Happy feet

MANILA, Philippines - It was during the impeachment proceedings for former President Joseph Estrada that choreographers Jojo and Ida Lucila began thinking of moving. Frustrated at how things were going in the Philippines, they were worried about raising their family in a patronage culture based on “who you know” instead of on merit. Watching the Senate proceedings, they realized their three children were seeing how people can easily get around the law rather than seeing how people follow the law.

Somewhere, the suggestion of moving to Canada came up, and the more they discussed it, the more it became appealing. That started a process of research that had the entire Lucila brood involved. 

They submitted a formal application for residency and left everything to fate. A few weeks later, they received an invitation for their ensemble, the Chameleon Dance Company, to perform in Edmonton, Alberta. Jojo and Ida stayed there for a month, making friends, observing the way of life, and establishing connections. “Both of us are fatalistic,” says Ida. “There must have been a reason why we were sent to Edmonton.”

When their immigrant application was approved in early 2005, the Lucilas faced a lot of unfinished commitments and loose ends, from Jojo and Ida’s work to school concerns for the three kids. So the decision was made for Ida and their older son Julian to go first, and Jojo would follow with their daughter Ina and youngest son Joseph a month later.  

“The only time it dawned on me that we were actually leaving was when I started crying on the way to the airport,” recalls Ida. “And when we were driving down EDSA, I remember thinking that I wouldn’t be seeing the billboards of Kris Aquino and Piolo Pascual anymore. Eh inis na inis pa naman ako sa mga billboard na iyon (And to think I hated those billboards)!”

Ida and Julian had a tough time when they arrived. Her son had just left a brand new girlfriend behind, and, being lonely amid new surroundings, began questioning the wisdom of migrating. Missing the rest of her brood, Ida cried herself to sleep every night, despite online chats, email, and text messages they sent back and forth to Manila.

The turnaround came on their fifth day when they were involved in a car accident. Pedestrians and other vehicle owners stopped to check on them. A 911 call was placed, and the police arrived in a couple of minutes, even as more people walked up to ask if they were hurt. 

“We were culture-shocked,” recounts Ida. “Tanong pa nga ni Julian – bakit ang babait ng tao dito (Why are people so kind here)?”

It was the start of many good things for the Lucilas. Julian auditioned for the dance program and was offered a scholarship. Ida readily found a job with Dell Canada and a comfortable townhouse for the family for which, sans credit references, she was even given a subsidy by the housing board for three months, which enabled her to pay only 30 percent of the regular rent. 

When Jojo arrived with their two other children, it was easy sailing from then on. Jojo landed a job with Alberta Health Services. Daughter Ina enrolled in a graphic design course at Northern Alberta Institute of Technology and found a job as multi-media developer with the Edmonton Police Service; she was later hired by CityTV to be their post-production editor. Julian was offered scholarships for the National Ballet School and the Royal Winnepeg Ballet School, and was asked to stay on the Professional Program of Alberta Ballet after he represented Canada in the Cecchetti International Ballet Competition in 2008;   he opted to quit dance for basketball and rugby – he was named Athlete of the Year. Youngest son Joseph, now 12, even got cast in a Hollywood TV movie. Ida herself later found another job with the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission, and is presently on the Language Curriculum division of the Edmonton Public Schools.

“When we arrived, other Pinoys just kept on giving us stuff, “ Jojo says. “Our townhouse was furnished that way. Even our first car was given to us. Alam kasi ng mga Pinoy kung gaano kahirap mag-migrate, kaya pag merong bagong dating, (Pinoys know how hard it is to migrate, so when they know someone’s new), people go out of their way to help.”

But in rolling out their dance work anew, they did encounter some of the typical factionalism found in many Filipino communities. Jojo and Ida just gave classes and choreographed for different groups. Frustrated with the politicking going on, they decided to set up their own ensemble to demonstrate how to run a professional dance company. Since they were always being introduced as “the directors of Chameleon,” they kept the name.

“When we left, we turned over the artistic director position at Chameleon Dance Company in Manila to Raul Alcoseba,” explains Jojo. “But Chameleon Dance Company of Edmonton has gotten off to a very good start. We were graciously allowed free use of studios by a non-profit theater and community outreach organization. And the kids we’ve trained here never had formal dance lessons before, but have already been invited to participate in the Aberdeen International Festival in Scotland this year,” he proudly adds.

The Lucilas are fortunate that word-of-mouth has been their strongest marketing strategy. It also helped that their son Julian built a solid reputation in the dance community and acquired some sort of fan base. To help sustain the group, parents of their 20 core dancers also undertake sponsorship solicitation and ticket sales for their numerous performances.

“We’re doing a lot of fundraising here to meet our expenses for the trip to Aberdeen,” says Ida. Garage sales, golf tournaments, concessions, dinner-dances, raffles, and even selling cookie dough, flower bulbs and chocolates – name it, they’ve done it. Lately, they also submitted an application for a casino license where the ensemble will be given two days to work in the casino either as cashiers, chip runners, counters, etc. and keep all the proceeds under a government-controlled program for charities and non-profit organizations.   “You can earn as much as $70,000 in those two days!” she enthuses.

In the meantime, they have fully immersed themselves in dance once more, while keeping their day jobs. Ida has been a guest teacher for the Edmonton Ballet and is ballet mistress for the Ukrainian Shumka Dancers. Jojo gives master classes with Edmonton Contemporary Dance and does choreographic work for Citie Ballet. 

“When we moved here, we thought it was the end of our dance career,” Ida reflects.

“Right now, we’re seeing the possibilities of where we can take it,” adds Jojo. “We’re at the point when we have to decide whether we want to do it all over again, or just keep it low. Tumatanda na rin naman kami (We are getting old).”

At present, they are busy organizing the Philippine Arts Festival which will take place in June, gathering Filipino groups and individual artists of Filipino heritage. Filipino arts and crafts will be showcased, along with the traditional Christmas parol. Photos by Victor Ursabia will be on exhibit, and they will also be screening films by Raymond Red and Ruelo Zendo. The event aims to benefit the Artists Welfare Project Inc. in Manila.

“We really want to help Filipino artists,” says Ida. “We also want to make sure we can help educate the Filipino community here, especially those in the second and third generations so they are aware of their roots.”

“There is so much love of country going on around Canada,” relates Jojo. “You can’t help it, because everyone is so involved. Watching the Winter Olympics, for example, was all about being Canadian. But as Pinoys, nanghihinayang at nalulungkot din kami (we feel bad) because our own athletes and artists back home don’t get that kind of support.”

When asked about what they liked best about Canada, the Lucilas readily agreed that it was the health care system. There are also no tuition fees for elementary and high school, and if a student gets good grades he is automatically eligible for scholarships and additional loans, effectively whittling down costs of higher education. 

“Apart from the quiet, the cleanliness and the respectfulness of people, we love the spirit of volunteerism here,” gushes Jojo. “And the parks are so well-maintained!”

“But above all, nakakapanibago ang (it’s different having a) service-oriented government,” stated Ida. “The leaders serve. Ang taxpayers ang mataray!”