So You Think You Can Dance (Recital)?

I accompanied friend Lola to catch Mirell's dance recital, "Movements" at the Rockwell Tent. Acts included jazz, hip-hip, martial arts, pole, strip and belly dancing (sadly, no-one did tap, even though it was listed on their banner). Rachel Lobangco's (whose dark chocolate skin tone --the result of either prolonged dancing under the Boracay sun or repeated exposure to open flame from her "spinning wildfire dance routine-- was striking) presence as token celebrity participant notwithstanding, the "recital" part of the program didn't sink in until I saw the other dance acts. This was the dance equivalent of watching your co-workers perform at the office Xmas party: it's only cool and cute when you personally know who's onstage. Good thing the tickets were complimentary, and that the performers I know personally were great.

I ran into Aryn Cristobal, who was participating in the belly dance group (basic, advanced and hip-hop). We arrived late so I missed the first act. Mirell performed in the Advanced Pole Dancing group, an activity that requires stamina and powerful steel pole gripping thighs, w/c she had in spades. Lola said --and I agreed-- that this was kind of a step down for her, professionally speaking. (What next, performing at kid's parties? Then again, if i was a dad i don't think i'd encourage my kid to take that up... unless he/she had powerful thighs.)

Overall critique? Two words: Matching Costumes, as in where-were-they? These people live in Rockwell, and they were charging a pretty peso for those tickets. Surely they could have afforded matching costumes for the participants, instead of the latter pulling something from their own closet and praying they match the theme for the dance number in mind. (e.g. \black and white for Michael Jackson number, sexy underwear for stip, circa-1990s United Colors of Benetton summer catalog selection for hip-hop, etc.). Seeing as most of the audience members knew at least one of the performers on a personal level, any temptation to burst out in condescending laughter was overcome, any booing suppressed, w/ both activities left to the imagination.

For me dance classes are something you force on your kids as a summer activity-- if you resented them. Because unless they like busting moves, clicking heels or having their tummy do a shake-n-bake onstage, they're just dancing monkeys for your amusement, w/c you paid a ridiculously high registration fee for. I'd rather force them to take something more useful, like piano or guitar lessons.

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Lola got me new DC hardcover comics collections as freebies when she attended the LA Book Expo (representing National Book Store). Close call, as I almost pre-ordered that copy of Superman: Escape from Bizarro World.