Shall we dance?

You’ll be surprised at how quickly time flies. It was just Christmas not so long ago. Then Valentine’s Day came right after.

Other than friends and family celebrating another extra year in their life, the next thing in mind for me would be Holy Week.

At this time, I make sure I keep my promise to fly South for my niece’s 18th birthday.

As I was taping ABS-CBN’s Boy & Kris just down the street from where I’m currently staying, I realized summer could just be another blink or two away.

It’s slowly creeping in my system, making me nervous about how I haven’t had time to hit the gym lately.

Lately, I got into something interesting: Pole dancing. I never thought pole dancing requires as much hard work as other exercises.

I never thought it would be hard until I was assigned to try it out myself during taping. Oh my! This type of dancing is not just about trying to be sensual. It also demands a lot of strength and focus.

As the instructor said, “You have to have a connection with the pole and feel sexy yourself.”

Pole dancers I see on TV make things look so easy. I just watched I Know Who Killed Me starring Lindsay Lohan. She plays a dancer in the club.

I copied a couple of her moves while dancing on the pole not realizing there’s much more to learn.

After learning techniques on climbing a pole, I felt like I’ve been on the treadmill and lifted weights. It is very hard, but it sure is a great way to get fit. It requires a lot of strength from the abs, arms, legs and everything.

Pole dancing is perfect for toning your body in time for the summer, not to mention the extra confidence you get.

Another type of sensual dancing and one of the most beautiful sights mankind has ever created, is ballroom dancing. It’s another great way to stay fit and healthy.

I love ballroom dancing. This is why I’m looking forward to watching the very first Philippine Starball on ABS-CBN tonight right after That’s My Doc.

The event is organized by the chair of the first Philippine Starball organizing committee, Michaela “Pinky” Puno, and the president of the Council of United Professional Dance Teachers of the Philippines, Jojo Cariño.

They will showcase various ballroom dances such as Viennese Waltz, tango, waltz, fox-trot and different types of Latin dances.

The last time I spoke to Pinky (she’s the gracious wife of DILG Secretary Ronaldo Puno) was at Agatha’s salon. She told me about how excited she is in putting the event together. Sure enough, it was a success!

The competition involves numerous people from all around the world. Their judges are Shirley Ballas (England), Charlotte Jorgensen and Irina Suvorov (USA), Catia Vanone (Italy), Espen Salberg (Norway), Richard Morrisey (Australia), Wantanee Kanchana (Thailand), Ron Bennett (USA), John Lim (Malaysia), Mikhail Pavlinov (Russia), Aleena Tan (Singapore), Stephen Hannah (England), Gloria Alcala and Chona Mercado (Philippines).

Special guests include Pops Fernandez, Ruffa Gutierrez, Maribeth Bichara and a few international personalities.

After appearing on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, Everyone Says I Love You, Blue In The Face and Only With You, Nick and Lena are just about ready to grace the special event.

Along with them are Charlotte Jorgensen and Gary McDonald who were a part of the production of the Hollywood film Shall We Dance? with Jennifer Lopez and Richard Gere.

We shouldn’t miss the event tonight on ABS-CBN’s Sunday’s Best. You’ll never know, you might just end up finding yourself dancing your way through summertime. Have a great week ahead!