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By MARISSE PANALIGAN, GMA News
Photos By YVAN LIMSON
November 29, 2019
Sean Aranar remembers being bored one summer when his dad took him to the dance studio. When they arrived, he was immediately drawn to the Standard Dance: Waltz, Tango, Viennese Waltz, Foxtrot, and Quickstep.
“Na-amaze ako doon sa Standard. Kasi 'yong suot ng mga Standard na mga formal—naka-long sleeves, necktie, then vest,” he says. “So actually nagustuhan ko siya hindi dahil sa sayaw, una ko siyang nagustuhan dahil sa mga suot nila.”
Angelo Marquez, meanwhile, took an instant liking to Latin Dance: Samba, Chacha, Rumba, Paso Doble, and Jive. Along with his little sister, he learned how to dance from their dad. He joined dance competitions in grade school, high school, all the way to college.
FULL COVERAGE: The 30th Southeast Asian Games on GMA News Online
“Noong time na nag-start ako magsayaw ng bata pa ako puro Latin lang talaga,” he says. “Wala akong tinry na ibang sayaw, wala akong tinry na ibang activities so more sayaw lang talaga sa buong buhay ko ang ginawa ko.”
The two men, both sons of dance instructors, will get the rare chance to represent the country at the Southeast Asian Games, where dancesport returns after 12 years. This is only the third staging of the event at the biennial meet — the first when the Philippines hosted in 2005, and the second when Thailand hosted in 2007.
The national team brought home four gold, six silver, and three bronze medals from those two competitions. Sean and Angelo are hoping to add to the tally when they take the dance floor on Sunday with their partners.
THE SEA GAMES DANCESPORT COMPETITION
Dancesport has two disciplines: Standard Dance and Latin Dance.
In Standard Dances, the partners hold each other close the whole performance.
Latin Dance, meanwhile, has several holds: closed, open, double, and single hand holds.
For the 30th SEA Games, solo dancers will also compete in the Breaking or Break Dance category.
Ana Nualla was already doing ballet and hiphop when dancesport was introduced to her by a classmate. She had her eye on Latin Dance, but fate had other ideas.
“‘Yong napasukan kong dance school, walang Latin coach. Meron lang Standard coach. So nag-start ako sa Standard hanggang sa nagtuloy-tuloy na siya,” she says.
Stephanie Sabalo also had a hiphop background by the time she started dancesport. She tried going into Standard Dance because she liked the idea of wearing a gown, but eventually she chose to pursue Latin Dance.
“Mas nagustuhan ko siya because mas upbeat siya, mas mabilis. Kasi magulo ako, malikot ako,” she says. “And maybe because of my personality rin kasi mas outgoing ako so parang hindi masyadong bagay sa akin maging formal.”
Ana and Steph met their partners through dance. Together they endured training to become members of the Philippine national team, and now they are ready to face the music and show the results of their efforts on the dance floor.
With 12 gold medals at stake this SEA Games, the two couples carry the hopes of the country to continue the tradition of dancesport excellence which started more than a decade ago.
Sean and Ana, who will represent the country in Standard Dances, have been dance partners for six years. They have been in a relationship for three. They say in the world of dancesport, a romantic relationship can either make or break a couple. But they are able to weather through all of the struggles by making sure their goals are always aligned.
“Kasi 'yong iba hirap na hirap makahanap ng partner na same page ng gustong mangyari sa career mo. Sa amin same page talaga kami,” Ana says. “Minsan parehas kaming competitive, parehas kaming addict mag-practice. Minsan nga sumusobra na kaya blessing din siguro na nahanap namin ang isa't isa.”
The couple faces face a handicap every time they enter a competition. They have a height difference of six inches — Sean is 5-foot-six while Ana stands 5-feet flat — which limits the movements they are capable of executing due to the closed hold of their category.
“‘Yong reach niya, sobrang laki ng less ng kaya kong i-reach,” Ana says. “But then tinreat namin 'yong weakness na 'yon as, okay weakness ka, pero marami pa naman kaming pwedeng strength.”
They thoroughly studied different choreographies to select what best suits their physiques. But while they can make up for their height difference with stability and flexibility, it was more difficult to get over the intimidation factor upon seeing that the two of them were always among the shortest couples.
“Usually 'pag pumunta kami sa ibang bansa, na-starstruck talaga kami kasi lahat ng magagaling nandoon, kami isa sa pinakamaliit. Kapag tinitingnan nila kami para lang kaming bata na naligaw,” Ana says.
Sean says they call their partnership “Against All Odds” due to the challenges they have to face by default. As they gained more experience performing alongside tall couples, they became confident enough to feel that height does not matter on the dance floor.
“Doon namin na-confirm na ang sayaw, sayaw siya. Hindi siya sayaw ito dahil dapat matangkad ka, payat ka dapat,” Sean says. “Dancing is for everyone.”
Sean and Ana proved it with their success in competitions both in the country and abroad. They were the national champions for Standard Dance three years in a row. They bagged the Single Dance bronze medal for Tango in the Asian dancesport Federation in July. They won the World Dancesport Federation Singapore Southeast Asian Championship in September and the WDSF Vietnam Asia Super Star in October.
All these are a product not just of their hard work, but also of their exposure to training and competing in Europe. They had to raise funds to make their trips to Lithuania, Germany, and Italy, and upon arrival, they had to adjust to their new environment while only depending on each other.
“Mahirap siya kasi kapag nandoon kami, kami lang ang magkakampi. So lagi naming iniingatan na 'yong bond namin, 'yong connection namin, solid,” Ana says.
“Kami lang magkasama eh,” Sean adds. “Walang tutulong sa amin. Paano kami mag-uusap, paano kami magbati?”
Most importantly, the two of them put God at the center of their relationship on and off the dance floor.
“Hindi bale na hindi kami gifted sa height pero as long as hardworking kaming dalawa, nagtutulungan kaming dalawa and same kami ng goal, I think kahit anong gusto naming ma-achieve, ma-achieve namin,” Sean says.
Like many other athletes, Steph and Angelo have devoted themselves completely to their craft.
“We will risk everything just for dance. And maybe we are not only in love with each other but we are more in love with dancing itself,” Steph says.
Both of them stopped working for two months to give all of their time in preparing for the SEA Games. They are currently living off their allowance, but they made the decision because of their trust in each other that they could win the gold medal for the country.
Most crucial for them is to be able to get training and exposure abroad, just like Sean and Ana.
“Sometimes kailangan mong pumunta sa abroad to make people believe here in the Philippines na you are capable of something,” Steph says. “Hindi pwedeng nandito lang kami kasi kapag nandito lang kami, everybody else will see ano lang normal lang.”
They were able to go to Europe thanks to private sponsors, but even then, they had to make sacrifices to ensure that their budget would last.
“‘Yon ang pinakamahirap kasi ma-experience mong mag-practice ka ng ilang oras na walang laman ang tiyan mo,” Steph says. “Dahil gusto mo magtipid, 'yong tubig kukuha ka na lang sa gripo ng CR.”
“Bibili kami ng isang bread na ganoon tapos hati na kami throughout the day,” she adds. “Tapos ‘yong pag-cut mo sa expenses ng transportation, mag-wo-walk kami ng 45 minutes going to the studio.”
Sometimes the struggle comes from within their partnership, as conflicts are only natural when two people closely work together.
“Sa practice together is ang hirap din kasi dalawa kami. So he has his own point of view, with artistic view of that movement. Ako din so sometimes nagka-clash din 'yong opinion namin,” Steph says. “But at the end of the day, sa kabila ng lahat ng arguments na 'yon, it only proves na both of us care with what we do.”
And as always, their shared love of dance never fails brings them back together.
Despite all the hardships, everything feels worth it each time they achieve victory in competition. Steph and Angelo won championships in the Kings Cup Asian Open in 2013, the Hong Kong Asian Open in 2015, the Taiwan Asian Open in 2016, and the Vietnam Asian Open in 2019.
Even so, they do not always rely on the results to feel satisfaction from doing what they love.
“Ang sense of fulfillment namin is when naibigay namin ang istorya na gusto naming ipakita or nai-share namin na, ‘Ah ganito akong tao. Sometimes dramatic ako pero serious din ako.’ Siya rin simpatiko, bad boy effect pero mabait siya, may pagkamahiyain din,” Steph says.
“At the end of the day ang pinaka-incentive sa amin is ‘yong after ng competition... ‘yong mga tao, strangers na [nagsasabi] ‘I love your dancing, your movement.’ Parang 'yong appreciation.”
Catch the livestream of the SEA Games dancesport competition exclusively on GMA News Online on Sunday, December 1, starting at 9:30 a.m.
