The Philippine finals of the 7th Gatsby Dance Competition was held Nov. 15 at the Market! Market! Activity Center, Taguig. The competition featured two categories, Open College Division (Small Crew) and College Crew Division (Big Crew), in which 10 groups performed for each category.
Mandom Philippines, exclusive distributor of Gatsby products in the country, sponsored the event, which aims to serve as a creative outlet for young performers.
Last year’s winners were from Cotabato: Eddie A. Melody Jr. and Reymark P. Alminaza of the group Xtreme Dancers.
The duo also won in the competition’s grand finals held in Tokyo. Aside from enjoying an all-expense-paid trip to Japan, they were also given exciting prizes which included cash, Gatsby products and the opportunity to train with a professional dance group of their choice in Asia.
The event also featured performances from up-and-coming local acts and boasted reputable judges from the hip-hop, streetdance and modern dance communities, including Charisma Kantaro—a performer and team member of Xyon, founder and CEO of Anomaly Inc., and producer of Dance @Live, Dance @Piece and Gatsby Dance Competition Japan.
Produced by Mandom Corp., the Gatsby Dance Competition features the best student-dancers in Asia. Participating countries include Hong Kong, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines.
But unlike in other participating Asian countries, the Philippine finals has two categories:
The Open College Division (Small Crew) follows the same format being used in other countries. This category is open to all college students with a minimum of one participant and a maximum of three members.
The winner/s of this category will have the honor of being the Philippine champion and will be the country’s representative to the Asian finals in Tokyo on March 7, 2015.
The College Crew Division (Big Crew) is made to adapt to the standard culture of dance competitions in the Philippines. This is open to college students belonging to one school only, with a minimum of four members to a maximum of 16 members. The winning crew will take home the College Crew Division Championship title as well as a cash prize.
The winners of this year’s Gatsby Dance Competition are: Small Crew Champion, HDZ Brothers; 1st runner-up, Dora; 2nd runner-up, FEUsion.
Big Crew Champion, FEUsion; 1st runner-up, PUP Power Impact Dancers; 2nd runner-up, St. Benilde Romancon Dance Company.
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