ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

What luck I've had these past two months. Who will not be inspired to continue a career in dance education when no less than three dance masters have expressed their support? As a dance teacher, and aspiring dance analyst and annotator, I am truly inspired and grateful to have met and  kept touch with my dance masters. Ms. Skippy Blair, Ms. Leonor Orosa-Goquingco, and Ms. Lourdes Silvestre-Villaflor: thank you for the support, the trust and the encouragement. 

Ms. Leonor Orosa-Goquingco National Artist for Dance
   Ever since my third grade, National Artist for Dance Ms. Leonor Orosa-Goquingco, has played a major role in my life. For some 12 years, I spent numerous hours after school and on weekends in her ballet class at the Filipinescas Dance Center, perfecting my arabesques, pirouettes on toes, and grand jetés, interspersed with folk dance troupe practices for the heart-stopping singkil, the joyful tinikling and the aristocratic flamenco. 
     Ms. Leonor was my mom and mentor for at least 30% of my waking time. After dance sessions, we would sit on her porch and talk about school, my life's ambitions which I didn't seem to have then, and my wracking asthmatic attacks.  Many of the dance principles and techniques explained in this book are the same ones I've learned from Ms. Leonor during those strenuous training sessions. She allowed me some teaching experience by making me lead the classes for children's ballet and introductory ballet for the adult star folk dancers. 
     When I spoke with her again a few weeks ago, she was as motherly as ever. She also revealed that she never realized I would be continuing the legacy of valuable dance education. "You were so shy and withdrawn then". Neither did I, I replied. 
     My mom had enrolled me in ballet class to strengthen my asthmatic lungs and help me gain self-confidence, which turned out to be a brilliant idea. Back then, I exhibited seemingly less passion for dance than I do now. I was the only one who knew my goal -- to pursue a career in dance -- though circumstances found a way to derail the plan for 20 years. 

Ms. Lourdes Silvestre-Villaflor Officer Society for Ballet Philippines
     Some three weeks after my exhilarating meeting with Ms. Skippy Blair in Los Angeles, I was faced with deep depression following a series of setbacks in reviving my dance teaching. But then I met Ms. Lourdes Silvestre-Villaflor, a retired professor of Social Sciences and Humanities, herself a former ballet teacher, and a pioneer of the Bayanihan Philippines Dance Company contemporary competitor of our Filipinescas Dance Troupe). 
    Tita Lulu inadvertently redirected me back on track toward a career in dance teaching (having finally decided to shift from my successful and respectable two-decade career in public relations counseling.) 
    When Tita Lulu and I were introduced, I immediately sensed her critically appraisal. She however lightened up after studying my callcard which included an annotation of a lady's basic pattern for the Double Swing (that's Street Hustle elsewhere). "You know how to count!!!", she excitedly declared. I was mildly surprised at her excitement, unaware of what she meant. She explained that very few dancers actually know how to count music, and dance beats. 
     Of course I know how to count!, I mused.  The fact is, I've been counting music and dance beats with the "&" and "a" counts since I started my ballet and piano lessons in grade school. It was second nature to me. (surprisingly, I was still able to excel in Math). 
     I've made Tita Lulu my unofficial consultant since, and she has gladly offered her services and expertise to help the Heritage Dance Center. In fact, she even enrolled in the basic ballroom dance course, proving that one is never too old nor too accomplished to learn new things. We have plans of opening special classes for children and senior citizens at her home studio, and may even initiate the training workshops for P.E. teachers using the adjusted teaching approach of the Heritage Dance Center which also now incorporates the Universal Unit System. 
     She has written the Foreword for this book, and has critically commented on the "ABCs of Dance" particularly the chapters on music and rhythms. 

     Two other buddies have kept me going through the hassles of producing this book, providing not only inspiration but also their valuable expertise and insights in ballroom dancing here and abroad.

Ms. MarieJo Paredes Amateur Ballroom Champion
     A day after I met Tita Lulu, Ms. MarieJo Paredes, a balikbayan from San Francisco, and the popular dance champion in San Francisco, called to inquire about my dance classes. I am almost sure she wanted to check if my teaching approach made sense and was comparable to the American style of teaching and dancing. Marie Jo and I are very close friends now, both in business and in dancing. Our common intense quest for dancing perfection, and a few other common interests (such as politics and money-making), have brought us much closer to each other. 
     I have tapped her expertise and network for information on some portions of this book, particularly those related to the history of contemporary ballroom, some dance patterns, internationally accepted standards, and the differences between American and International dance styles and names for dance figures. 
     While Marie Jo personally had almost all  the answers to my questions, she opted to reconfirm these with her teachers and friends in the US, who willingly faxed over the information. Marie Jo also graciously lent me Victor Silvester's book "Modern Ballroom Dancing"  which provides a comprehensive analysis of European dance techniques, style, and dance patterns. 

Mr. Rene 'Smile' Canlas  Dance Director
     The only other person who has had so much influence on a major portion of this book and on my sanity on the ballroom floor is my long-time, albeit irregular, dancing partner Rene 'Smile' Canlas. Smile is probably the only person I have danced with who has that almost inherent ability to fully connect the dance with the music, interpreting it through superb timing and appropriate choice of basic patterns, breaks, links and sequences. 
     Once the leader, vocalist, and drummer for a local music band, Smile has brought his inherent talent, knowledge and understanding of musical rhythms, timing, pulsing and phrasing into his career in dance teaching. As a result his dancing partners feel the excitement of each dance, allowing his more seasoned partners the leeway for syncopations whenever the opportunities arise. 
     Many guests and dance instructors have commented about his simple yet polished leads, perfectly-timed breaks, and unsurpassed skill in knowing when to change patterns and sequences. When asked his secret, Smile replies with his infectious smile: "The key is simple:  Hear and feel the music."

MY SPECIAL THANKS also go to countless friends and fellow dancers for their critical contibutions to these pages, for questioning my contentions, and for clarifying information which I now willingly share to anyone interested.
 

Vikky Bondoc-Cabrera
Dance Director,  Heritage Dance Center

 Notes on Local Terms
Singkil  and Tinikling are but two of the  Philippine folkdances popularized by the Filipinescas Dance Troupe, the Bayanihan Philippine Dance Company, and many other dance companies.  Balikbayan  ("back to the country") is  now a common term for Filipinos based  outside the Philippines, who visit the country to see relatives, open a business or stay on for good.