Fresh from World Hip Hop tilt triumph, Gela Atayde ready to bring dance act to showbiz

MANILA, Philippines – Barely half a month after winning the title in the World Hip Hop Dance Championship in Phoenix, Arizona together with her Legit Status crew, Maria Angela “Gela” Campo Atayde is on a mission to fuse her dancing and acting as she embarks on a showbiz career.

In a news conference organized by Star Magic Philippines over the weekend, the street dancer and up-and-coming young actress is seeking to be recognized as both a talented dancer and actor.

“I think after this, one of the big reasons why I really wanted to enter also showbiz was to introduce dance,” said Gela, the daughter of Art Atayde and veteran actress Sylvia Sanchez. “I guess as a dancer, I realized that it is not as appreciated as we hope it really all we wanted to be.”

“So I guess for me since I was given the opportunity to do it, I want to explore and show everyone what actually dance is all about — not just the hip hop but maybe exploring other styles so that it can be talked about more often,” she added.

The 21-year-old Star Magic talent, who will star in ABS-CBN’s upcoming series “Senior High”, said she always wanted to pursue dancing and acting since she was a kid, with emphasis on making dancing more mainstream by popularizing it in showbiz.

“Aside from this, I think my main goal is to be able to make at least a movie or a series about dancing or anything related to dance,” continued Gela, also the sister of Quezon City 1st District Rep. Arjo Atayde.

Gela returned to Manila last August 12 along with the other members of Legal Status after ruling the MegaCrew Division of the World Hip Hop Dance Championship, where they bested 54 other participants from the preliminary to the final stage on August 6.

Asked about what separates Filipino street dancers from their international counterparts, Atayde cited having the heart, especially when the going gets tough.
“There are so many great dancers in the Philippines — and it’s really hard to answer that question because every Filipino has the heart to what they do,” she explained. “For the Legit Status, our eagerness and the perseverance to get there were the reasons why we won.”

Meanwhile, the UP Streetdance Club went home with the bronze medal in the MegaCrew division. 

Ready to embrace ‘Dance Princess’ tag

Is she ready to be called the country’s “Dance Princess”?

“It would be great to have that title especially the dance on it. My biggest dream is to introduce dance into the industry so yeah,” Gela said, who is under the tutelage of Legit Status coach and trainer Vimi Rivera.

She added that she’s not afraid to be compared with anyone in the industry as long as she’s using her heart to what she’s been doing all the time to fight and persevere, according to the advice of her mother Sylvia.

“I think there will be circumstances that we will be compared and I’m not scared because I will deliver. I want to think I am lucky because I have dance that set me apart with my siblings and mom. No pressure from them. I think I don’t have anything to prove,” Gela added.

“It (dancing) was something I wanted since I was born. I was inspired by my mother while she’s working during her tapings. I still have so much to learn.”

The third-year AB Communication Arts student from De La Salle University also acknowledged the unwavering support she gets from her family, relatives, friends and Legit Status.