Certified Ramster!

Yay! Ram chose me as best dancer of my group in our class last night! Coming from him, it's such a big deal because he's probably the strictest among all the G-Force dancers I've attended. Babaw ng kaligayahan ng lola mo noh!

Arguably, he's the most recognizable among all the G-Force Stallions but I always tell my friends who want to attend his classes not to be pa-cute in class, otherwise, you might get the wrong end of the stick and walk away from the class traumatized.

I've seen him tear students to shreds so everytime I attend his class, I have to be concentrated and relaxed at the same time, to minimize making mistakes.

Yun lang, teachers who set a high standard also lift your performance up and makes you strive to do better. Makes you bring your A-game everytime you're in his class.

My Cool Friends in My G-Force Hip Hop Class!

Happy to see several familiar faces in JB's hip hop class kanina. Everyone's moving great and looking great! Thanks guys for the warm welcome! Parang I felt at home agad, considering that andaming nabago sa studio.

Back Dancing at the G-Force Dance Studio with JB Papas!

After a nine-month layover dealing with different health concerns, I'm just really happy to be back! Yun lang, I forgot how difficult the steps were and how fast you'd have to move!

One of the best lessons I've learned from my teacher Jb Papas is just to let your body flow with the music, and not to worry too much about the counting. It's like letting the music possess your body and allow it to express itself.

I guess that's what separates true artists from amateurs like me.

Meeting the Shy Xian Lim

I've heard that Xian Lim has been practicing at the G-Force Dance Center regularly but I never really got the chance to see him until this week!  We were a bit lucky since one of our friends, Ivy, was brave enough to ask for a photo op with him, soon as he came out from the rehearsal room.

He did appear a bit shy and some of the STC girls we were with were disappointed since he did not make akbay to them.  I just told them na baka he was sweaty inside and didn't want to 'mess up' the girls.  He did stand a few inches away from us but I ended up defending him sa mga girls, explaining nga na he just came from rehearsal and he may not have felt very fresh anymore.

Anyhow, what's important is that even after a tiring practice session, he still managed to squeak a smile for each one of us (I think we were about six people who had a photo op with him)!  He does look good in person, tall and very handsome.  I just wish he was more talkative and more relaxed but well, one can't have everything!

Jessica Sanchez's 'Tonight' and A Sizzling Zumba Class Caps A Dope Week at the G-Force Dance Center

I am in a bit of a quandary since I paid for 20 sessions and I have only used nine sessions! And it's going to expire na by August 27!  I may have to attend so many classes this coming week just to consume everything!  Anyway, good luck sa right knee ko!

Well, Mabel and I attended three classes this week.  We had fun doing Ne-yo and Jessica Sanchez's 'Tonight' in Ram's Lyrical Hip Hop class last Monday. Ram really looks relaxed when he dances, unlike the trainees and scholars who looked hurried in their interpretation.  Konting suave pa talaga - something which I should also try to emulate.  I've been trying to do the choreo in the gym and buti na lang, memorized ko pa rin kahit papano.  It's actually fun to do!

Then last Wednesday, I finally attended Ray-an's Zumba class!  OMG, it's so frenetic and the adrenaline in the class was so high, I ended up jumping up and down in some of the last tracks that we did!  I forgot I shouldn't jump pala kasi my tuhod was hurting a bit!  Oh well, toooo late!!  No regrets though!  It was really a high-energy class filled with interesting Latin tracks, which I miss doing and dancing to!

Finally, Ishii's taste in music is getting darker and darker, which I don't mind. I actually love his choice of hip hop tracks although some of the songs are  homophobic and misogynistic!  Not his fault, it's the rappers but that's rap music for you!

This week, we did Tyga's Dope, a song that has been in my Ipod playlist for sometime now and I only appreciated it when we danced to it this week!  OMG, the choreo was so fast!!! Pero when it's Ishii who dances to it, again, like Ram, he looks so relaxed and his hits are so defined!  Hayyy, sometimes I wish I could dance that way but my body just can't fully extend anymore.  Otherwise, I might end up hurting myself.

My BFF Meets The G-Force Stallions

Finally my BFF was able to attend Ram's class tonight and I was very happy because she was able to finish it!  Mukhang nag-enjoy naman sya, and even though the class was composed mostly of pretty young things, and that they were just half our age plus 10 years, at least she was able to keep up with them.  Inalalayan pa nga siya ni Ram, which was nice!

It was also her lucky night as almost all the G-Force Stallions were there, except for Bill!  So I decided to just eat my pride and asked for a picture for her with each one of them.  The G-Force Stallions are really nice and approachable and you can easily strike a conversation with them.  I just hope they stay the same way even if they become very popular!

My G-Force Project 2014 Experience

This was definitely one of my most unforgettable summers of recent memory! I think I'm the first one in my family to have ever performed at the Araneta Coliseum - and since I come from a family who has no history of people who sing and dance for a living - it's like sending a man to the moon!

I will treasure all the new friends I've meet this summer and I will use this newfound confidence to do more exciting things in my life that only my self-doubt has prevented me from doing!

My G-Force Poppers Class 2014

I admit I felt a bit lost during the first day of the G-Force Poppers class kasi nga my classmates were mostly 30 years younger than me!!! I haven't taught kids for 12 years kaya ayun, I didn't know how to interact na with very young people!

Pero everybody just welcomed me lovingly and I got used to them calling me Tito Tony, Daddy, even Lolo!! O di ba, FB friends ko na nga sila e! I really had a lot of fun dancing with them! Grabe, the energy and enthusiasm they have is just infectious!

And ang gagaling nila sumayaw!! Ligwak beauty ko! Thanks for the friendship guys!! I will never forget the summer of 2014 because of how kwela all of you were!!

G-Force Project 2014: A Night of Many Firsts!

It was a night of many firsts for me. Just goes to show you're never too old to try something new.

What Jen and I thought was just a pictorial for our summer hip hop class turned out to be a full-blown VTR!

It was the first time I danced with a group in front of a camera! That was the easy part.

It was the first time I had to do a taped spiel, being ordered around by these TV people to say this and to do some quick moves and to hold a pose for a few seconds. Grabe, the kids did it in two takes, I think we the older people did it in three!

And it was the first time I had to do freestyle moves, ALONE!, in a room full of strangers videotaping my ever move! "Don't cover your face" "Stop at the eighth count" "Hold your pose!"

It was fun but a bit nerve-wracking for people like us who are comfortable just watching people do stuff in front of cameras - so to be the subject in front of a camera - was definitely out of my comfort zone!

Buti na lang I'm older and makapal na mukha ko so committing mistakes here won't scar me for life!

Buti na lang we had the cutest and nicest and most encouraging teacher of them all, our Teacher JB, who helped us, every step of the way!!

Happy Birthday Ray-an!

With birthday boy Ray-an! I actually don't know him personally but I do get to see him Wednesdays before I attend the Dance with G-Force class.  I heard up to 150 people attends his Zumba classes so it's tough to get space in his class even if I wanted to attend. Mahirap makipag-away for space with the Mommies.  

He was there again last night, and since it was his birthday, we just thought might as well get a photo op on his special day! 

G-Force Summer Workshop Now in Full Swing

Of course I'd get the cutest teacher among them all for my first batch of the G-Force Summer Workshop! 

JB showed us his choreography for Ed Sheeran's Lego House last night and grabe, the way he dances it, you could really feel the exact emotions Ed Sheeran wanted to express, except that JB only does it through dance!

Sa totoo lang, I don't know how to even approximate one-tenth of the style and the emotion that he showed in the choreo, but it's a challenge worth taking - after all, I know exactly what Ed Sheeran means when he sings "And out of all these things I've done I think I love you better now".

Cheme's Production Style Hip Hop Class

I skipped Cheme's class before because I heard that his floor works was a bit difficult, and with the current conditions of my knees, it would not be a good idea to punish them if I still want to continue to dance.

Anyway, during our chika chika the other night, I nicely told him na sana if I attend his class, the floor works would be more simple.  And he was so nice!  

His routine last night is now one of my favorites among all the classes I attended!  He was very cool, very precise, very encouraging and he doesn't embarrass people, which is a plus! And lalaking lalaki ang choreo and music niya, rap kung rap, nakakaloka!

I also love the fact that he treats the class like a production number!  Which was really fun to do!  We had placements and choreo timings and emote emote - and it was one of the rare times that I actually liked how I looked in the video!  Kulang na lang talaga ako ng pitik - pero pagoda na ako e after more than an hour!

Laura Ditches Ballet For Hip Hop

Laura has just ditched her ballet classes for hip hop! Well, she actually can't join all the classes because some of them are really not for kids her age but she's enjoying it immensely, she's excited to dance with some of the other teachers this week. 

I told her that she's so lucky because her teachers appear on TV and dance with the celebrities in some local programs. No effect.

Buti na rin yun, para she can really concentrate and listen to the teacher's instructions. Even when we dance in the house, she corrects my form! "Straight arm Papa C, not bent" O di ba! Ako ang kinorek!

Dancing to K-Pop is so much Fun

I feel so bad for having snubbed the K-Pop dance classes for the past month now. They're so much fun to dance! I also figured it would be one of the classes that would not stress Laura out, and she really enjoyed it! 

But don't get me wrong! Myka (our teacher) was so meticulous with the details, we'd do a 1 8s choreo again and again until she was satisfied that everybody was on the same page. I also loved the transition from complex choreography to simple since it really encapsulated what K-Pop is all about - just pure, silly fun!

We and JB do Some JT Moves

I swore on class today that I'd really get serious about losing some weight. We had to do some steps from a sitting down position and in just a count of one, immediately stand up. 

It's a move that I could maybe do quickly, five years ago, but now that my left knee is a bit weak and my ass as big as Botswana, it would take me about four counts, which by then, everybody else would be doing something else!

We basically cleaned the floors of the studio today as we had to lie down for about 2 8's doing really cool choreography. I just really wish my knees were still strong.

Everytime JB said, get down, it freaked me out since I feared I might force my knees to go down the wrong way. And the movement was so sudden, from standing position to kneeling down in one count!

Yet, I persevere and continue because dancing hip hop is one of the perfect ways to relieve myself from a stressful day!

Just Like One of the Boys

I'm just really happy that these guys treat me like I'm one of them.  One of my fears before was that the instructor might give me special treatment because of my age, or that he would modify the steps just because I might not be able to follow them.  

I was wrong!  They don't really care!  You have to keep up with them or you're free to walk out. No space for pussies in their studio.

While I'm here just for fun, these guys are actually G-Force trainees so just imagine how much work I have to do just to keep up with them, because they're so good and their bodies are so freakin' flexible!

But I'm learning so much from them and it has really improved my self-confidence and my memorization skills - and now, I do check my form na in the mirror, something which I never did before.

We danced to a mash of an Aaliyah song and that Little Mermaid classic, Under the Sea.  The song was so cute but the steps were quick and snappy.  Arrrraayyyy my legs talaga!  

And Ishii video-ed it!  That was cool!  Don't post it lang on my wall hahaha

Dancing With Young People!

One of the things I've learned from controversial TV host Joan Rivers was that you should have many friends who are much younger than you, and not stick only to your age group, she said, because when all your contemporaries die, you'll be alone and lonely.

She also suggested that when it's your birthday, try to mix the group and invite young people and not only your age group, so you can be comfortable with younger people.

Of course, she did not say these in a nice way. She's not a b****y comedienne for nothing!

I've kept Ms. Rivers' lesson to heart and if you multiply by two, each of the ages of these guys in this picture, pwera Jennifer Sy , I think I'll still be older than them! Just don't call me tito or sir. Hindi kita pamangkin o estudyante o kliyente, ok? Madam or Senyora is better.......JOKE!!

Having Fun With JP of G-Force

Thank you Lord for people who generously share their talents with mere mortals like me - and do it with the maximum of fun! 

And that they are hot and goodlooking as well, is just icing on the cake!

Groovin' To Bruno Mars' Treasure!

Ram taught us some nice choreo to Bruno Mars' 'Treasure' today and I had so much fun doing it!  

Considering we were so many in the class, he still had his hawk eyes on all of us, correcting one's elbow movements here or telling us not to jump, but to slide!  It's as if we were actually going to dance this song in ASAP!  

After 48 Years.....

I was able to dance with Kevin again tonight! 

He dances na pala in ASAP and other ABS shows. 

Hanggang dun lang conversation namin. After 48 years ko pa siguro makukuha number and FB niya. Everything is slow motion in my universe!