And So We Danced...

With reference to THIS POST, the dance session went well. I reached the school this morning at 9am and checked the equipment and surveyed the area. David and Wai Han *who also happens to be one of the popular instructors at Cali. and also his girlfriend* came soon after and we got setup. Unfortunately, her camera DIED soon after as the battery went flat so she used my camera to take today's shots. Apparently we were moving too fast for it to be captured so all of these pictures here are blurred. -.-''

Oh and if you were wondering, I DID wear my white cap but I had to take it off because I knew it was going to fall off and luckily I did bc my head would have been SAUNA-ed under the stage lights if I did wear it throughout.

And thanks to everyone who wished me Good Luck for today! Luckily you did because I REALLY nearly DID fall off the stage at one point. A big group of students were up on stage with us and they were really crowding to the front so we had to use the minimal space to dance and I missed a step and my leg swung off the stage. Luckily I wasn't putting my weight on that foot and could pull it in after a tiny stumble if not I would have slammed off the stage in very UNGLAMOUROUS MANNER. *phew*

When we were getting set up, David announced that I WOULD BE DOING 2 SETS. "Pam, you're doing 2 sets and I'll do the others". I was stunned. HEY!! HOW CAN LAH!! So last minute cannot larh! I haven't even run the choreography through my head. Must at least tell me LAST NIGHT RIGHT so that I can run the usual sets in my head. *grumbling grumbling*

Then he went on stage and asked the students "Want to see Pam dance?" AARGGH!!! SABO!! I panicked, turned around so the students wouldn't see and shoved the mic back to him and told him "too last minute lah.. I can't! Don't do that to me..." I think the panic was obvious on my face so he laughed and said "ok ok.. fine I''ll do it." Eh.. Señor Velez.. you are the lead dancer in this session HOR.... want me to lead MUST TELL ME EARLY right! *grumble grumble*

The syncronising was down pat though.. I've taken so much of his class that I can easily fall into step with any moves and he didn't do anything today that we have not already done in class. Quite a relief actually because while it was a case of winging it. I was familiar with each track.

Each time he had to jump off stage to settle the music tracks which was all the way behind the hall, I took over the mic and I'm glad to note that my event experience with children was fully utilised. I had them bopping about, screaming, waving and getting their drinks and moving about the hall while we waited for "the man" to get back on stage.

One mistake though. In the beginning, we asked the students if anyone wanted to join us on stage and we didn't expect MORE THAN HALF of the group wanted to come on stage so it was a whole group screaming and running up the steps to be on stage. Not a good idea but we have to admit that the students were so interactive, they enjoyed themselves with all the running up and down the stage. Several times after, we asked SOME students up on stage with us and each time, we had to block so many students from running up.

It was hard to crowd control a group of international school 10-11 year old kids that we got so hyped up.

Because so many were on stage, we had to go on the floor level so that those on stage could see the moves too.

We did several routines. We had reggaetton, hiphop, cumbia, rock & roll, La Cucaracha which is cockroach in spanish and this was funny bc alot of the students there take spanish as their 2nd language and they were singing along to the song in spanish!, we did the Macarena too, quite abit of salsa, some merengue and bellydance.. there were so many kinds.. I really can't remember how many we did. We just did so many. We were dripping sweat like no one's business like as if we showered with our clothes on and it was so hard to keep smiling bc the kids kept on smiling back at us. The stage lights were so bright and hot!

And so we danced. And danced. And danced. And before we knew it.. the hour had passed and they STILL WANTED MORE.. the teachers kept on prodding. "More! more! more!" but we knew at least 1/3 of the students were already tired. Some already plopped themselves by the sides of the hall to rest n drink up. But we still obliged and the session went on for a full 1.5 hours from 930am to 11am... *tired ah!!*

The short haired american lady up there, Ray is one of the teachers there, she also happens to be the one who invited David to do the session at the school, and it also happens that she's one of my dance mates in class too! She joined us on stage and it was great! She's real fun and funny too!

Dancing on the floor level. And we ended with belly dance with Shakira. We didn't even do a warm down bc the kids were either all so hyped or already exhausted from the session. And so it ended... overall it went well.

At the end of it all, every kid wanted to give us a Hi-5. And I mean EVERY. I've never given SO MANY Hi-5s in my LIFE. First they crowded on the stage then we moved down to the floor level so they won't accidentally fall off the stage running up just to give us the high-5. It was insane! They were all so cheerful and so happy and so star-struck. It was really an experience.