Hosting and transitioning to a 5-day digital event to celebrate House dance music and culture was a challenge but an ultimate success for Padyak PH and IndaHouse UK as they held House2House Goes Online last September 14 – 18.
Aside from conducting several collaboration dance classes despite the current situation in the country and all over the world, the virtual event was able to bring different movement artists, house enthusiasts, dancers, and music producers together to impart their own knowledge and experience about the House culture and help the event participants grow and learn more about their value in the Philippine House scene or the dance community in general.
“It was about individuality and being unique, creative, and expressive. That’s your contribution to the community”, Junious “House” Brickhouse said while explaining the nature of house dance as being intergenerational. “My responsibility as part of this culture is to let the younger generation to figure it out. The music and access to music is different now. The charge for new generations is to not just to be creative but to connect to their own culture and history,” he said.
The understanding that House dance is deeply rooted in house music and the club scene was reinforced in the discussions with certain artists who are experts in their own field and who have experienced the beginnings and progression of House in their respective countries and culture. Bridging the gap between understanding house dance and house music can make the community move much further. Knowing the music helps one live the culture.
“To create your own identity, you have to first understand house music,” a French DJ and house dance pioneer Tijo Aime shared. He added, “A lot of things with house music—emotions and feelings—depend on the music.”
Additionally, there was a clear message discussed about the importance of having the drive to push for our own local community more and that we would be recognized globally if we first recognize the immense pool of talent we have and actually celebrate it.
“The community can grow organically and that’s what we want. It is just a matter of embracing where we are and work from there. We are our own,” Prince Paltu-ob shared.
As the dance community continues to push for honing own styles and identities to keep the art alive amidst the current global situation, Padyak PH and IndaHouse UK hope that the event somehow gave the participants a new perspective on the importance of having foundational knowledge about House dance and culture. The current circumstances may present additional challenges in reaching out to more people and to cultivating a certain level of togetherness in this movement. Nevertheless, the vision to advance the House dance community will still be there as long as there are people who love and live the culture.
“Just be ‘together’ and dance…it will work. Don’t care about the number. It is about honesty and the love for music.” — Eric “RickySoul” Braflan
