Wanna learn how to dance? Frustrated that you have two left feet? Want to step up your dance knowledge and test your abilities in different dance styles? Answered YES to any of those questions? Then Dance PH‘s workshops are for you.
Organized by Dance PH, the Salt and Light dance event was packed at the PARC Foundation in San Juan last September 3 with 3 back-to-back dance workshops by 3 amazing and talented dance coaches with various specialties. The organization aims to provide an avenue for aspiring and passionate dancers to get access to affordable yet world-class dance workshops.
The PARC Foundation in San Juan
The PARC Foundation is a space where artists can find a home to build their art. It doesn’t matter if you are preparing for a concert, dance competition, or theatre performance; if you need a space, this place is a safe haven for you. The best part is: they don’t charge any rental fees. You only have to pay for the electricity you consume. Conversely, if you’re having a show there, you’ll only pay a small percentage of the revenue generated from it.
Coach Dhztine from Aunomicass Crew A-Team
Coach Dhztine from the Autonomicass Crew and A-Team shared his expertise and knowledge on ‘Krump’ to the 30 students or so that attended the workshop. (They competed in Sydney, Australia recently, by the way! Here’s our article on that!). The attendees came from as far as Bulacan, Paranaque, Olongapo, and Cavite just to attend this workshop! Now that’s passion!
It was my first time ever to voluntarily learn dance (except in college where PE class so happens to revolve around ballroom dancing) and attend a dance workshop. To be honest, it was daunting.
I was really impressed by how coach Dhztine taught the class. He was very nice, genuine, and down-to-earth – not what I expected from a dancer who has competed internationally. He tried to make the choreography easy to understand, especially to the noobs like me, and explain how to execute each step properly. It was definitely appreciated.
Some of the dancers who joined the workshop
“Don’t ask how to be me. But you ask how to be you.” A line Coach Dhztine shares as he imparts words of wisdom to the class.
Coach Mycs of LSDC Street and Romancon
Coach Mycs, the resident coach of LSDC Street Romancon, taught us the technique called ‘Groove’. It’s the spirit of dancing that makes choreography and dance routines come to life. We danced to the music of Beyonce’s ‘Upgrade You’. She has a really bubbly personality and made the class entertaining and fun to learn. Don’t let her character fool you, though, because her amazing talent and passion for dancing reflects in her sharp executions.
She also shares that she likes teaching workshops because she gets to teach her style alone. Her words of wisdom for the students were: “Don’t worry if you don’t know your genre yet. Keep on exploring. At the end of the day, dance should always be fun.”
Coach Rhemuel from Rock*well Rockstars
Coach Rhemuel from Rock*well and Rockstars also shared his signature style called Rock*well.
His words of wisdom to the students is that we should know what instrument is playing in the song, so that our body will register how to enact the movements. He also emphasised to understand the ‘definition’ of each lyric and the underlying meaning of the song to be able to interpret it accurately in each choreography.
“Everyone is an apple, but only few can be oranges – create your own identity, gets?”
During the huddle, Coach Dhztine shared that it was really hard to become a dancer before. You had to earn the respect of the students and the dance community before you could be called a choreographer. You had to prove yourself to the peers and public. You had to fight and sacrifice a lot of things (money, time, efforts, and etc.) to have a fighting chance to join an international competition.
However, the dancing realm these days has become easier. Organizations have been set up to cater to those who want to join leagues and battles. It is also easy to attend workshops now and learn through videos on the Internet. That’s all okay, but coach Dhztine and coach Mycs remind us to never forget the process. Don’t neglect the process of attending a workshop, going to class and making sure to learn something out of it. The process of investing in your art. The process of being open-minded during all battles, and in everything you experience; whether good or bad, you have to take it in.
I heard there was going to be a part 2 of this workshop! So don’t miss your chance to attend workshops like this because you won’t just learn how to dance, but you’ll also learn life hacks to being a dancer. Let’s all come together to spread knowledge and love to our dancers!
P.S. Thanks to Julius for accompanying me to the workshop and Ian for the cover photo!
PARC Foundation: www.facebook.com/PARCFoundationPH
Dance PH: www.facebook.com/dancephofficial
