Lynxter Gybriel L. Leano, Lourenz Jay Loregas
With the hip-hop category of this year’s Dance Night facing deliberation, Alfred John Lauzon, chairman of the board of judges, explained their decision to award the championship title to the College of Social Sciences and Humanities (CSSH) over crowd favorite College of Fisheries (COF) and former champion College of Engineering.
In an interview with Bagwis, Lauzon emphasized that CSSH sustained body control and technique, while COF’s performance, though energetic, lacked the necessary technique and foundation to secure the win.
© John Ross Sambanan
“Ang lakas ng dating nila [COF], kasi parang ang lakas ng energy nila. But, the audience also has to understand that, in terms of viewing it from our lens, we're looking at technique. And the technique there is that, ‘yung style na prinesent nila, hindi siya kasi power style, It's more of a control and precision style,” Lauzon noted.
He said that this is especially fitting with popping, where there have to be small, controlled, and refined movements.
“Kaya siya tinawag na popping kasi you just pop your muscles to dance,” Lauzon said.
He further explained that their decision came from a technical standpoint, and as judges, they saw a lack of foundation and technique regardless of their performance deemed as high energy and impactful from the audiences’ perspective.
“I see a group trying to beat the system by using a visual presentation to defeat the technical aspect of the dance. Ganun. So that's where we're coming from as judges. I think, which is also fair naman to say na parang, hindi rin naman basta-basta ‘yung mga kasama ko sa board ng judges, I mean, they have their credentials to back the decision. Plus, we also have our notes, naman eh,” Lauzon narrated.
Vanguards’ edge
With their “sustained energy, and control of movement,” the CSSH’s performance outdid the rest of the performances, according to Lauzon.
“[kung] ilagay [ko sila] sa Araneta [Coliseum], ramdam ko hanggang upper box, hanggang general admission ‘yung energy nila. Ganong level yung pinakita nilang performance,” Lauzon commented on CSSH’s performance.
However, he also noted that their performance faltered, noting there was an awkward transition between segments of the performance.
“Medyo marumi yung act three. Nung performance nila. The first two acts were very good. They were good. They were actually exceptional. Pero, halata mo na parang kulang sa rehearsal yung act three. Either kulang sa rehearsal or napagod na sila,” he further critiqued.
Asteegs’ unfitting energy levels
Mr. Lauzon praised the College of Engineering’s clean performance in terms of appearance along with their unique music.
“Plus, from start to finish, tinapos sila isang buong. Hindi sila nag-mix, ganun. May mix ba ng konti, pero it's the same song. Parang dinagdagan na nila ng accent. So, that's a good thing,” he stated.
However, the dilemma that he thought of while watching their routine was the inappropriate energy levels that emanated from him as the judge within the sections of their performance.
“‘Yung start nila na dapat medyo mellow yung music, ang lakas na, sumusugod sila. Very aggressive; ‘yung energy nila dun. But, when you got to the part na nagdadance hall sila, parang, ano ako, shucks, nag-relax sila. Ba't nag-relax, sila? Eh, dapat dito, upbeat. So, naging, ‘yung nag-contrapelo ‘yung performance nila ngayon. So, ‘yun, malaking factor, ‘yun. Kasi, in terms of propriety, kulang. Parang, pinatugtogan kita ng, kunyari, macarena, pero nag-ballroom ka,” he clarified.
Although he liked the style of what they showed, due to the inappropriate energy levels they had with their routine, it fell short for him.
Mentors’ firm chemistry
On the other hand, the College of Education was able to snag the 1st runner-up title despite the less hype among the audiences since, according to Mr. Lauzon, they were able to sustain their energy from start to finish with clean performance and body controls.
“Maganda yung texture ng sayaw nila. Maganda yung control ng movement nila. Okay din ‘yung, like, in terms of performance, like stage presence na ibigay naman nila, na deliver naman nila,” he said.
He also commended the Mentors’ performance, with their facial expressions appropriate throughout the dance routine.
“Hindi off yung mga mukha nila sa ginagawa nila. Kasi, ano, malaking factor sa akin yung mukha e, pag nagpo-perform e. Hindi pwede na parang, yung praktisado yung mukha mo na parang, yung distorted all throughout. Hindi, ganun,” Mr. Lauzon explained.
Another factor that the COED got a podium finish was because of their chemistry as a group with the judge emphasizing how they moved as a cohesive unit, with no misplaced movements or elements throughout the performance, which, according to Mr. Lauzon, demonstrated the crew's hard work and dedication to achieving success together.
“That means na parang, okay yung chemistry nila. And to me, as a dancer, that shows me that they have worked hard as a crew. Kumbaga, they worked hard together to get to where they are,” Mr. Lauzon reiterated.
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