MANILA, Philippines - Ang mga dating gumawa ng Rama, Hari, yung may mga istatwa lang naman, (Those who did Rama, Hari before only have statues of them.)” says Richardson Yadao, the youngest principal dancer of Ballet Philippines, making light of the immense pressure and responsibility he feels before him.
Come Nov. 30 to Dec. 9, Yadao will alternate in the roles of the demon Ravana and the hero Rama in Ballet Philippines’ staging of the pop ballet Rama, Hari at the CCP Main Theater. This is the fourth staging of the ballet, and he will be reprising the roles that the great Filipino danseur Nonoy Froilan originated.
Froilan and wife, ballerina Edna Vida, posed for a statue by National Artist Napoleon Abueva at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, called “Magkasintahan sa Sayaw at Sining.”
“Siyempre nape-pressure ako (I definitely feel the pressure), but excited,” says Yadao. “Ito ang nagbigay daan para sumikat ang ibang mga artista tulad ni Kuh Ledesma at Leo Valdez. Nararamdaman ko ‘yung responsibility na maabot ang standards na na-set nila, o lampasan pa. (This launched some artists into stardom, such as Kuh Ledesma and Leo Valdez. I feel the responsibility to do as well or even better than them.)”
Rama, Hari is a very unique production. First staged in 1980, it wowed audiences when it introduced the audience to a unique kind of ballet — a full pop musical with singers and dancers sharing the stage with equal billing (instead of dancers merely acting as backup dancers). The story is told in three levels: through the text (written by National Artist for Literature Bienvenido Lumbera), the music (composed by Maestro Ryan Cayabyab) and dance (choreographed by BP founder Alice Reyes).
Based on the Indian epic Ramayana, Rama, Hari focuses on the love story of Rama and Sita, his ascension to the throne, his exile in the forest and his struggle to free Sita, who is abducted by the demon Ravana.
Alternating with Yadao in the role of Rama is Jean Marc Cordero, BP’s principal dancer who recently won a special jury award at the 2012 Helsinki International Ballet Competition in Finland.
“Isa sa nag-eexcite sa akin ay ’yung makatrabaho si Ms. Alice Reyes kasi artistic director siya ng BP for (20) years, ang daming dumaan sa kanya na dancers (One of the things that excites me is working with Alice Reyes who was BP director for 20 years. So many dancers have worked with her before),” enthuses Cordero. “Hindi lang ito basta bastang mga dancers kundi the dancers. Gusto ko ma-experience kung anong na-experience nila. (These aren’t just anyone. These are the dancers. I want to experience what they experienced.)”
Early in production, Reyes came by to watch a rehearsal session. “The number one thing she told us was to listen to the music. Get the music, put it in your iPod and listen to it, learn the lyrics,” says Cordero. He explains that while the moves look easy, the actual execution is very nuanced and very deeply rooted in the music, the text and technique.
“This ballet still has the trademark of Alice Reyes, but it’s also stylized because they want to refer it to being Indian based on Ramayana,” says Katherine Trofeo, BP’s principal dancer who will be alternating in the role of Sita.
Think Bollywood: “The Indian style is very articulate with the hands, the tilting of the head, the eyes. And us, being dancers for the big stage, hindi masyadong gumagawa ng minute na details na ’yun (We don’t usually think of those details). (We need to learn) the sensation of the style.”
After weeks of rehearsing separately, the dancers and singers finally got to meet once and Cordero reports that he felt the excitement of his co-artists. Singing as Rama are Christian Bautista and OJ Mariano; Sita will be played by Karylle and Kalila Aguilos; and Ravana will be essayed by Robert Seña and Christian Rey Marbella.
“I could feel their excitement na kakanta sila ng classic. Ako sasayaw ng Alice Reyes. Sila kakanta ng Ryan Cayabyab with words by Bien Lumbera (I feel their excitement that they will sing a classic. I will dance an Alice Reyes. They will sing a Cayabyab with words by Lumbera),” says Cordero, with a satisfied smile that says his life has already changed.
* * *
Rama, Hari will have 11 shows from Nov. 30 to Dec. 9 at the CCP Main Theater with the Manila Symphony Orchestra playing live. For tickets and inquiries, call Ballet Philippines at 551-1003 or Ticketworld at 891-9999. Visit www.ballet.ph or www.facebook.com/balletphilippines.