Created back in 2019 through a collaboration of Paydak PH and IndaHouse UK as an avenue to provide house dance the opportunity to be seen by the Filipino audience, House-to-House has now grown into a celebration of diversity and prosperity. What seemed to be a scene for the locals has now gained international recognition, housing Studio J 2.0 last January 6-7, 2024 with almost 250 guests from the Philippines, Singapore, Australia, and Malaysia.
Photo: Christopher Sy
While past events have included workshops and a variety of dance pieces from the PH dance community, this year has been quite different. Co-presented by Itaewon Chicken, HEER-O Curated Shop, La Tanggera, DNX Eventsgear, and PENSHOPPE, with Major Sponsors Prelude PH and Art by Minaenae, and Media Partners I Got Colors, Dance+, One Music PH, and wheninmanila.com, the event showcases the strong collaboration and support that House-to-House has garnered in the past years.
To share what happened that weekend, here are the “kinds” of dances experienced during #H2HVol5:
Enriching Workshops
This kind of dance is not to be taken lightly. The two-hour workshops from Padyak PH, Jardy Santiago, Hiro Alma, and IndaHouse UK have given light to the style as a highly social dance that holds special emphasis on self-expression through freestyling, especially on the feet. House Dance is free flowing and a great dance to learn.
Photo: Christopher Sy
It is about freedom, improvisation, and feeling the music that has roots in the underground music scene of Chicago and New York.
Competitive Yet Friendly Battles
Unlike any other dance battles, House Dance’s isn’t as easy to grasp at first – It’s all love. Guests were able to enjoy watching category battles happening on day one: 1v1 House Dance and 7-to-Smoke, to which participating battlers can only dance to house music played live by DJs Badkiss and Antonne, respectively, with the latter category restricting house dance!
In a breathtaking finale, Jigoro wins the 1v1 House Dance Battle against Francis, defending the title from 2019! While CrazyBeans champions the 7-to-Smoke category winning a straight 7-streak within 30 minutes.
1v1 JUDGES: Jardy Santiago, Hiro Alma, Frankie J
7-TO-SMOKE JUDGES: Lema Diaz, Dat Boi Troy, Frankie J
Breathtaking Pieces by the Philippine Dance Community During Mind Da Gap
Photo: Christopher Sy
With different dance teams and community performances, Mind Da Gap was an impressive variety of forms danced to house music, especially to John Prosper’s songs, a Filipino-American House DJ and Producer. Performances from Tera, Pitik Pinas, School of Good Lock, IHOW Philippines, Dance Hall Manila, A-Team, Original Flavor, TPM, Project Soul, The Iconic House of Mizrahi Philippines, and New Style Hustle showed the abundance of dance in the local scene, and their participation in the festival was a great opportunity to interact, collaborate, and promote their own work and ventures.
You can watch the whole Mind Da Gap Showcase here.
The Feel-Good Finale
Photo: Christopher Sy
If you have an intro then of course you have a finale dance. And it was a collaborative performance from local house dance groups, Padyak PH, House Heads PH, Tadyak PH, and Padyak South Initiatives that inspired the attendees as they saw for the first time different house groups share the same stage together for a finale performance.
But the real highlight of the night? Our very own dance from Davao, the Budots Dance which got Dat Boi Troy doing it with the performers, too!
Truly, an inspiring piece that made a statement!
A Welcoming Dancefloor Through and Through
Whether it was a starting cue, an in-between break, or an afterparty jam, the dance floor was open to any one and every one. It was indeed a night of vibrant music, energetic dancing, and love for the culture! The festival continues to promote a safe, enjoyable avenue for hundreds of local and international guests to connect with each other and bring them closer.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR HOUSE-TO-HOUSE?
While the community is still growing, this year’s fifth edition was a defining moment as guests from different walks of life came together to share the love of the culture. “It’s a testament that we’re doing something right for the community and we’ll continue pushing this movement. We want people to know that we have a unique way to show that the Filipino identity is integrated in this culture as well.” said Padyak PH Representative, JP Perez.
It will continue to be a collaborative effort from both Padyak PH and IndaHouse UK going forward as they grow the work more with different regions in the Philippines that might not have access to the culture as people are based in the metro. The event is now seen as an avenue to build into a Filipino international event by connecting different countries in East Asia and hopefully with other continents, too.
“This is how we keep the culture alive: keep creating a safe space where people can feel at home, show respect and support to each other’s projects and events, and build something for the upcoming generations,” added IndaHouse UK Representative Clara Bajado, “We align our ambitions with the other dance communities by evolving and elevating each other.”
As a way to grow the work, you can now contact and know more about the event via their socials @official.house2house or e-mail them at official.house2house@gmail.com
If you want to be a part of the community who keeps the house culture alive, feel free to get in touch with the community heads via e-mail at padyakhdm@gmail.com or indahouselondon@gmail.com, or follow their socials @padyakpinasmovement and @indahouseuk for more info.
