The Streetboys At Ease - CONVERSATIONS with Ricky Lo

Well, there are dance groups and there are dance groups but there’s the Streetboys who are a dance group like no other. When they dance – or tumble or contort their supple bodies this way and that way sometimes with their feet flat on the ground or in mid-air - you hold your breath in excitement, wondering and at the same time worried if they’ll land safely on their feet or, heaven forbid, in a hospital bed.

Why are they called the Streetboys (by their mentor, discoverer and manager, director Chito Roño)? For the same reason that Ryan Cayabyab called his former singing group (the likes of Geneva Cruz, Tony Lambino and Jeffrey Hidalgo) The Smokey Mountain. Masang-masa, you know.

Sometimes they are nine members (as in their first-starring flick, the MAQ Films’ fantasy-adventure Metro Filmfest 2000 entry, Spirit Warriors, directed by Chito) but most of the time, they are just seven - (at random now) Danilo Barrios, 19; Sherwin Roux, 18; Chris Cruz, 23; Jhong Hilario, 24; Vhong Navarro, 24; Nikko Manalo, 23; and Meynard Marcellano, 24.

There are no professional jealousy among them, or so they claim, not even if three of them are making impressive headway as movie actors, namely Jhong who was in the Marilou Diaz-Abaya films Rizal, Sa Pusod ng Dagat and Muro-Ami (for which he won as Best Supporting Actor); Vhong who’s an upcoming comedian (member of the ABS-CBN sitcom (Puedeng-Puede); and Danilo, two of the new Streetboys (the other is Sherwin Roux), who’s in the cast of Star Cinema’s Dekada ’70 with Vilma Santos and Christopher de Leon.

Three of them - Sherwin, Meynard and Nikko - are dancers (front-liners doing a break-dance) in Miss Saigon.

They treat one another as brothers, even more so, and their motto is - how did you know? - "One for all, all for one."

Six of them (minus Jhong) sat down for a brief Conversation and talked about Spirit Warriors and what keeps them together.

How were you chosen for the Streetboys?

Vhong: The original Streetboys auditioned at the Equinox Disco in Makati. There were 15 of us selected and each one of us was trained, first individually and then all together for three months. ‘Yung iba, hindi nakayanan ’yung training so they dropped out. Only eight of us were left.

Meynard: Our training included lessons in gymnastics for two months. Boss Chito wanted our group to be different from the other dance groups na basta sumasayaw lang. He wanted us to do a lot more exhibitions, such as break-dancing, tumbling and acrobatics.

Is Spirit Warriors your first movie together?

Meynard: We did one movie before, pero bit parts lang kami. This is our first movie na kami ang bida.

Vhong: In fact, nine kaming Streetboys dito, including Spencer Reyes and Michael. But most of the time, there are only seven of us performing.

Didn’t you steal scenes from each other in the movie?

Danilo: No, we don’t do that, not even onstage when we’re dancing. In Spirit Warriors, equal ang roles naming lahat, although iba-iba. I’m the newcomer to the spirit-warrior group, ’yung palaging mina-malikmata.

Sherwin: I play the brother of Jhong; taga-probinsya kami. Our father stopped his war with the monsters, so kami ni Jhong ang nagpatuloy sa laban.

Chris: I play the serious member of the group, ‘yung pinaka-malakas ang pakiramdam sa mga spirits at mga kaluluwa.

Vhong: I play Thor, ’yung walang third eye, so I don’t see the spirits that all of them can see. But I pretend to see the spirits so I won’t be kicked out of the group.

Nikko: I play a computer wizard.

Meynard: Ako ’yung katulong ni Nikko sa mga computers.

What memorable experiences did you have while shooting the movie?

Meynard: We stayed for one week at a cave in Samar to shoot some scenes. Everyday, maraming unexpected incidents na nagaganap. One time, we were crossing a knee-deep creek against the strong current and the banca capsized. Naipit ang tuhod ng isang kasama namin; muntik pang mabali. Si Danilo, muntik nang mahulog sa bangin.

Danilo: First time that a shooting was done there. I don’t know, but maybe mayroong mga spirits doon na nabulabog.

Chris: The cave was full of stalagmites and stalactites, shaped like giant drops of water, so they made the place look like it was full of snow.

Sherwin: Monkeys were running all over the place.

Is this the first time you were together this long?

Meynard: We’ve been travelling together; we’ve been to Samar several times to attend the fiesta in Calbayog City (where direk Chito hails from). Samar is a nice place, except that walang signal ng cellphone, some places had no electricity and no radio, at tubig-ulan ang ipinapaligo namin. Sometimes, we took a bath in the river.

Danilo and Sherwin are the newest members of the group. Who of you took the place of Spencer (the prodigal Streetboy)?

Sherwin: Neither of us. Two years and a half na akong member.

Danilo: I’ve been with the Streetboys for one year and six months. It’s not true na ako ang kapalit ni Kuya Spencer. When I joined Streetboys, Kuya Spencer was still with the group; he even helped in my training.

Isn’t there any professional jealousy among you, especially since Jhong, Vhong and Danilo also have their own individual careers as actors?

Nikko: We’re happy with their individual achievements because they’re also for the good of the group. Whatever each one of us does, dala pa rin ang pangalang Streetboys.

Meynard: We’re not in a hurry. If a good break comes along for any of us, we take it. Like when Nikko, Sherwin and I were accepted as dancers in Miss Saigon, the rest of the boys were happy for us.

Chris: Walang inggitan, walang selosan.

Did all of you audition for Miss Saigon?

Meynard: No. Just the three of us.

So you treat one another like brothers.

Vhong: Even more than brothers.

Meynard: We’ve been together for eight years. We are together more often than we are with our own brothers and sisters.

Nikko: When we go to our respective homes, we just rest and sleep. And then, we’re together again for more shows, for rehearsals. Mas madalas kaming magkakasama kaysa hindi. We are like a second family.

Don’t your own families (brothers and sisters) complain or feel left out?

Vhong: Not at all, because we also set aside some time for them. Namamasyal kami o kaya kumakain sa labas. Besides, we are working hard so we can help our respective families.

Do you also go out for "gimmicks" together?

Vhong: Most of the time. Sometimes, Meynard, Nikko and Sherwin can’t go with us when they have to be in Miss Saigon. Sometimes, Danilo can’t be with us when he has shooting (for Star Cinema’s Dekada ’70, playing one of the children of Vilma Santos and Christopher de Leon, also directed by Chito). Or if Jhong is shooting a movie, hindi rin siya nakakasama.

Nikko: Sometimes naman, we go out with our other friends (non-Streetboys).

Could you give us a little more background about yourselves?

Danilo: I’m from Tarlac. I won a contest (something like Mr. Pogi) in a TV show before I auditioned for Streetboys. My father is from Iloilo and he’s separated from my mother.

Sherwin: It was Tito Boots (Rivero), manager of another dance group, who introduced me to Boss Chito para mag-audition.

Chris: I’m a Cruz but I’m not a member of the (showbiz) Cruz Clan. I sing, but only a little.

Vhong: When I auditioned, siguro naawa si Boss Chito dahil ang payat-payat ko at kailangan ko talagang kumita ng pera. Maybe Boss Chito saw another Palito (the thin comedian) in me, dahil nga ang payat-payat ko, so he encouraged me to audition for (the defunct ABS-CBN gag show) Super Laff-In. That was my first TV show. For a while, I was with (the Dolphy starrer sitcom) Home Along da Riles. Now, I’m with Puedeng-Puede (with Robin Padilla and Redford White).

Nikko: With the Streetboys, natupad ang maraming pangarap ko sa buhay - having a small business of my own, having my own car. Now, I’m saving up for a house.

Meynard: I just graduated from high school when I auditioned for Streetboys. It was summertime and I didn’t have anything to do. I thought it would just be a summer job. I never realized we would last this long.

Do you plan to go back to school?

Meynard: If I have time, I will go on to college. I want to finish a course, kahit na vocational lang.

Nikko: I was an Accounting freshman at CEU when I stopped. I hope to resume my studies soon.

Vhong: Nasa I.S. ako ngayon - I.S. as in I Stopped. I just finished high school when I joined Streetboys.

Chris: I was in fourth year at the Tondo High School when I stopped. But I really want to be a doctor someday.

Sherwin: I’m a high school graduate from the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Time permitting, I want to go back to school.

Danilo: I finished high school in Tarlac. Like all of them, gusto ko ring makatapos ng college.

You come from different backgrounds. How do you adjust to one another. Paano kayo nagkakasundo-sundo?

Vhong: Since we’ve been together for eight years (except with Sherwin and Danilo), kabisado na namin ang ugali ng isa’t-isa. Like Meynard, our leader, sometimes he can be short-tempered. But we understand why he’s like that. Like when we’re rehearsing a new dance step at hindi makuha-kuha ng ibang members ’yung step, siempre nagagalit si Meynard. Si Nikko, bungisngis, ngiti nang ngiti para ipakita ang kanyang dimples. Si Chris is the quiet type, the serious type. Si Jhong naman, he’s slow type, mabagal kumilos.

Can you give a brief description of one another?

Danilo: Si Sherwin, tahimik pero kalog. Si Kuya Chris, quiet pero nasa loob ang kulo, especially when asaran time comes around. Si Kuya Vhong, mahilig mang-asar. Si Kuya Nikko, as Kuya Vhong said, talagang bungisngis. Si Kuya Meynard, serious.

Sherwin: Si Kuya Chris, mabait na tahimik. Si Kuya Meynard, strict na nasa lugar. Si Kuya Nikko, observant. Si Kuya Vhong, cute! Si Danilo, okey lang.

Chris: Si Kuya Meynard, may pagka-seryoso. Si Nikko, bungisngis nga talaga. Si Vhong, sometimes serious, sometimes makulit. Si Danilo, cute at guwapo, di ba? Si Sherwin, totoy pa masyado.

Vhong: Meynard, mainitin ang ulo as I’ve said, pero with a reason. Nikko, sabi ko nga at sabi nila, bungisngis numero uno. Danilo, kamukha kong cute, di ba? Si Sherwin, macho ang dating. Si Chris, tahimik. Si Jhong, malakas ang dating.

Nikko: Meynard, strikto. Danilo, masunurin; sinusunod ako. Sherwin, masunurin din at magalang. Chris, mabait. Si Vhong? May sayad. Si Jhong, mahusay umarte.

Meynard: Si Danilo at Sherwin, masunurin. Si Chris, tahimik pero makulit kapag lasing – e, madalas lasing! Si Vhong, mahusay i-adlib ang sarili kahit hindi na siya nakakatawa. Si Jhong, cool na cool, walang pressure sa buhay. Si Nikko, gusto lahat i-try.

How would you describe yourselves briefly?

Meynard: It’s true, I’m short-tempered.

Nikko: Adventurous.

Vhong: Lonely. (He has broken up with Bianca Lapuz with whom he has a love child. - RFL)

Chris: Simple lang.

Sherwin: Simple lang din.

Danilo: Always sleepy, a voracious eater.

When it comes to girls, do you have the same taste? Did it ever happen that you develop a crush on the same girl?

Vhong: No. Never!

So what’s your type of girl?

Danilo: I like simple girls, ’yung mahaba ang buhok at hindi masyadong maputi.

Sherwin: ‘Yung masipag at masarap magluto.

Vhong: Basta kasing-ganda ni Charlene Gonzales ayos na!

Nikko: ’Yung romantic because I’m also romantic.

Meynard: ‘Yung may natural look who’s still pretty when she wakes up in the morning.

Chris: ’Yung simple lang.

Do you follow any "do’s" and "don’t’s"?

Meynard: A lot. Bawal uminom, especially if there’s work to do. But sometimes, we do drink a little, kasama pa namin si Boss Chito. Bawal ang smoking. Boss Chito is very strict. He wants us to be on time, to be punctual. He’s really after our sake, our own good.

How do you iron out differences among you?

Vhong: If one of us has a problem, we try to be helpful. Hindi maiwasan na in the past eight years, nagkakatampuhan ang dalawa o tatlo sa amin but we don’t let it affect our performance. Onstage, we set aside our personal differences which we try to sort out among ourselves. Hindi naman nagtatagal ’yung mga tampuhan na ’yon.

Does Boss Chito practise favoritism? Ikaw daw, Danilo, ang pet niya.

Danilo: It’s not true. Pantay-pantay ang pagtingin sa amin ni Boss Chito.

Chris: Equal ang treatment niya sa aming lahat.

After Streetboys, what? You can’t be a Streetboy for life, can you?

Danilo: As long as the Streetboys are there, sasayaw pa rin ako. Maybe once I have saved enough, I’ll put up my own business.

Sherwin: Streetboy ako forever! Boss Chito has taught us how to save, how to value money.

Chris: Because of Streetboys, napasali kami sa Miss Universe Pageant in 1994. We even danced with the Miss Universe contestants in a Makati disco.

Vhong: Because of Streetboys, I became a comedian. As Streetboy, I was able to buy a house and invest on several things. I can’t imagine life without the Streetboys. Boss Chito helps us save our earnings.

Nikko: Nagkaroon ako ng dignity as a Streetboy. Gumanda ang buhay ko because of Streetboys.

Meynard: Because of Streetboys, I learned how to value hard work. Na-develop ko ang talent ko; I became more mature. I was also able to buy a house of my own, being the breadwinner in the family. I want to grow old as a Streetboy.