Rediscovering ‘Florante at Laura’ through ballet

Revisiting high school mandatory reading, Florante at Laura may seem daunting. However, experiencing it as a ballet, accompanied by the original musical composition of National Artist Ryan Cayabyab, adds an exciting twist.

Ballet Manila’s artistic director, Lisa Elizalde-Macuja, envisions the music to channel a “Filipino Tchaikovsky,” capturing the epic tale’s blend of romance, tragedy, betrayal, and patriotism. Cayabyab eagerly accepted the opportunity.

Discussing his creative process at the presscon, Cayabyab shared insights into balancing the story’s intensity and romance through music. He emphasized his extensive background, stating, “You must understand that I went to school. I took my bachelor’s degree, taught for 20 years, and learned everything. I heard everything.”

Cayabyab also revealed that he stopped listening to music around the age of 50 to clear his influences. “I stopped listening to music because I said that is the only way I can clear all of my influences. But deep-seated influences can’t be removed. Now, for example, after writing, when I’m writing it, I don’t really notice it. But when I hear it, parang may katunog nito? I can’t escape it.” He noted that while his compositions may not sound exactly like his influences, they share a common emotional thread.

“All of your influences—you’ve seen them in Star Wars, Spartacus, Ben Hur, and The Ten Commandments. All these years of studying medieval Greek music, classical, romantic, 20th-century, avant-garde, impressionistic, and expressionistic music — all of them are mixed together. And then there’s pop. You can imagine where the influences came from. But I’m happy because there are so many influences. I don’t mind,” he explained.

For context, Francisco Balagtas penned his metrical romance, or “awit,” in the 19th century during a time when the Philippines faced significant social, political, and economic challenges due to Spanish colonization.

The story follows Florante, a duke from Albania, who finds himself in a tight spot—captured and tied to a tree in a forest. As he hangs there, he reflects on his life, particularly his whirlwind romance with Laura and the shady political moves that led him to this predicament.

Enter Aladin, a Moor with his own heartbreak, who rescues the duke. Together, they share their woes and plot their escape. Through a mix of teamwork and a sprinkle of luck, they eventually reunite with their loves —Florante with Laura and Aladin with Flerida — once justice prevails in their kingdom.

Macuja-Elizalde expresses confidence in this production. “I expect Florante at Laura to be as popular as our past successes like Tatlong Kwentong ni Lola Bashang, Ibong Adarna, and Romeo and Juliet. There will be a clamor for reruns,” she stated, as Florante at Laura is set to be staged only for three days: 12, 13 and 19 October. She also mentioned that she reassured Cayabyab about the performance schedule.

“He said, ‘It’s a waste if there are only three performances.’ I told him, ‘Don’t worry, there will be a rerun. Next year, the year after next.’…. Nothing compares to a full-length ballet that tells a story as beautiful and epic as Florante at Laura. It’s not as pricey as a Broadway show, but I think it’s going to be even better than many of the foreign shows currently available in the Philippines,” she said.

Filipino poet and Balagtas scholar Dr. Michael Coroza, who offered his literary insights to Ballet Manila to ensure the adaptation stays true to the epic, collaborated with renowned choreographers Gerardo Francisco Jr. and Martin Lawrence.

Coroza explained how they balanced fidelity to the original story while making it accessible and engaging for modern audiences. When the choreographers presented scenes, he occasionally rejected ideas that didn’t fit the narrative.

“But we always try to find what can be added to the story. For example, the escape of Flerida—that’s one of my favorites. We added some parts there that I don’t want to spoil because you have to watch the whole thing,” he noted, also sharing that they had several sessions discussing the plot of Florante at Laura and how to adapt it into dance.

The ballet performance set design is by Mio Infante, with costumes from Make It Happen, led by Otto Hernandez and Therese Arroyo Hernandez, and lighting by John Batalla.

All three performances will take place at Aliw Theater in Pasay City.