Soulprints - Amyline Quien Ching

Out Came Their Dancing Shoes

Their dancing shoes certainly didn’t need perking up.
Firing up the stage with their inventive and peppy dance steps, students from all over the Philippines pushed their toes (not to mention arms, legs, body parts) to their limits as they revved up the SM Megatrade Hall for the Green Cross Cologne Funky Fragrance Dance Competition.

The Road to the Finals

Open to all students in private schools, the competition attracted a multitude of talented dance groups all over the Philippines. Dance, being the universal language among young people, was the focal point of the whole endeavor. “We really zeroed in on dance because we want to use it as a medium for students to come together and celebrate with us,” notes Green Cross Cologne product manager Rusty Rastrullo.
To ensure that only the best would stand on stage come grand finals, Green Cross toured the country and scoured every town in search of people who embody the youthfulness, hipness and coolness that Green Cross Cologne projects. “Close to 600 teams participated in the 52 provincial contests that we have done,” divulges Rastrullo. And it was not an easy journey for any team brave enough to accept the challenge. Aside from the provincial eliminations that they have to survive through, they also have to face each other in the regionals. And choosing just one among the 80 bunch of gifted individuals that reached the regionals is enough to send the judges into moments of indecision. “There were a lot of great teams, we frequently had ties. It was really hard to decide,” says Rastrullo. But their obsession to find the best of the best was not wasted. True enough, each of the teams that graced the stage for the grand finals was deserving of the crown. Each performance was craftily thought of. Each step was choreographed to perfection. But no matter how good their performance are there can only be one true champion.

The Competition Heats Up

It was a tough day for the jurors as they looked for choreography, creativity and freshness. The junior round kicked off with an electrifying dance from Zamora Memorial College Dance Company. Unmindful of crashing into each other, the Albay natives stunned the audience by dancing in blindfolds. Just two weeks of practice and a completely new routine from their original one never cramped the style of Colegio de San Agustin Bacolod’s Dance Art as they danced to the hilt with faux speakers as props. “We were inspired by Monica’s video. Then, we incorporated some of our own ideas,” says their choreographer Rodney Ascalon. Colorful costumes and props set the Sariaya Quezon’s Sirca Kayumanngi apart, allowing them to edge other groups to claim third place and the P50,000 pot money. From their white and gold sheer outfits, which also won for them Best in Costume, down to their richly colored fans, this group spelled perfection. “All the members of Circa Kayumaggi worked together for this. We made our own costumes and props. It was our labor of love,” one circa member discloses in ragged breaths, clearly exhausted but happy with their performance. D’ Rush Funk from Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology tried a different tact– this time zeroing in on our funny bones. The brief comedy act, which involved one of the dancers literally bathing himself with a whole bottle of cologne and traipsing on the stage with his arms raised while the song “Bombastic” blared, won many hearts. The judges certainly did not remain indifferent to all those creative energies and comedic efforts as they were given a second place finish that included a P100,000 cash prize and a trophy. Completely relying on their legendary dance skills and flexibility, Miriam College surpassed all odds, including the competition, to conquer the high school division. With their white and black ensemble accentuated by a cross in front, these damsels from Sayawatha wowed the audience with their flexibility and acrobatic skills. “We really prepared hard for this. Not all of us knew how to do cartwheels and some of the other stuff in our routine but we learned like everyone else because we needed to,” reveals a Sayawatha member. Their choreography, according to their coach Ryan Silva, gave them the edge. “There is distinction from other schools. The routine was hard but the girls were able to execute it well.”

The Heat Continues

If the junior division heated up the air with their stunts and gimmicks, the college division fairly scorched up the entire hall. The Batangas State University Dance Company lived up to their passionate Batangueño form with their stage performance. With uncanny stage flair, the group danced their way, masks and all to a third place finish. St. Paul University’s Prima Galaw looked picture perfect in their white costumes and silver gloves. With a unique routine that gave the other teams a run for their money, this dusky group from IloIlo showed the form and talent that carried them all the way to the finals… and would carry them to second place victory. No team, however, could compare to the powerhouse performance of UP-Diliman Street Dance Club, who won the top prize. The group struck the audience senseless with their difficult formations and acrobatic dances. With a routine largely different from the one they used in the regionals, the club displayed their flexibility and gymnastic skills to the fullest with pyramid-like tableaus and limb breaking steps. “We really made a lot of changes from the original routine. We knew that competition will be a lot stiffer here in the grand finals, we want to have a little edge,” utters JM de Jesus, one of the member of the Street Dance Club. Though they may not have reached the circle of three, IloIlo’s University of San Agustin Dance Club certainly carried through a performance worth remembering. Pulling up a surprise number with their “Mickey” routine, the guys, dressed in cheerleading outfits, gamely displayed their legs for all the world to see while they jumped up and down in jubilation, swinging their pompoms up in the air.

A Marriage of Different Styles

A fusion of every dance imaginable, from ballet to hip-hop, street dance to ballroom, folk dance to modern jazz, the students proved once more the artistry and grace of the Filipinos. Reminiscent of the movie, “Bring It On,” minus the pompoms and short skirts, their four-minute routines featured lifts, cartwheels and even pyramids to the astonishment and delight of the audience. “I never expected to see these things,” says one of the spectators who braved the long lines and the cramped space of the Megatrade Hall.
More than just your run of the mill dance competition, the stage ushered in an entirely new concept—dance routines with touches of slapstick comedy, drama and athleticism. Through the use of props and other special effects, the students were able to infuse freshness and originality into what supposed to be ‘yet-another-dance-competition.’ It might seem no less of a hardship to bring in non-dance elements into their performance, but weaving these short “skits” to suit their entire routine is certainly a challenge– a challenge met by the 21 young hopefuls. And though only six managed to hold the trophies in their hands, they certainly did not go home empty-handed. The experience and the memory are enough to last a lifetime.

posted by Amyline Quien Ching @ 12:21 AM