June 2018 - Scoot In-flight Magazine

formed into fists and then
moved in horizontal, circular
motions). There is also a lot of
bouncing and grooving
incorporated into the dance.”
In the Land Down Under,
dance director Joel Gallarde is
impressed by how well
Melbourne’s popularity is faring
in the hip-hop dance
community. “I feel that
Burn City’s hip-hop
scene is mainly garnering
a lot of attention from the
youth,” he says. “We have
some awesome dance leaders
putting a lot of effort in training
our next generation, so I’m
excited to see what happens in
the next few years with these
up-and-comers!”
STREET JAZZ
Bangkok
Fuse the funky and groovy
elements of hip-hop with
graceful ballet techniques, and
you’ve got street jazz dance.
“Most often, street jazz is
about dancing alongside the
trendiest pop-rock songs and
executing sassy movements,”
Bangkok-based dance teacher
May Thana Limpanich
explains. “A few of my favourite
artists include Beyonce,
Britney Spears, and Janet
Jackson because their music
truly embodies the essence of
street jazz — sleek and freeing
with a whole lot of attitude!”
The former flight-attendantturned-choreographer
also
dishes out the Bangkok dance
community’s reception to street
jazz dance. “I love how my city
continues to boost the genre’s
influence through the regular
staging of competitions, thus
giving Thai dancers a bigger
platform to showcase their
talents,” he says proudly.
URBAN
Manila
Adam defines urban dance as a
style that is inspired by different
genres and their subgenres. While
this type of dance includes
various signature movements
from a diverse mix of styles, urban
dance is ultimately built from
one’s unique execution. “When I
teach, I always tell my students to
execute my choreography
according to their interpretation of
the music,” he says. “It’s all about
owning the music and interpreting
its meaning through your
movements.”
Over the last decade that Adam
has been teaching in Manila, he has
witnessed tremendous growth in its
dance scene. “I can confidently say
that our dance community is
nothing short of vibrant and
promising,” he says. “Renowned
international choreographers even
fly to Manila to hold workshops
here because they see a lot of
talent and determination in
Filipino dancers.”
CLOCKWISE:
Jasmine Ahlee
during a
performance;
Adam Alonzo
dancing
on-stage in
Manila;
CIRCLE:
May Thana
Limpanich in
modren street
jazz ensemble
COVER STORY
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