This was what I felt when I participated in the Philippine HipHop Dance Expo 2010 at Gateway Suites, Gateway Mall, Cubao. I used to be a member of the dance group in UP Mindanao way back when I was still in college. I used to perform during university events and dance concerts. Dancing always makes me feel happy. Whenever I dance, I feel that I am free to be myself and to express what I feel in the form of my body gestures through dancing. This was what I call my 'catharsis' way back then. I remember that everytime the 'UP Hell Week' is over, I am so much excited to go to dance rehearsals. It allowed me to vent out my frustrations over my exams and release the stress that piled up due to the heavy examination week. I also remember my first dance concert. The preparations were so tiring because we had to do daily practices that extend to past midnight already. Then we still had to go to practice again during weekends. This was a struggle because our campus is in a secluded place, so far away from the metro. Then from the highway, we still had to ride a 'habal-habal' to go inside the UP campus which is 30 minutes away. So going home every night was a challenge. Not to mention, we still have classes every morning because we are not exempted from attending it just because we are preparing for a dance concert. We had more than 10 dance production numbers for that concert and I remember that I had around 6-7 production numbers that I am a part of. So, I had to rehearse 7 different dances all together. But even if it was very physically, mentally and emotionally challenging, all these things disappear the moment you hear the audience clap because they enjoyed your performance. That is one of the most wonderful gifts that a performer can get - being recognized for a beautiful presentation on stage. And this is how I feel everytime people love the dances that I perform. Not to mention, it's an added plus if they scream or yell your name while your performing because it boosts up your performance adrenaline.
But after college, the dancing has stopped. After moving to Manila, I lost the dancing. Cathartic activities for me were replaced by mall-hoppings, travelling, photography and others. But even if there are a myriad of leisure activities that replaced dancing, my body still looks for it everytime I hear a very good dance music. My body still grooves to the tunes and itches to make some cool dance moves.
So when the opportunity for me came to join the Philippine HipHop Dance Expo came, I immediately grabbed it. I tagged along my officemates who, I knew, were also dance enthusiasts. It felt so good to finally dance again and learn new dance moves from super cool hiphop dance instructors. Seeing young and old dancers together made me feel that I belong. It was very energizing to finally dance again and see if I still got it. I know I still got it and can still improve what I got if I do this more often. My officemates and I had so much fun and we learned so much from the convention. Hopefully, this will be a start of a new and better relationship with music and dance once again! :)
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