erika sasazawa,
Feature: Filipinos Dancing Through Modern Times
Dance is all around us.
There is no doubt that you have watched one through different platforms such as the television, the internet or maybe even live in a theater. There might have been a time when you became so hooked on a dance that you've even studied its choreography.
Dance has continuously been an art of expression century after century. Over time, it has evolved into different forms and styles. Before, dance numbers were usually performed in town plazas and theaters. But now, dancers have found ways to innovate dancing through different means.
Here are four notable Filipino dancers who share their passion for dancing in a contemporary setting.
1. Keone and Mari
A photo in the homepage of Keone and Mari's website. Photo credit: https://keoneandmari.com
Does this couple seem familiar?
That's right! They are the dancers in the music video of Justin Bieber's best-performing single in 2016, Love Yourself.
The husband-wife duo, Keone Madrid and Mariel “Mari” Martin-Madrid starred in this music video where they delivered the lyrics about a dying relationship to viewers through (of course) dance moves.
Keone and Mari are both half Filipinos, born and raised in California. While there, their career flourished by joining different hip hop dance teams and teaching dance classes. They also competed in NBC's World of Dance Season 1 where they were able to reach the divisional finals. Choreographing for different shows and K-pop groups such as BTS, Got7 and B1A4 are just among the many projects they have given to the dance industry.
What sets them apart from other dancers is how they bring something new to the table, as proven by the first ever dance book they have published last year. This dance book is a multimedia e-book entitled “Ruth” that consists of 9 chapters filled with writing, illustrations and dance films. The story follows the journey of an elderly woman as she leaves her retirement home and is transported into an alternate universe filled with dance.
Here is a link to a chapter preview on Ruth: https://youtu.be/8xuTKoiB0-4
To know more about them, visit their website https://keoneandmari.com and subscribe to their youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/keoneANDmari
2. Ea Torrado (pronounced E-ya)
Ea Torrado in Daloy's full-length piece entitled Canton. Photo credit: https://daloydancecompany.com
Have you ever wondered how it feels like to be behind the curtains of the theater?
Ea Torrado surely knows how.
From the age of 7, she has already been a performer. Her first dance genre was classical ballet. She rigorously trained until companies such as Ballet Manila, Ballet Philippines and Dance Theater in Tennessee casted her in soloist and principal roles.
She describes ballet as an enchanting yet a difficult art as it demands dancers to work for hours and hours to perfect a performance. She has gone through physical and emotional pains in ballet so she decided that she wanted to explore out of ballet's restrictive style. She transitioned to a freelance dancer who also posts videos of dances she choreograph on YouTube.
In her late twenties, Ea Torrado founded her own contemporary dance group, Daloy Dance Company. Its vision, according to its official website, is to generate "daring and evocative dance theatre pieces with an ever-evolving group of dancers, actors and artists from diverse backgrounds."
Other than that, she performs as a guest artist, facilitates dance workshops and choreographs for various dance groups and dance schools. With her unique dance choreography, Ea has received recognition locally and internationally.
To see some of her works, you can subscribe to Daloy's YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqKWMNtLtICE3tjwuM7YpeA)
3. Lina Peralejo
A photo of Lina Peralejo on her Instagram account. Photo credit: @dancebylina_
Have you ever wondered what dancers do aside from performing?
For Lina Peralejo, it is still to immerse herself in the world of dance.
A dancer, a danceline entrepreneur, a ballet teacher and a dance blogger; she has managed to juggle all these roles at once.
At the age of 13, she got accepted as a trainee of Ballet Manila. She danced there for 6 years before deciding to pursue her other goals. She graduated with two college degrees and took a dancer teacher training course in Latvia.
But as a determined person, she did not stop there. She established her own dancewear line, Dance by Lina. It started out from her hobby, sewing, until her friend suggested that she start a dance line. Her line continually grew until it reached the foreign market mainly through the help of starting its Instagram account @dancebylina_dancewear.
Aside from that, she keeps her website (https://www.dancebylina.com/home) and her dance vlogs (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbqVzJvn0cIWVy5F1qvgokQ) updated every now and then.
On top of all those, she manages and teaches in her own dance program, Studio Dance by Lina (@studio_dancebylina), which now has two branches in Las Piñas and Diliman.
4. Ranz and Niana
Siblings Ranz and Niana Guerrero. Photo credit: heardwell.com
"Help beat energy energy gap, beat energy gap"
Do you remember these lines from Milo's advertisement?
There has probably been a time when you couldn't help but sing Milo's jingle. Undoubtedly, you must have also seen its dance steps in tv or YouTube advertisements. Yes, you've seen it with James Reid hitting the beat with his dance moves. But it’s not just him who danced for Milo's advertisement. Also there, are the social media stars a lot of people probably heard of, Ranz and Niana.
Ranz Kyle is a known dancer from Chicser and an internet sensation famous for his YouTube channel. In 2015, after Niana’s first appearance on one of Ranz’s videos, they have continuously uploaded challenge videos, prank videos, and cover dance videos. From then on they became the netizens’ “siblings goals”.
Through their post and videos in their accounts (https://www.youtube.com/user/ranziscool/, https://www.youtube.com/user/nianaguerrero), they have been recognized in other countries. They have collaborated with some of the famous hiphop/street dancers, like Matt Stefanina and Montana Tucker. //by Erika Sasazawa
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