Monday, November 7, 2022

๐—ก๐—˜๐—ช๐—ฆ ๐—™๐—˜๐—”๐—ง๐—จ๐—ฅ๐—˜: "Groove to the Top!: STEM Prevails as SHS Hip-hop Champions" by Jasmine Fiona Sanchez


Published by: Rhina Ruth T. Galano

Date Published: November 7, 2022

Time Published: 9:06 AM


Cheers from various senior high school and college students echoed in the Danilo V. Ayap (DVA) Gymnasium as the hip-hop competition commenced on Monday, October 24th, as one of the opening activities for Lyceum of Alabang's 19th Founding Anniversary.


The dance battle then came to a conclusion as the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) strand bagged the trophy and was named hip-hop champions with their Justin Bieber-inspired performance at Lyceum of Alabangโ€™s 19th Founding Anniversary Awarding Ceremony that took place in the DVA Gymnasium on Friday, October 28th.


Furthermore, the Accountancy, Business, and Management (ABM) strand was announced as 1st runner-up, followed by the joint team of Home Economics and Industrial Arts (HEIA) dubbed as 2nd runner-up.



A dance choreography could not be completed in just a day. There were many things that needed to be considered in providing a sensational production worth watching, especially if the dancers carried the pressure of representing their strand. Anne Margarette Espiritu and Angel Ewican, members of the STEM Hip-hop team, shared their experiences behind the teamโ€™s phenomenal performance.


PREPARATION AND MOTIVATION


Espiritu professed that there were a lot of things that needed to be taken into account in such little time given for preparation. โ€œSa costume, yung practice, yung kahit facial expressions pina-practice namin,โ€ she said.


โ€œHalos inaabot kami ng gabi for practice kasi pinagsisikapan talaga namin manalo,โ€ Ewican then expressed. Even if there was this uncertainty about winning, they still gave their best during practiceโ€”to a point where they developed scars and bruises due to some steps that involved the floor. โ€œGinawa namin lahat โ€˜yon, pero masaya kami,โ€ she added.


Likewise, Ewican mentioned that their fellow STEM students served as their motivation for their performance. โ€œHindi namin siya ginagawa for ourselves lang, may strand kami na pinaglalaban, to prove na hindi kami puro โ€˜aral nalangโ€™ daw,โ€ she stated.


Espiritu, on the other hand, felt pressured to represent their strand, but she was happy because everyone was so supportive, especially during the time of their performance. โ€œTalagang ganado kami sobra mag-sayaw dahil sa kanila. Kumbaga, we felt na kasama namin sila sa performance na โ€˜yun.โ€


INSPIRATION


After weeks of preparation and practice, STEM hip-hop dancers, adorned in their monochromatic outfits, finally delivered their energetic dance performance in the DVA Gymnasium on Monday, October 24th.


As made obvious by their song choices, Espiritu and Ewican both claimed that Justin Bieber was their evident influence and inspiration for their production number. โ€œJustin Bieber yung theme namin so basically โ€˜JuSTEM Bieberโ€™ kami,โ€ Ewican quipped.


Espiritu emphasized that there was a story to their performance, seeing how Bieberโ€™s songs, from his earlier years up to now, were arranged in chronological order. In addition, Ewican noted that their costumes were also inspired by Justin Bieberโ€™s music videos.


HIP-HOP CHAMPIONS


Alas, four days after dancing their heart out on stage, the STEM strand was hailed as hip-hop champions for the senior high school category.


Ewican felt really happy when she heard their strand being called. โ€œWorth it talaga yung morning to evening na practice. Alam ko pinag-paguran namin lahat yun, yung feeling na reward siya for everything na sinacrifice namin,โ€ she explained. Ewican also expressed her thanks to Sir Albert Francisco, STEMโ€™s hip-hop dance coach.


On the contrary, Espiritu was in disbelief when their strand was announced as champions. โ€œNasa acceptance stage na kami actually. Pero nung tinawag na STEM yung champions, sobrang nakakaiyak sa tuwa.โ€ She felt relieved, and said that all the time and effort they had put into the performance was worth it for this reward.


Photos by: Mj Tamaray and Charlie Mae Alvante

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