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Tuesday, January 20, 2004
A geologist finds himself in the dance
By Emy A. Pedrosa
It’s not everyday that a man gives up a challenging and promising career as a geologist to become a danseur. But had Noordin Jumalon not acquiesced to his father’s (the late butterfly collector Julian Jumalon) prodding to study ballet, the Cultural Center of the Philippines Dance School would not have such a competent, dedicated, and accomplished director.
Noordin started dancing ballet in 1972 when he was already in college. His father, a consummate artist himself, probably saw in him the makings of a dancer since he was also a very good gymnast at that time. “So he told me ‘why not study ballet’. And so I enrolled at Madame Fe Sala-Villarica’s Ballet Center,” Noordin relates. “But I was able to finish my degree in BS Geology and got to work for two years in an exploration company. Then as Providence would have it, a scholarship to study in Russia that was refused by another student was offered to me instead by Madame Villarica.”
So without any second thoughts, off to Moscow he went and opted to take up a teaching course at the State Institute for Theater Arts where most of his classmates were Bolshoi theater artists.
There was no turning back then, for Noordin realized that a career in the performance art was what he really wanted. “I’m really grateful to my father for encouraging me to pursue ballet. Most parents would have wanted their children to take up a career that would bring back the money they spent for education,” Noordin says with a hint of regret.
“In this country, especially, if a man enters into the world of the performance art, his future is dim because there’s no money in it. Worse, he is perceived to be a homosexual or a bit weird.”
When he came back to the Philippines, he joined Ballet Philippines as a dancer and did some character roles such as Don Quixote. Then he moved on to become the principal of the CCP Dance School, the training ground for Ballet Philippines, and in 1995 became its director. And what kind of a job would a director of CCP Dance School do? “I don’t look at it as a job actually.
It’s more like having fun. Basically, I plan for the year’s school activities and programs, prepare for our annual recital in December and for the summer workshops. I also supervise and monitor our satellite schools. Of course, I teach but other times I do some choreography. In my free time, I write my memoirs, and dabble in photography.”
He comes to Cebu to direct and choreograph certain shows for Ballet Center; and last December, Noordin was here again upon the invitation of Madame Villarica to be the guest director and choreographer of ”Sleeping Beauty.”
The very first in Cebu, “Sleeping Beauty” is a full-length four-act production of Ballet Center and will be staged in March at the Ayala Entertainment Center.
In a country where culture and the arts do not mean much to most people, does Noordin get frustrated in the Filipino’s lack of interest in the arts and the way they regard it? To this, Noordin observes with a bit of disappointment. “If you come to think of it, culture and the arts are in every Filipino’s heart and soul. But sad to say, there are so many attractions and other forms of entertainment that divert young people’s interest in cultural shows, dances, theater or concerts.
They’d rather watch movies, go bar hopping, or patambay-tambay sa malls. We have so many talented and gifted young people, but what do we have for them? Puro na lang show biz and politics, puro na lang otso-otso ang hibaw-an.”
For someone who was ready to forego a more lucrative career to follow his heart’s desire and become a full-fledged artist, this indeed is a disturbing thought. But he is not losing hope that the Filipinos will eventually open their eyes to the vast ocean of beauty and wonderful opportunities that go unnoticed in the world of art, and that the government and the private sector will be more generous in their support to make culture and the arts every Filipino’s dream.
(January 20, 2004 issue)
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