Dancing for the World
A Filipino in Winter Olympics 2010
By Mikee dela Cruz
PUBLISHED: MARCH 2010

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No ordinary miracle.

When songstress Sarah McLachlan sang Ordinary Miracle at the 2010 Winter Olympics at Vancouver, Canada on February 12, she was backed by members of the Alberta Ballet, dancing among a set of false Douglas Fir trees.  For a moment there, in one of the emotional moments of the performance, the camera focused on a ballet dancer – and that was how the world was shown yet another Filipino to be proud of.

That Filipino, by the way, is Novy Bereber.

Also, “the Anglo ballet style is a lot more restrained emotionally, and a number of times the director (David Atkins) went to the Pinoy for the right level of 'drama'. Once, he said to the crowd: ‘See, just like what Novy's doing, do that!’ It was a great honour.” NOVY BEREBER

And this Filipino, by the way, is proudly gay.

GETTING THE PART

Prior to Vancouver (Canada) hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics, Novy visited a “friend who was involved with the artistic direction (of the opening ceremonies), and he introduced me to the director of choreography, who, in turn, asked me to send (copies of) my performances while I was dancing in New York City (for the Traces Independent Dance Festival).” What he had to offer was, apparently, liked, since “one of the lead dancers of the Olympics was forced to drop out, and I was offered the (vacated) role,” Novy recalls.

With the other dancers, Novy “worked very closely with the choreographer (Jean Grand-Maitre) in creating the steps and the group dynamic for the piece. Jean was fascinated by the different choreographic opportunities he got from the Asian body shape and the way it moved,” he says.

Also, “the Anglo ballet style is a lot more restrained emotionally, and a number of times the director (David Atkins) went to the Pinoy for the right level of 'drama'. Once, he said to the crowd: ‘See, just like what Novy's doing, do that!’ It was a great honour.”

EYE OPENER

In Canada, LGBT is not as big an issue as it is in, say, the Philippines.  “(Here, people) are most often judged according to their ability and not their sexuality. After all, same-sex marriage is now part of Canada's legal system, which also outlaws discriminations based on sexuality,” notes Novy.

Nonetheless, for Novy, it was “an amazing, eye-opening, mind-blowing experience – kaloka, in short. On the one hand, I learned so much about choreography, both for the individual dancer and for a large group of dancers. I learned so much about organizing a huge event, all the logistical issues about rehearsal and cast movement, and costuming, and magpakain in a large group of dancers. On the other hand, being the only Pinoy there, with some of the best dancers from Canada and around the world really made me feel a sense of responsibility to my country. I know I have made some friendships, perhaps even professional relationships, that will last a lifetime.”

Novy, by the way, originated from Iloilo, where he discovered dance only because his
favourite tita suggested “I join the dance troupe of the Dagyaw Theatre and Dance Company (DTDC) at the Iloilo National High School (INHS), basically to keep me out of trouble because I was kind of wild, and the (company’s) director was famous for his strictness.” He ended up pursuing a career in dancing – eventually becoming the most outstanding scholar of Ballet Philippines (BP), before he, himself, took up dance teacher’s courses (2001 and 2006).

Novy earlier told Outrage Magazine that “dance is a marginal and risky way of life.  Openly gay men in the Philippines have already made a commitment to truth in their lives, just one example of the courage which they need to exist as honest and whole human beings.  I hope we bring this commitment to honesty, truth, and the beauty which underlie them to what we do in dance.”

Of course, “being the only Filipino, and an out-and-proud LGBT Filipino appearing in the biggest television event of 2010 (Olympics), I hope I (have played) a part, however small, in (giving us a face, thus) advancing our cause.”
Novy adds: “With respect, I hope that Canada's example may help bring our country to the day when we are judged by what we can do and not by whom we love.”

FUTURE DIRECTIONS

Novy notes that “obviously, in ballet, boys always have it harder in some areas and easier in others. For many years there was both a social and sexual stigma about being a male dancer, which was only really socially acceptable (as a field to go into) among female dancers,” he says.  “But that is disappearing now, thank God.”

At this point in his life, thus, he is already able to say that “it has taken a while for me to get to a place where I can comfortably say that I am almost ready to start my own company. I have always believed that I have something to say and the ability to say it, but I wasn't sure that I was ready to take on the all the responsibilities of directing a company. But now I am think I'm almost there. In the next few years I will take that plunge.”

Novy adds: “In many ways, dancing in the Olympics, on the world stage, marks a kind of retirement dance for me – not from the world of dance, not at all – but from the life of a full-time professional dancer. I will always dance, but from now on my priority will be creating dance for my own company and others, and helping others achieve excellence through teaching and choreography.”

For now, though, the focus is on Novy’s yet again presence as a gay Filipino for the world to see.