PH ballet’s love pair: In agony there’s transformation

Nonoy Froilan’s photography of the sky was among the works at Conrad exhibit.

‘Passion’ by Edna Vida

When I think of the Edna Vida of the late ‘70s, I see her in the title role of Stravinsky’s Firebird, and later dancing Myrtha in Giselle and sharing the stage with the great Natalia Makarova.

One can only remember her husband Nonoy Froilan in many a ballet lead role such as Albrecht in Giselle opposite Japan’s prima Yoko Morishita.

Last year, they expanded roles and turned to the visual arts in an exhibit called Of Art and Wine: Duets at Conrad. Nonoy exhibited his photographs and Edna her oil and watercolor paintings. Ending this January, it was curated by another Ballet Philippines pioneer, Nes Jardin, who himself has also evolved and became president of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP).

Edna Vida (third from right) and Nonoy Froilan (far right) at the opening of the exhibit at Conrad last year, with curator  Nes Jardin, Elizabeth Sy, National Artist Alice Reyes (second from right).

In the early ’80s, Edna Vida (front, second from right) with Japan’s prima ballerina Yoko Morishita (front, second from left), the author and other Ballet Philippines dancers (Pablo Tariman file)

The exhibit explored interaction and connection through painting. Nonoy reconstructed photography by revisiting patterns, shapes, and colors through dance. Through the photography of the sky of Nonoy and the paintings of Edna, they re-examined, according to their exhibit statement, “connections between emotions and perceptions, movement and stillness, energy and tranquility, human and ethereal forms,” which they realized are really in harmony with each other.

The couple are not really strangers to other art forms.

Nonoy’s fascination with both photography and visual arts started at age six. “I may not have had camera gear at that time, but I played with shadows from our curtain windows and from the shaft of light from the hole of our roof,” he said in an interview with TheDiarist.ph. “We called it shadow play, which we called cine-cine in Waray. My playmates and I would draw human figures, cut them, and stick them to a walis tingting and voila, we had a shadow play which could pass for a movie.

“That probably honed my drawing skills. I remember being reprimanded by our elementary school teacher for not being  focused on the lesson. My pad papers were always full of drawings. But I admit dancing was more challenging. Initially, I went through struggles with aches and pain. But the visual arts came naturally to me. I was surrounded by artists in my community of cousins and uncles.”

The truth is, he was already evolving even while he was still dancing. He invested part of his earnings in cameras, and they became his tool for another journey into the arts. “Somehow I rediscovered my other purpose in life. I rediscovered my closeness to my Creator and I learned to reconnect with friends on the internet and Facebook.”

He recalled that his parents were not too encouraging of his pursuit of dance. “They all wanted me to join the US Navy after high school graduation. They refused to send me back to Manila. I cried. I had to prove to them that I would be one of the best dancers in the country.”

Edna’s fascination with visual arts came in the early ’90s, after she resigned as co-artistic director of Ballet Philippines to be a mother to her two fast-growing children. “When I saw them paint with watercolor, I suddenly had the urge to draw. I did sketches of dancers and fishes. With dance figures, I realized how well I knew the body, the lines and proportions. I painted fishes because I loved the way I could move them freely, as opposed to the strictness of dance. The most challenging for me was classical ballet. Everything else came easy after that.”

Edna: ‘I realized how well I knew the body, the lines and proportions. I painted fishes because I loved the way I could move them freely’

After two solo exhibits in the ’90s, she stopped painting. She got busy giving workshops and doing the choreography of musicals. “The urge came back during the pandemic in 2020, when I found myself at home with nothing to do. I was able to focus on painting again with all the time in my hands.”

It was the same with Nonoy. “The challenge of photography came back during the quarantine period. I was glued to the computer the whole time, looking at art photography and watching movies. Then I realized that I had equipment in my cabinet. Since we couldn’t be anywhere, I became sensitive looking at the views from the window of our residence. I realized we have beautiful scenery right by our window. My initial idea was just to take photos that I could use in theater productions.”

‘Angels’ by Nonoy Froilan

Untitled by Nonoy Froilan

‘Washed and Solid’ by Nonoy Froilan

But as it turned out, live theater did not come back, and the pandemic went on.

For Edna, the pandemic was a time to enjoy her moments of creation. “The silence and solitude of working by myself is a far cry from working with lots of people. It’s a noisy, nerve-wracking world where I come from. I enjoy creating alone, quietly and with freedom to experiment. I’m able to express myself without worrying about what people would say. I don’t have to think about the applause and the instant reaction that comes with performing. It is such a wonderful release.”

 ‘We don’t really look deep inside ourselves when we’re happy…. The whole world became simpler and humbler’

She admits the pandemic brought agony, but points out: “But in agony there is transformation. We don’t really look deep inside ourselves when we’re happy. I love the fact that the pandemic brought us closer to our families; we prayed more and bought less. The whole world became simpler and humbler. I treasure staying home. My life in the arts was loud and hectic, as I said. Being alone with my husband brought me closer to God. I had more time for my Creator at last. The best chapter in my spiritual book would be the one where I say, ‘Do with me as You please.’ That’s truly letting go because it’s the hardest thing to say.”

Her last full-length ballet was A Christmas Carol with Nonoy in the lead role. “That ballet and Peter Pan are two of my favorite works. Nonoy and I came full circle with A Christmas Carol at the CCP Main Theater, and we enjoyed every minute of working together again.”

As it turned out, their first joint exhibit in November 2021, Duets, was a witness to their 50-year journey as partners in the arts.

Nonoy said he has had enough of dance and was ready to pursue another calling. “Dance was my life, and it was like being a priest preoccupied with dance for 24 hours. I just realized I had dedicated half of my life to Terpsichore.”

But while he has continued teaching, Nonoy has some reservations teaching dance online. “I’m not sure what the outcome will be for the new upcoming dancers. Dance training is interactive. A teacher can only teach so much, and will never be able to correct a pirouette or a grand jeté on a computer. I feel so sad thinking we will end up with mediocre dancers because of lack of face-to-face contact.”

Nonoy: ‘Dance training is interactive. A teacher can only teach so much, and will never be able to correct a pirouette or a grand ‘jeté’ on a computer’

Edna reflects on her dancing years. “I worked hard to reach the top as a dancer. I started at 17, too late for anyone in classical ballet. To be a ballerina, you have to be disciplined, dedicated, and driven. I had all that plus an impossible goal—to be the only ballerina in the Reyes clan, by hook or by crook! I had tremendous will power and didn’t stop until I reached my goal.”

Turning to choreography was easier. “All I needed was good music and, of course, good dancers. The steps came easily and, because of my personality, I created a wide range of styles: intense, funny, dramatic, and wholesome ballets. I can be all that in real life.”

When their joint exhibits opened late last year—their artworks are now in postcards, by the way—Edna felt like she was witnessing a new dance production. “There were butterflies in my stomach. I was nervous because I wasn’t used to it anymore, being interviewed and being in the limelight. Good thing Nes Jardin was our curator. I felt he was the director and Nonoy and I were the choreographers. So, it was more collaborative and everything fell into place.”

Edna admits all her paintings reflect extreme nostalgia for dance. “My hands move with the rhythmic flow I felt on stage. When I draw a figure, I remember the energy it takes during that particular moment in time, whether it’s a jump, a twirl, or stillness. It goes back to me vividly and I feel I’m dancing again on canvas and paper. I don’t know where my hands will go, but I trust my instincts, just like I do on stage.”

Her dance background actually helped her evolve. “My dance background encompasses all that I’ve metamorphosed into. As a newspaper columnist I wrote about dance. When I act in a play I throw in an allegro, adagio, lyricism, and bravura in my lines and emotions. Now, in my paintings, my dance experience is also distinct. I always felt that the arts are related. To be a good artist you have to be attuned to music, literature, theater, film, design. I try not to limit myself to just one field. I like marrying all the arts. They all contribute to my finishing a complete work.”

How would the couple describe their evolution from dancers to visual artists?

Nonoy: “I like to think I have more confidence now. I still daydream a lot. Like putting up a new dance company, training a new breed of dancers. I still want to become a filmmaker. Maybe I should study again.”

Edna: “I am still the disciplined, dedicated, and driven Edna Vida but with less angst or caring too much about the outside world. My inner world is so much better. Titles, awards, fame, and glory can just be illusions. Very few will remember what we’ve accumulated long after we’re gone. I hope to continue progressing into what I’ve become. Sometimes the old me surfaces and I put on a red light. Don’t go back, keep moving forward. Let go of things that are earthly and unimportant. A place in heaven is the ultimate goal.”

The works of Edna Vida and Nonoy Froilan that were exhibited are now in postcards.

(For inquiries on postcards and  the remaining works  of Edna Vida and Nonoy Froilan, Edna Vida is on FaceBook and Viber.)