Yes, of course, the Pinoy can dance!

There’s something about us Filipinos that makes us excel in song — and dance.  The 2006 world hip-hop champion is the Philippine All Stars. In the world of ballroom dancing, Pinoys are known as the Italians of Asia.

Our sense of rhythm makes us groove and sing as if we’ve been doing it since the day we were  born.  That century-old Spanish heritage must have imbued us with a feel for the Latin beat that we can’t shake off till now.

That’s why Michaela “Pinky” Puno, chair of the First Philippine StarBall, decided to do something about it.  She is organizing the first international ballroom dancing competition at Crowne Plaza, where top competitors are expected to gather in one big celebration of graceful movement.

Puno, wife of Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno and a Pro-Am dance competitor in the US herself, is a poster girl for the pluses of ballroom dancing. She’s slim, fit and alert, not fat, matronly and sluggish as some people label ballroom dancers.

She says the event marks the first time a ballroom dancing competition will be held in a formal setting and atmosphere in the Philippines. 

“The aim of the championship is to bring in top competitors of the world so that Filipinos can be exposed to their high standard of dancing. It will be a chance for our foreign friends to see the natural-born talent of Filipino dancers,” she adds. Adjudicators from the US (one of them Charlotte Jorgenson, who coached Richard Gere and J.Lo in Shall We Dance), England, Japan and Singapore are expected to fly over.

Dance pairs from Italy, the US, Slovenia, Germany, Poland, Russia, Denmark, Lithuania and Hungary will compete in the various categories.

The contest will focus on the 10 international dances: Cha-cha, samba, rumba, pasa doble, jive, slow waltz, tango, foxtrot, Viennese waltz and quick step.

Another highlight is the Philippine debut of the dance called American Smooth, which shows the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers style of dancing. Dance champions Nick and Lena Kosovich, who competed in the US TV show Dancing With the Stars, will demonstrate the new dance before the audience.

To those who think the contest is only for glamorous seniors who can afford to spend a fortune for lavish gowns and pay dance instructors, think again.  Pinky and company have included a hip-hop competition for Generation Next.

At stake for winners in the professional and amateur divisions is a whopping P7-M, of which P50,000  is allotted for the hip-hop category.  

More than the prizes though, what matters more is the shot-in-the-arm this tilt is expected to give the highly-neglected field of dancesport in the country (aside from the help it will give its beneficiary, KYTHE, an organization for children with cancer).

Yes, the Education Department has included dancesport as part of the Physical Education curriculum. And Jose “Jojo” Cariño, president of the United Professional Dance Teachers of the Philippines, Inc. and his members have spread the gospel of dance in schools nationwide. The results are encouraging.

“Unlike our Asian neighbors with a Chinese heritage, Filipinos are more adept in the various kinds of dancesports,” he observes.” This is a field we can truly excel in.”

But alas, the field is still in its infancy. It needs government help in upgrading the quality of dancesport teachers.

The First Philippine StarBall may just be the first step in a journey of a thousand miles. But it’s still a step forward. Hopefully, government will sit up and notice, not just on Feb. 16, 2008, when the whole-day event unfolds, but way beyond it.

After all, dance presents a goldmine of talent and opportunity for Filipinos.  About time we explore it to the max.