni Sir Geri at nandiyan din si David na ang galing-galing sa mga talon,” comments Paeng. “Pero wala namang feeling ng insecurity sa part ko; gusto ko nga na lagi akong may kasabay na magaling para ma-push pa ako.” (For me, it’s double the pressure as Sir Geri danced it before, and now, we have David who’s very good with jumps. But there’s no insecurity on my part; I actually like it when I’m beside someone who’s really good, so I get to push myself more.)

“For me, the pressure comes from the idea that La Bayadere is among the legacy ballets of Ballet Manila. The company has performed this very well before, so we have to live up to that,” underlines David. “The Golden Idol (variation) may be for two minutes only, but the preparations feel like you’re working on the full-length versions of Sleeping Beauty and Paquita!”

***The Golden Idol, a statue that comes to life on Solor’s wedding to Gamzatti, requires sharp movements and precise jumps. Photo by Ocs Alvarez***

Seeing the care that David and Paeng are putting into the role, the Golden Idol of La Bayaderes past expresses, “I really have no regrets about passing on the role to these two. They’re ready! They just have to keep pushing, listening to their teachers, and taking note of every correction, because those would make them better dancers.”