Spotlight: Alvin de Castro

I decided to create this blog entry because this tells about one great experience I have last year, and actually one of the best experiences I had. August 13, 2011: I was in Manila to attend one of Alvin De Castro's master classes held in ACTS Dance and Arts Academy (Mezzanine Floor G.A. Tower 1 Boni Edsa Mandaluyong City). Now here's a short background of who he is.

Alvin de Castro (Dancer/Choreographer)

Nationality: Filipino

He is one of Australia’s most recognized urban choreographers and continues to turn heads internationally with projects in Asia and the United States. He become the first dancer on So You Think You Can Dance in the world to be invited as a choreographer whilst a contestant in the top 100. His choreography is featured in Season 3 of SYTYCD Australia (Hiphop routine, Down by Jay Sean danced by Top 20's Gaz Griffiths and Ivy Heeney). He is the founder of two-time Australian National Hip Hop Champions - "Beatphonik". His career in dance began following a successful run in Hip Hop dance competitions and an opportunity to support Sean Paul during his Australian tour. His background in both the crew scene and industry make him a favorable judge in dance competitions around the world. Alvin is now the resident Hip Hop coach at Brent Street Studios. He is based in Sydney, Australia.

Source: http://www.alvindecastro.com/ <-- direct link, visit his website =)

Me and colleagues at Alvin's last class for his Manila tour

I get to knew him from his Youtube video uploads including hiphop choreographies in his dance classes in Australia as well as his group Beatphonik. So when I knew he would provide dance classes in Manila, I never doubted to grab myself a plane ticket, travel to Manila and attend one of his classes. I said to myself it would be a once in a lifetime chance and I never regretted it. We were taught of a hiphop routine for Monica's Still Standing. Although I would like to post the class session (on video) that we had for the said class, I would like to ask permission first from him since he mentioned we cannot post it on either Youtube or any public websites (that was a 5 month ago reminder, dunno if it's still applicable now hehe). It was a quick 2-hour class with a very fast pace choreography.

Me together with Master Alvin DC =)