Filipinos dominate Toronto’s best high school dance competition

Filipinos dominate Toronto’s best high school dance competition

High school dancers, predominantly Filipino-Canadians, grooved, flared, whined, popped and locked to show the huge crowd at Ryerson Theatre who has the GTA’s illest moves.

On April 21, Toronto’s Best High School Dance Crew 3.0 Finals showcased the divisional leaders from the 28 schools in this year’s competition. The event was organized by Ill Skillz Productions Ltd. and approximately 160 teens from Toronto and Peel region participated.

“Just to have this outlet to expose their creativity and to be able to do it on such a massive scale like this is so inspirational,” said one of judges, Janet L. Castillo. “With all the television shows that they have now, I think dance has risen to a new level and people want to do it. They’re excited about it.”

Castillo, who is also a Much Music NML Best Dance Crew judge, said they were looking for creativity, teamwork and a routine that’s outside of the box.

The champions were the Hi-Heyters from St. Mary’s, who set themselves apart with their waiter-themed routine complete with props. In second place was the grimy, yet crisp D2E Dance Crew from J. Clarke Richardson. In third were the high-energy grooves of The Crooks from St. Augustine.

“The sets were mind-boggling and it was great to see it come together,” said Carlos Taguba, the founder and executive director. In 2009, Taguba started the competition so that students could have a positive outlet to escape negative influences. The competition challenges at-risk youth to create dance routines that take weeks to create and perfect. This year was the first time with divisional titles that engage teens throughout the school year.

“We grow with each competition,” said dancer Lester Lapa from the Andrenalyn dance crew from Mary Ward high school. “Since the competition level is so high, it pushes us as a team to become better.”

Audience member Nathan Catahan said, “I love the talent here in Toronto and Mississauga. It’s awesome to see all these dancers come into one place and share their talent.”

Although the competition was open to high school students of all ethnicities, the majority of the dancers were Filipino-Canadians. “Dancing is part of our heritage,” said an audience member, Kevin Saqui. “If you go back home, everyone’s dancing. It doesn’t matter how bad you are. It’s a way of expressing yourself and Filipinos like to do that a lot.”

PHOTOS: JOSEPH SMOOKE