Strictly Ballroom
By Kiki Tan
PUBLISHED: APRIL 2009

But Ledesma has no regrets.  “Every (ballroom) dancer’s dream is to dance in Blackpool Dance Festival, where the best dancers compete every May of every year.  If you win there, you reached the top already.”  And having won, Ledesma has turned professional, so her credentials are now internationally recognized not just as a dancer, but as a ballroom dance educator.

Silva likens ballroom dancing to playing golf – expense-wise, that it.  “It costs as much as playing golf,” she says.  “(With golf) the green fee is P2,000, plus your caddie, plus your membership in a country club… But all golfers know (their sport) is expensive, yet they continue playing, they forget (the expenses).  It’s the same with (ballroom dancing).”

PROS OUTWEIGHING THE CONS

“Maraming nakukuha sa (You can get a lot from) ballroom dancing,” says Leo Linga, who teaches Standard dances at Studio 116.

Firstly, there’s the “fitness (you get) from it,” he says.  “I’ve been (ballroom) dancing since 1996, and I’ve always felt good.”

“That’s what we’re trying to promote – the wellness part of it,” Silva says.  “Every part of your body is getting used – even your head is moving.”

Secondly, “You have the social part,” Linga says.  “It’s a great way to meet new – and more – people.”

“The good thing with group dancing is you get to dance with everybody,” Silva adds.  “If you go to the gym, you just have yourself and your spotter (guide to monitor a gym-goer's gym activities).  If you play golf, there’s just yourself and your opponents.  But when you (ballroom) dance, you have a lot of people to dance with.”

Thirdly, ballroom dancing helps develop camaraderie.  “A lot of people develop friendships because of their dealings with a lot of people in the dance floor,” Linga says.

Adds Silva: “We have companies that, to promote wellness while trying to develop socialization and team-building among their employees, decided to (tap) ballroom dancing.  You see, with ballroom dancing, you have to learn coordination, and to do that you have to work well with your partner.”

Fourthly, for those who want to make a career out of ballroom dancing, particularly as an instructor, “Mas malakas ang income (The earnings are better),” says Linga, a registered mechanical engineer who initially intended to practice the degree he earned in college.  “A friend offered to give me a job, but upon knowing of how much I earn as a dancer, he told me to just stick to dancing.”

And lastly, “Masaya sumayaw (It is fun to dance),” Linga says.  “Besides, to dance beautifully, you should just enjoy (dancing).  If you are enjoying it, nakikita ‘yun (people see that in you); if you are having a hard time, nakikita rin ‘yun (people see that, too).”

DANCING TO COMPETE

In the 2005 South East Asian (SEA) Games, the Filipinos topped the Standard and Latin dancing competitions.  This, says Ledesma, is “somewhat expected.  Filipinos are very rhythmic – music is very instinctive for us, s0 that even if we don’t have the proper training, even if we only have workshops, we still do well.”
Recalls Silva: “The Filipino dancers toped in both the Standard and the Latin dances (even if countries like) Thailand, for example, sent their dancers to Slovenia to study, and ours only had workshops.  We can really excel in it, especially in the Asia-Pacific region.  So we hope we can (persuade) a lot of Filipinos to dance.”
Trainings, however, are very important.  “If you want to have that disciplined look, you really (have to have the proper) training,” says Ledesma.

Fortunately, if in the past “we didn’t have ballroom dancing teachers in the Philippines (and those who wanted to compete) simply copied the dancing moves from books, from videos,” says Silva, “now we have professional teachers even given high honors by United Kingdom Alliance of Professional Teachers of Dancing and Kindred Arts (UKA), the recognized licensing body that standardizes ballroom dancing internationally, like Ledesma and Linga.”

“(So if) you want to dance, no matter (where you are in life), it’s never really too late to pursue your love (for dancing),” says Ledesma.  “Since I was eight, I’ve always loved dancing.  But when it stopped for a while when I got married and had children, I thought I’d never dance again.  I really felt defeated because if you really have a passion for something, you really go for it.”