Cover Geri Francisco with Ballet Manila artistic director Lisa Macuja-Elizalde and Abigail Oliveiro (Photo: courtesy of Erica Jacinto via Geri Francisco/Facebook page)
Geri Francisco with Ballet Manila artistic director Lisa Macuja-Elizalde and Abigail Oliveiro (Photo: courtesy of Erica Jacinto via Geri Francisco/Facebook page)
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Like balancing in a pirouette, Gerardo “Geri” Francisco, Jr has been steadily making waves in the country’s ballet scene
Gerardo “Geri” Francisco, Jr has been dancing for as long as he can remember. He was introduced to contemporary dance at a young age, preferring the modern mash of the abstract, jazz, and unconventional to the ballet he is known for today. “I hated ballet before,” he tells Tatler, laughing candidly as he looks back at his youth. “I couldn’t help but be bored with the performances I was watching.” But in a masterful stroke of fate, Francisco is now one of the most respected ballet choreographers in the country, with no less than Lisa Macuja-Elizalde as her mentor and colleague.
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“Everything changed when I entered Ballet Manila,” he shares. Ballet is both an art and a sport. It needs the freedom and creativity expressed in art, as well as the discipline that is imperative to athletics. One is highly encouraged to train at a young age to master it. Francisco, a male dancer who pivoted to ballet in his early twenties, was at a disadvantage.
“I was a late bloomer. I was [only] able to catch up with my peers because I challenged myself,” he says. “I was already confident in contemporary [dance] then. So I asked myself, ‘Why not be good at ballet too?’”
Above Discover the many roles of Gerardo Francisco, Jr, principal dancer of Ballet Manila, through this video.
From then on, he acquired an apprenticeship in Ballet Philippines in 2002. The following year, he was accepted into Ballet Manila and easily climbed the ranks: being promoted from apprentice to company artist, and eventually to demi-soloist all in the same year. By the year 2014, he was already a principal dancer, after spending four years as a junior.
What started as a hobby became so much more—it became his life, career, and passion. “If you have the passion, regardless of whatever it is and for, everything will follow,” he adds.
Through dancing, we can tell stories. You can express yourself. Whatever it is you feel, whether it may be anger, happiness or sadness.
His love and drive for dance allowed him to represent the Philippines in various competitions and events. Among them was the 5th Nagoya Ballet Competition in Japan last 2005, where he ended up as a finalist, and the International Ballet Competition and Contest of Choreographers in Moscow, Russia in the same year, where he was a semi-finalist.
He was also a competitor in the Helsinki Ballet Competition in 2005 and a participant in the International Dance Festival in Shanghai, China last 2016.
Above Tackling the role of Gamache for the first time, Francisco infuses it with miming, acting and some serious dancing, which is met by applause during rehearsals.
In 2017, after two gruelling years of preparation, Francisco’s choreography and directing skills were brought to the spotlight. Through an Ibong Adarna adaptation, he introduced to the country a whole new side to the dance genre. “I was pressured,” he admits. “It was my first time doing production, costume, among others.”
More from Tatler: Ibong Adarna Soars High
Above Concept and choreography by Gerardo Francisco and original music by Diwa De Leon, this two-act ballet had its world premiere in August 2017 and has enjoyed rave reviews and a clamour for repeat runs. It tells the story of the search for the Adarna bird by three brothers as the bird's singing has the power to heal their sick father.
He did all he could do—from reading all the materials and references he had his hands on to incorporating the adaptation to his choreography and own libretto. Ibong Adarna was Francisco’s first full-length production, and it was a success. It even reached the international scene, with the dancers having the opportunity to perform at the famed Karmiel Dance Festival in Israel last 2018.
Related: Geri Francisco’s ‘Ibong Adarna’ soars high for the second time
Above Don Pedro, Don Diego, and Don Juan’s entrance in Ballet Manila’s re-staging of Ibong Adarna
Don Pedro, Don Diego, and Don Juan’s entrance in Ballet Manila’s re-staging of Ibong Adarna
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The 2023 re-staging was an improved version. “It’s Ibong Adarna 2.0,” he says. Despite several changes, like removing the live singing and narrating, or even switching the physical props to a huge LED screen for the background, the production deserved the awards and recognition it received. Closing Ballet Manila’s 25th season, Ibong Adarna cemented Francisco’s place in the industry.
Above Gerardo Francisco’s Border – which won group gold in the 2021 Asian Grand Prix Finals – depicts the plight of refugees in a frantic search for a better life.
Hitting two birds with one stone by choosing a story rooted in Philippine literature, he ensured that Filipinos were reminded of their history and culture. “That’s one of my missions with the performance, for it to reach the masses,” says Francisco. Not only the stories but the art of dancing as well. “One of the missions of Ballet Manila is to bring ballet to the masses and bring masses to the ballet.” And he’ll continue to do so.
“Through dancing, we can tell stories,” he says. “You can express yourself. Whatever it is you feel, whether it may be anger, happiness or sadness.” This is what makes him love ballet so much—it allows him to be free.
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Angela Nicole Regis Guiral is a digital editor at Tatler Philippines. She studied journalism and has since written features that look closely at how culture, lifestyle and social impact converge, while occasionally wandering into the worlds of style and travel.
