A Visual Feast in Dance on Fire

The show itself is a tourist destination."

This declaration from Edward Hayco, one of the pillars of DanceSport Team Cebu City, on the dance extravaganza DANCE ON FIRE—a first-of-its-kind to hit the entertainment scene—comes with weight.

After all, "Dance On Fire" features the multi-awarded DanceSport Team Cebu City in a presentation where the high-impact flash of Las Vegas-style shows meets the high-energy tradition of Cebu’s most famous dance—Sinulog. The University of Cebu Dance Company also lends their talent to this visual feast.

Edward together with wife Eleanor plus other major players—Loloi Rendon and Ricca Aliz—in DanceSport Cebu make up the organizing team behind "Dance On Fire," which happens Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays beginning 6PM at Casino Filipino Teatro in Waterfront Lahug.

"We consulted tourism stakeholders, tour guides and Mayor Tom Osmeña, and they all said it is high time for this kind of show," says Hayco on how things got underway. "I believe this is both a wholesome show and an electric experience. It is also educational as we re-engineered a culture show into one vibrant dance presentation."

The idea, nonetheless, took more than half-a-decade in the making. Hayco relates to this writer, "The seed was planted six years ago, when the dance sport team in one presentation merited a comment from a New York ballerina, saying ‘Your group is fantastic.’" 

"I’ve seen the famous Vegas shows, and we sincerely feel that the Cebuano talents can create if not surpass those shows," he adds.  

Hayco also believes that, after nearly a decade of existence, "the Team is now in a unique position to identify who are the reliable performers and production people to create a fabulous show. Our role (as organizers) was to bring these people together." 

They tapped the expertise of such homegrown talents as Victor Cuenco, who serves as the show’s artistic director.  

"Basically the concept is to present the old Cebu and how it has evolved to what Cebu is today," says Cuenco who has worked with the DanceSport team for such events as SEA Games, the International Dance Sport Federation Championship, and Dance Sport sa Sugbo. 

One of the most-applauded segments of "Dance On Fire" is the solo presentation of dancing partners Israel Rona and Jennifer Amahan.  

In between the two of them, they have more than 20 gold medals gathered from different competitions here and abroad. Rona and Amahan, who are only in their early 20s, are among the country’s top-ranked dancesporters. The two, who are students at UC, says that performing gives them a natural high and that the benefits that come with being part of the team such as traveling abroad and getting to compete with the best in Asia, if not the world, always amaze them.  

The organizers make no secret about their intention to make "Dance On Fire" another reason for inbound tourists to visit Cebu. In the two occasions I have watched the show I have seen groups of Japanese, Korean, and American tourists among the audience, looking impressed. "It was the best that I’ve seen. It was awesome. Wish I could dance like that," says Bill of California. 

"Beautiful, beautiful! Very nice. I agree that this is a first— number one show in Asia," says Datu of Malaysia.

Locals might find the ticket prices (P1,200 inclusive of dinner buffet from Port Seafood Restaurant or P900 for the show only) a little pricey, but there is a reason why. All proceeds of this show, which will run for three months, will go to the Cebu dancesport athletes and teachers to sustain the free workshops they have been conducting in different barangays and schools.

With dance sport as their lifeblood, the funds will also take care of free year-round training, studio maintenance, collateral, costumes, make-up, accessories, dancing shoes, airfare and accommodation in national and international competitions, allowances, organizing local, national and international competitions and many more.

Moreso, in "Dance On Fire," Team Cebu shows what stuff and talent they are made of, why they’re making a splash in competitions, and why they ought to make many a Cebuano proud.