Monday, May 05, 2008
DTCC holds Dancesport Challenge
KIDS from the different Barangays in Cebu took center stage and strutted their way to the music with their facile grace and glamorous sophistication during the First Inter-Barangay city-wide competition.
Inaugurated as the dance sport capital in Asia two years ago, Cebu City continues to hone its raw potentials with an extensive grassroots program.
According to Edward Hayco, Director of Team Cebu City Dancesport, the team has been in operation for the last 10 years and has conducted summer workshops for seven years, and finally launched its first inter-barangay recital at the Cebu Coliseum.
He added that a training program carried out the whole year round marks its second year this year. All the workshops are offered free of charge.
Hayco added that they presently have about 100 volunteer teachers, with half in the in the 10 to 20 years old bracket and another half in 20 years old and above. They take part in the summer workshop, usually done in the month of April, which comprises a whole month of intensive training, six days a week.
In conducting the workshops, the team adopted the “cascading system” where in they train eager dance volunteers and the volunteer teachers in turn, go to the different barangays in Cebu to train the folks for free, as well.
“In doing so, the volunteers get their leadership skills molded and improved,” said Ricca Alix, one of the founders of Dance Sport Philippines.
Alix added that their program also aims to give barangay kids a positive venue for diversion. Instead of resorting to petty crimes and vices, they are given the chance to get busy on something that would fertilize their potential and mold them to become useful citizens.
Yesterday’s recital, called the Dancesport Challenge 2008, was the culmination of their summer workshops and had 14 events, seven for the Standard discipline which feature dances like the Waltz, Tango, Quick step, Fox trot, and the Viennese.
The other half comprises the Latin discipline, which includes Cha-cha, Rumba, Paso Doble, Samba, and the Jive. The first, second and third winners of the dance competition will receive P10,000, P7,000 and P5,000, respectively.
Aside from training kids, Hayco said his long-term vision includes dancesport an Olympic medal event with one of the Cebu City barangay kids turning into an athlete representing the Philippines. (STC Mass Comm intern Strawberry Yap)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (May 5, 2008 issue)
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