00:00The Philippines is a powerhouse in international dance competitions known
00:12for its exceptional talent and passion for the art. With multiple world
00:16championships, the Philippines continues to inspire the global dance community
00:21proving that dedication, heart, and teamwork can lead to success on any
00:26stage. But do you know what it takes to be a world champion? And do you have what it
00:31takes to be one? Get ready for a behind-the-scenes look at what it truly
00:35takes to live, breathe, and move with dance. Hi, I am Bryce Eusebio and I will be
00:41your host for this episode of Straight from the Expert, The Making of a Dance
00:45Champion.
00:56Hello guys, we are here in the Peep Studio and we are joined with the one and only Coach
01:08Chips. Yeah. Hi Coach. What's up Bryce? Nice to have you here. Thank you Coach. So, ready
01:14to go to dance class? I'm a bit excited but I'm ready. I'm ready. I'm ready. I'm ready.
01:19I'm ready. I'm ready. I'm ready. Hi, I'm Chips Beltran. A lot of people know me as Coach
01:25Chips. I am the director and head coach of U-Peeps, V-Peeps, The Peeps, and Lil Peeps.
01:31Wow, this is a beautiful studio. Thank you, thank you. The first time I came here, I was
01:36looking at the mirror and I was like, I'm going to do something like that.
01:39So Coach, did you do this? Did you do this? Did you do this?
01:43Yes, so mostly I used this studio for content creation, number one, so you can
01:49have a lot of background. Here I also choreographed some of my members.
01:53Personally, we were doing routines here, but more of smaller teams.
01:59Say for example, Lil Peeps, V-Peeps, around 5 to 10 members.
02:03If we need to spend money here, they are here every night.
02:08If there is a call time, they are here every night.
02:11They are sleeping. Yes, correct.
02:13Before, we were all just friends studying in the University of the Philippines, Deliman.
02:18And then we were part of the official dance group of U-Peeps, which is U-Peeps Street.
02:24And then eventually, a lot of us graduated, a lot of us had different paths, but we still wanted to dance together.
02:31So we made an open crew, which is U-Peeps, and we debuted in a concert named Homecoming.
02:40And then eventually, we wanted to join some competitions, and then we won these competitions.
02:46And then we joined TV shows, and then we had some following.
02:49And then I was like, you know what? I want to compete in World Hip Hop.
02:53So I think it's a good ambition back then.
02:56So we recruited more friends, and then I recruited my best students, and then eventually, it became a bigger team.
03:02And then that's how our competition journey started.
03:05For example, if you have a competition, when will the start of the prep?
03:09Preparation is key, so depending on the caliber of the competition.
03:13If it's higher competition, or if it's at stake, it's at stake for a year or 9 months, it's really long.
03:23So usually, we rehearse around two times to three times a week.
03:28But if it's near the competition, it's every day.
03:31So it's more than that.
03:33Maybe late night, because there's still a place in the end.
03:40In different competitions, number one is what we're going to do, and what we're going to do for three times, is Hip Hop International.
03:48So it's called World Hip Hop Dance Championships.
03:51So it's coined as the Olympics of street dance.
03:54So it's very objective.
03:56The judging system and the criteria is very robust.
03:59So if I win HHI, objectively, you're the best on that part.
04:05And then we have different competitions as well, like Body Rock and Vibe.
04:10So it's more of like an artistic competition also.
04:15So it's not as critical in terms of objectivity like HHI, but it has more of a concept level to it.
04:24In TV shows, it's also different because there's different rounds.
04:29It's like a ladder system until you reach the finals.
04:32If you're a beginner in dancing, such as TikTok.
04:37Good question.
04:38Especially, there are a lot of young people who are interested in TikTok.
04:41It's not good for you to start with TikTok because there are a lot of people who can learn there.
04:45It's very inspiring.
04:47But if you really want to take dancing seriously, I suggest as a beginner, you have to take foundational classes.
04:53So, of course, you need to learn the basics and the foundations.
04:57Actually, it's true.
04:58Based on my experience, Coach, I started with TikTok and K-pop.
05:03And then, I started doing workshops a long time.
05:06But I also had the passion and enjoyed dancing.
05:13There's not really one end-all-be-all formula to become a dance champion.
05:18But I think I can share around three things.
05:22So, number one, of course, it's always about the members.
05:26So, your members should trust the leaders.
05:29Your members should be, of course, they should be fit.
05:32They should be talented.
05:34And they should be committed and have really good work ethics.
05:38They need to be able to do it.
05:40That's what we call it.
05:42Number two is you have to be organized.
05:45You can't just really compete with other countries because it's a long time.
05:49Then, you don't know how to get funds for your hotel, for your flights.
05:56Because if you're just going to go to other countries, it's so expensive.
05:59Also, visa.
06:00How to get rid of the visa.
06:02How to make fundraising concerts.
06:05So, you have to be organized.
06:08So, that's half the battle done if you are organized.
06:10If you are not organized, even if how talented you are,
06:14and then you compete outside,
06:16more often than not,
06:19the whole team will not fall.
06:21From 40, you will only be 20.
06:22And that hurts your routine and your chances a lot.
06:25Also, you're going to be stressed when you're in the competition if you're not organized.
06:30Like, where are we going to go? Where are we going to go?
06:33What are we going to do with our routine?
06:34Because it's a very different ballgame in internationals.
06:39And lastly, you have to be open.
06:44You have to be open to criticisms.
06:46You have to be open to comments.
06:48You have to absorb everything.
06:50And just to the point that you want to improve your routine and your training.
06:57So, you can't just be proud as a leader.
07:00Like, no.
07:01This is the best thing I thought.
07:03No.
07:04You have to listen to your members.
07:05Listen to your choreographers.
07:07You have to take in all the comments
07:09so that you can really make a piece.
07:10Because that's the goal.
07:11Your goal is to have a world champion winning piece.
07:15So, everything that goes along that goal.
07:20You have to listen to it.
07:21And you have to make adjustments as well.
07:23Thanks for joining us on this very informative and inspiring video.
07:27Remember, every champion starts with a single step.
07:31And we are here to guide you every move of the way.
07:34Be sure to tune in for the next part of our episode
07:37where we'll dive into more tips, tricks, and choreographies
07:41to help you shine on the dance floor.
07:43Until then, keep dancing and keep dreaming.
07:46See you here on Straight From The Expert.
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