Teacher Georcelle, Dancing Queen
‘I am pretty, I am sexy and I am beautiful,’ Georcelle replies tongue-incheek when asked what makes her tick not just with Kapamilya stars but also with the dozens of choreographers (below) whom she considers family
Dance, dance on, little girl In the arms of someone new As you dance, as you twirl My heart dances with you — from a Paul Anka song
“My main goal is to make everyone move,” declared Georcelle Dapat-Sy, artistic director of G-Force Dance Corporation fondly called Teacher Georcelle, “and how to make everyone love dancing. It’s quite a challenge because some people are afraid to dance, takot sumayaw.”
Actually, it’s a baseless “fear;” there’s nothing to be afraid of, really, especially if you watch enthralled as Georcelle sways this way and that, twirls around like a butterfly, and dances on and on as if it’s the last day of her life. She has so elevated the art of dance that G-Force has become a brand and a verb. Once you are ”G-Forized,” you can dance to your heart’s content.
It helps that Georcelle, who trains Kapamilya stars (Maja, Kim, Liza, Maymay, et al) before they regale ASAP audiences, has a sense of humor because dancing involves not merely body language but also emotional equanimity.
“If you are not in a good mood,” said Georcelle during an interview with Funfare at the G-Force Dance Center (established in 2012) that occupies the penthouse of Il Terrazzo (on Tomas Morato Avenue, Quezon City), “it will show in your movement and will ruin the whole thing.”
As she always is, Georcelle was in a buoyant mood, surrounded by her choreographers who have become like a family to her. (The dance company includes six eclectic groups specializing in distinctive dance genres: The G-Force Stallions, G-Force Femmes, Megaminds, Poppers, Unique and Demi-Force.) “It started as a dream in 2005,” she revealed, surveying the space that vibrates with infectious energy. “I knew that dream would become a reality.”
Asked what makes her a “force” to be reckoned with, she minced no words, “I’m pretty, I’m sexy and I’m beautiful.” And then she broke into laughter that sounded like dance music. Was she kidding? “No,” she said, “I’m serious.” And then laughed and laughed even louder.
She was to the art born, having been honed by parents who were dancers.
“I grew up in Tondo,” narrated Georcelle. “We didn’t have a Boom Box but our neighbor had, so araw-araw nangangapit-bahay ako. My playmates and I would engage in a contest. Whoever memorized the dance steps the fastest got candies as the prize.”
She was barely five years old then. At 10, she recalled dancing jazz at the MET. At 14, she began dancing professionally. Today, a mother of three (ages 18, 14 and 9) and managed by her husband, Georcelle is the undisputed Dancing Queen who is preoccupied with, aside from managing her Dance Center, the G-Force Project kicked off in 2007, an annual signature dance movement workshop that brings together students and young aspirants “to realize their dancing dreams at the biggest and most renowned stages in the country.”
The Project was inspired by Georcelle’s “lauded mindset revolution of bridging cultures and differences through the universal language of dance” and it continues to produce young fresh talents every year under the mentorship of G-Force’s roster of celebrity choreographers. Since last month (until July), the company has been conducting a series of workshops nationwide.
“It’s payback time,” said Georcelle. “I want to share whatever knowledge I have with aspiring dancers. I grew up loving dance shows that I watched on TV and I want to instill in them the same love for dancing. I was lucky to be trained by the best dancers in the country, those in the Metropolitan Dance Theater.”
How does she keep herself so trim, so fit and fabulous and, to borrow her own words, “so pretty, so sexy and so beautiful?”
“I practice the holistic lifestyle. I meditate every day, I eat healthy, I avoid sugar, I follow my nutritionist Nadine Tengco’s and Dr. Magpantay’s advice at siempre,” she laughed again, “big help ang alagang Belo, hahaha!!!” (The G-Force Dance Concert Series will be held in Luzon on June 22, 23, 29 and 30 at The Theatre at Solaire; and in Visayas and Mindanao on July 6 at the Waterfront in Cebu City. For inquiries about the company, call 0917-8GFORCE [436723] or landline 709-6077.) (E-mail reactions at rickylophilstar@gmail.com.)