Text by LEO ORTEGA LAPARAN II Photos by RICHARD VIÑAS
Aside from the unquestionable talent in the crooning-and-belting department, it cannot be argued that Filipinos have also got what it takes to be on top of the strutting-one’s-stuff heap.
At least some boys and girls, even with their eyes closed, know how to jig, hop, skip, shuffle, tumble, and split in all agility and gracefulness.
Proof? Dance Idol 2006.
TAPPING AND DISCOVERING TALENTS
Following a spate of reality talent shows on television left and right, Dance Idol has already come, seen, and conquered Philippine reality television, too.
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The City College of Manila Cheering Squad | | Produced by television, video and events company StreetPark Productions, Inc., Dance Idol is a tri-level, multi-category dance competition that provides an avenue for discovery and development of untapped talent groups to be launched into the mainstream industry; thus, its interrogative tagline: "Are you ready to be discovered?"
The categories, which featured the hottest collegiate dance groups in the city capital, included Cheerdance, Jazz, and Streetdance, and Open (a combination of all dance styles, like the aforementioned three, breakdance, etc. and open to school/non school-based professional and amateur dance groups).
Dance Idol also aims to promote esprit de corps and healthy rivalry among students and professionals, while expanding dance as an art form by showcasing diverse styles, routines and individual talents.
THE MAIN EVENT
After being postponed due to the recent rallies that sort of scared the Metro folk, there was no stopping the highly anticipated reality dance competition, now on its second year, from finally staging its main event.
Unmindful of the continually searing summer heat middle of last month, thousands of youth who were either contestants themselves, fans and supporters of competing groups or plain dance aficionados flocked to the Aliw Theater at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Complex, Pasay City to get a first-hand feel of how it was to perform on the most coveted stage and how it was to see admired contestants showcase their craft.
"What we wanted to do from the very start was to come up with a dance competition that does not only showed what happens on stage but also showed the things that go on behind it," says StreetPark Produxctions, Inc. president and Dance Idol creator and executive producer John Aguilar.
The half-a-daylong program, hosted by Aguilar himself and Chal Lontoc, was conceptualized to foster a broad appreciation of different dance groups as they conquer and ‘own’ the stage IN the biggest dance event of the year.
Prior to the ultimate showdown, a Dance Idol campus tour was held at participating schools and universities. The representative dance groups performed in a program to promote their respective entries in the competition.
Comprising the board of judges for the different categories were respected dancers and dance gurus, namely Joe Guerero, Mia Cablfin and Ramon Pagaduan for Cheerdance; Joey Zulueta, Jamea Valdez and Raigan for Jazz; Ken, Rosie, and David Streach for Streetdance; and Lema and J Masta for Open.
THE TOP THREES
At the end of the taped show, the finalists for each category were announced. Adamson Pep Squad of the Adamson University, Blue Babble Battalion of the Ateneo de Manila University, and CCM
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St. Scholastica's College's Danz Edge in their
Streetdance category stint | | Cheering Squad of the City College of Manila became automatic finalists as there were only three of them in the Cheerdance category.
The Company of Ateneo Dancers Jazz (CADJ) of AdMU, Danz Edge of St. Scholastica’s College, and Jazz Legs of STI College Cubao beat two other contenders in the Jazz category.
Out of eight entries in the Streetdance category, the Company of Ateneo Dancers Streetdance (CADS) of AdMU, again Danz Edge of St. Scholastica’s, and the Prodigal Crew of the Mapua Institute of Technology made it to the circle.
Batang Mama, L Crew and Kukurukoo outdid five others in the Open level.
The finalists were awarded in a separate event (ergo, a separate article from this one) held in Eastwood City, Libis, Quezon City a week after competition proper.
Dance Idol 2006 was the penultimate staging in the series of events that were filmed as part of the reality series Dance Idol, which started airing last March 17 on Studio 23.
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