Challenging 15 other collegiate teams in the Campus Dance Drive 4: Love More, the Saint Benilde Romançon Dance Company (SBRDC) made an epic comeback when they were hailed champions on Dec. 3, 2022.
In the college division, SBRDC placed first with a score of 91.17. They are joined by Dr. Yanga’s Dance Alliance, scoring 88.33, and Artist Connection Exude Dancers, scoring 87.83, in the top three. The other two divisions are high school and open campus.
In an interview with The Benildean, SBRDC member Tanya Hernandez talked about the emotional process of preparing for the competition, “The journey leading up to the competition started without much pressure. I believe that everyone was excited knowing that this would be Romançon’s comeback in the competing scene. We were all doing our best.”
“Though it was my first competition with the team and despite being a new member, seniors did not put too much pressure on us. They motivated us more and were able to push ourselves into a better dancer and individual than before. The goal was not to win the competition, it was to be undeniable,” she added.
The group’s winning piece, choreographed by Coach Josh Vidamo, Miguel Casado, Merwin Sampana, Gabriel Villarosa, Phoemela Esluzar, and Chandruelle Almazan, was practiced within the span of two months, marking also SBRDC-Hip hop’s rebranding. Hernandez mentioned that the final choreography has undergone multiple revisions as they experimented on their own interpretations of dance styles they took inspiration from Hip hop, Krump, and Waacking.
“A challenge our team needed to overcome was time. Since we mostly train three days a week, we need to make sure that our [training is] productive and that we make most of the time allotted for us. Therefore, our presence of mind should always be part of our attendance,” she said.
“Aside from time, the majority of the competing members were new members of the team. Moreover, the pandemic was also another challenge we faced during our training. Due to the pandemic, we were required to strictly follow the safety protocols during training to keep us safe from the virus. It was an extra hindrance for us because the protocols such as wearing face masks makes it hard to breathe when we are performing,” Hernandez explained.
When asked about the contributing factors to their success, Hernandez, on behalf of SBRDC, expressed her gratitude towards the Benilde Culture and Arts Unit (BCAU), “Without the help of our coordinators, Ms. Julia Enriquez, Sir Kenneth Mangurit, and Ms. Ella Cosio, the team would not be able to even compete in CDD4. We have so much gratitude for their patience and support towards the team.”
Hernandez then ends the interview with her words of gratitude, “On behalf of Saint Benilde Romançon Dance Company HipHop, we would like to extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who made our journey possible, to the Benilde Culture and Arts Unit and the whole community for supporting us in this journey. We hope that you will continue to support us in our future projects and performances, and that this serves as a stepping stone for artists to continuously promote various forms of art and at the same time proudly represent the Benildean Community.”
Part of the proceeds of Campus Dance Drive 4: Love More will be donated to Tondo Youth Pataas Community Care Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports the education of scholars.
