Dancing into glee with ‘Live, Love, Party’
As the world continues to shift into a new NORMAL, A LOT OF US ARE fiNDING CREATIVE WAYS TO DO THINGS IN THE COMFORT OF OUR HOMES. FOR ONE THING, MY FAMILY BACK HOME, JUST LIKE MANY OTHERS, IS FOCUSING ON CREATING HOME GYMS IN ORDER TO STAY fiT WHILE STAYING INDOORS.
Thankfully, there are also many YouTube channels readily available for us to use no matter where we are. A particular favorite of mine is a proudly Filipino YouTube Channel called live love Party.
What attracted me to the channel are not just their easy dance moves but the heart that they put into each video. Every week, the channel provides new videos to make sure one’s workout routine remains fresh and up to date, even in the middle of this crisis.
Sisters Kr istie Bonifacio and Madelle Paltu- ob founded the channel in 2014.
Kristie shares, “live love Party started as an innocent idea from my sister and me. We were just choreographing dance routines and posting them on YouTube for anyone’s disposal. We can vividly remember our first video taken in front of our garage in 2014. It progressed to having friends come aboard and just enjoy the process of bringing together dance routines that are easy and fun to follow. little did we know that it will reach millions of people, from all walks of life, kids to adults, instructors alike or just ordinary people who want to dance simple routines to music they are fond of.”
Today, live love Pa r ty has nearly 2.3 million subscribers on YouTube but for Kristie and her sister, that wasn’t their goal when they started the channel six years ago, “My sister and I are both dancers and fitness instructors. It was our love for dance and music that ignited the desire to put that simple, innocent idea into reality and share it with the world even with the uncertainty of whether or not it will have a following.”
When asked how they feel about its success, they said they feel blessed more than anything.
“We feel blessed given the opportunity to use this avenue to serve others through our dance. live love Party was created with underlying values. We have always aimed to serve, love, encourage inclusivity, build up people and be a gateway, an operative word if I may use, to support people to do great things be it inside or outside live love Party. We always believe in the saying; you are successful when you duplicate yourself.
“Our videos seem easy to do, but each video takes hard work, time, and lots of sweat from everyone involved. And so, having said that, we are grateful for every little or big victory we received as well as the support from many.”
It is the same passion they put in their online classes that motivated many viewers amid Covid-19 crisis.
“At the onset of this crisis we are facing, people became anxious about their work, social activities, which are inevitable and understandable. People, especially those who go to gyms, fitness clubs or dance studios became too anxious as to how to continue their fitness regimen. But as this went on, different virtual platforms emerged and became available. We jumped right into it, tested different platforms and still testing the best ones for our students and viewers.
“It may seem easy to do but it takes hard work and investment too. We have had to set up lights, quality cameras and sound system, and purchase subscription for the virtual platforms to give people the best experience when they dance with us.”
Asked what inspi res them to continue, Kristie says, “live love Party has always been true to the values it upholds. During this time where there is lack, we make it a point to contribute even in our own little way. We have had fundraising drives through free virtual classes for our frontliners and, just recently, for our fellow Zumba instructor who suffered third degree burns from helping a neighbor.
“We have also been giving our students free classes for the past 2 months, making sure they stay healthy and strong to f ight of f the virus. Despite the inability to shoot as a group for our YouTube Channel, we still make videos in the comforts of our homes.
“Through our Virtual Classes, we get to bring people together and help them stay healthy and active, and have fun while dancing! Dancing and working together to help others are advocacies we will never get tired of.”
To know more about live love Party, follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and subscribe to their channel on YouTube.
Email the author at carlabiancaravanes.com.