Ricardo and Roberto Crisostomo: The Sky Painter’s Dream
“The
Crisostomo’s fascination with fireworks began at the early age of nine.
“I was enthralled by fire... I almost burned my house down!” he recalls. As a young boy, he remembers seeing fireworks displays and feeling a sense of happiness, a joy that until now he still experiences when he himself produces the spectacular shows.
“Everybody loves fireworks!” Crisostomo says enthusiastically, a claim that few – if any – will dispute. “It’s pure,” he says of the experience of each show. For a few minutes, “we become like children... wounds are frozen and we are spellbound,” he adds of the power of fireworks to transcend all boundaries of race, religion, social status, gender and age. “It is a spiritual experience,” he says.
Perhaps the only thing better than watching a fireworks display is actually being in command of the show. “Making a show is like falling in love again and again,” Crisostomo says wistfully, adding that during his shows he hears the cheers of the mesmerized audience louder and clearer than the fireworks themselves. He goes on to say that, being in control of the production, “I feel like I am in the heart of God.”
“Each show is different. Every show is a challenge,” he explains, saying that the same attention to detail is given to each show, whether it is a three-minute demonstration or a 20-minute production. Each takes months to plan and organize – months of preparation for a show that will, literally, go up in flames and be over in just a few minutes. But, for Crisostomo, seeing the crowd’s reaction is worth all the effort, all the planning, all the expense. “You are only as good as your last show,” he adds. He believes that when he is able to produce a successful show, “the audience will demand from you a better one next time.”
And this grand not-so-old man of pyrotechnics is happy to oblige.
Crisostomo’s quest to produce a better show each time began with his first production in the
Trained abroad by fireworks masters including Francis Wu, a respected pyrotechnics expert based in
In 2002, he hosted a three-country exhibition, a production that went on to become the highly anticipated annual World Pyro Olympics. “It is a dream fulfilled,” says the self-proclaimed Don Quixote, “despite what we thought were insurmountable odds.”
Of course, putting on a fireworks display is not a one-man job. “My team is superb,” says Crisostomo proudly. The
Running the company on strict international standards, Crisostomo shares that the
The World Pyro Olympics hosts the gathering of countries that have won in other pyrotechnic competitions throughout the year. It is the only competition in the world that has only one winner – the champion of champions. With the World Pyro Olympics, Crisostomo hopes to realize his dream for the
The 2008 World Pyro Olympics, scheduled to start in late February, will feature what Crisostomo considers the masters:
Aside from the pyro olympics, La Mancha Pyro Productions will also produce
Looking back on his years as a master of pyrotechnics and a pioneer of the World Pyro Olympics, Crisostomo believes that he is truly blessed. “If society has been good to you, you have the responsibility to give back. It is only fair,” he says. It is by putting a smile on the faces of each Filipino that Crisostomo, called the sky painter by his peers, has given back to society throughout the years. An expert in ushering in the New Year, he says, “The fundamental things apply as time goes by: discipline, perseverance, and above all, passion” in reaching for – and realizing – each of our impossible dreams.
The dreaming does not stop with his retirement, though. Crisostomo’s next quest is to improve the quality of service of the Philippine National Police to the Filipino people as executive director of the Philippine National Police Foundation, Inc. “They need to be appreciated,” he says of the many police officers who put their lives on the line everyday for the safety of the community. “It is my new windmill,” he declares, hopeful that he will be able to do for the PNP what he has done for pyrotechnics here in the
And chances are it will be just as bright and as beautiful.
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