Katrina Jo Balbuena:Fil-Am with Cebu roots dances her way to success

MANILA, Philippines — It didn’t take long for Ayala Center Cebu’s The Gallery to turn into a dance floor with professional dancer Katrina Jo Balbuena at the helm and egging you on.

For the first time, the Filipina-American took her dance workshop to the Queen City of the South, which also happens to be her mother’s hometown.

Having spent two weeks in Cebu, Katrina experienced the Sinulog Festival for the first time as well. She gushed about the beaches and the food that she’s fallen in love with: tocino for starters, lumpia, pancit, kuchinta, binignit, and her favorite, anything buko pandan.

“This is my third time in Cebu but this is my first time to experience Sinulog. People are very accommodating. Everyone has been super nice and well-mannered. Sometimes in the US you don’t always get that. Very hospitable,” said Katrina, 32, who was exposed to Filipino culture by her mom and grandmother.

Born and raised in Fremont, California, Katrina’s mother hails from Cebu City with roots in Samboan, a municipality south of Cebu. Little Katrina would dance around the house time and again – much to her mother’s delight. Ever since discovering her love for dance at three years old, she put on her dancing shoes and never took them off.

A lot of practice

She spent the next 15 years studying ballet, tap, jazz, pointe, lyrical, modern and hip-hop dance styles at a premier performing arts studio in Northern California. After school and including Sundays, she would go straight to dance class.

Katrina later earned a spot with the San Diego Charger Girls where she performed for three seasons while serving as team captain and Pro Bowl nominee for two seasons.

Moving to Los Angeles in 2009, she became a member of the Los Angeles Clippers Spirit Dance Team, staying there for four seasons and leading the squad as one of their captains for two.

She also choreographs, judges competitions and has won national awards. She has been featured in television shows, commercials and ad campaigns, and has shared the stage with Drake, Rihanna, GooGoo Dolls, Kaskade, T.I., Ludacris, Mariah Carey, Missy Elliot, The Pussycat Dolls, among others.

“A lot of practice,” she gives a deep sigh before talking about what it took to get to where she is today. “A lot of discipline. A lot of my discipline comes from ballet training, whether it’s about being on time or watching my diet, staying healthy. A lot of practice and determination really helps.”

While many are in awe of her achievements – sharing the stage with celebrities and performing in full-to-the-brim venues – she admitted that the industry isn’t always that glamorous. But because this is her passion, she is able to see past the stressors and focus on the fun.

“All the behind-the-scenes. All of the choreographing, that can be stressful sometimes, even producing events can be tedious. You have to be prepared for unexpected things. But other than that, I love what I do,” she said, taking her NBA and NFL days as an example where she got the best seats in the house and did promotional events with hotshot players.

Talented Cebuanos

Despite admitting how nerve-wracking it is, Katrina was excited to finally meet Cebuano dancers. Why fly across the world for a workshop? “Why not? I love dance,” she replied.

“I think it’s important to share the love of dance and the passion with people all over. If there’s an opportunity, I would love to teach and just kind of connect with students out there.”

During her workshop Thursday afternoon at The Gallery, all sorts of dancers came to the floor. Whether they were children starting out, hobbyists or dancers by profession, Katrina took them all in.

Starting off with the warm-ups, she got the ball rolling by watching the attendees do walks, kicks, and leaps. She then later turned it up a notch by teaching them choreography.

Whether Katrina was nervous, it didn’t show. After repeatedly memorizing the routine, the dancers performed in groups, adding their own spin to the choreography and showing off their unique styles and personalities. Towards the end of the session, she chose four dancers to do the choreography with her. They capped off the affair by dancing to the song “I Love Cebu.”

“I was a little nervous because I didn’t know if I should do a little more jazz or hiphop. I combined the two and they exceeded all of my expectations,” she gushed right after the class.

“Amazing! Right from the start with the jazz walks, the first thing we did it, they were so good. Very talented. I feel like everyone here has the potential.”

Own the stage

As someone who often teaches at workshops and judges dance competitions, Katrina has seen a lot of dancing. If anything, she shared that a good dancer is made up of a lot of factors. But if she had to give out one major thing, it’s all about presence and owning the stage.

“You can tell when someone loves to dance just by their stage presence. You don’t have to have the best kicks or do so many turns. You really just perform, and show that happiness, the smile. That carries you through the routines.”

Katrina also owns a promotional model and dancer company called GlamGirlsLA. Among her goals is to travel more. But most of all, to give back to the community in the ways that she can.

“I think I’m doing everything I’ve wanted to do. I also want to do more community outreach. That’s part of the reasons why I do workshops.I want to interact with different communities, give back to the less fortunate whether through dance, or donation, feeding the homeless… I think at least for this year and moving forward, that’s what I want to focus on more.”

During the Jan. 24 workshop at Ayala, Katrina also answered questions from the attendees and gave them pointers. She knows that she can’t do workshops in Cebu often, but she promised be back as soon as possible.

Until then, Katrina shared words of encouragement, which can also be applied to other passions apart from dance.

“Just continue and hold on to your passions. There are going to be a lot of roadblocks but as long as you stay true to yourself and keep going, keep training, stay disciplined and dedicated, for sure you’ll reach your goal.”