Enrique Gil: Dancing up a storm and loving it

MANILA, Philippines - Those who have seen how Enrique Gil moves his feet and grooves to a beat with much gusto won’t certainly believe that dancing is not his cup of tea, or, to put it in his own words, “Growing up, I was not really into dancing.”

But not until he entered show business where, aside from being armed with an acting talent, everyone is expected to at least carry a tune or do impressive footwork. It was with the latter in which Enrique had seen his potential after being launched as one of the batch members of Star Magic 16.

“Those who were not able to sing had to dance so after our launch in ASAP, I started to focus on dancing,” shares Enrique about discovering his dancing skills. “Mas na in-love ako (sa pag-sasayaw) when PBB housemate Mickey Perz became my partner; his moves were infectious, and then I became a part of a group (Gigger Boys) in ASAP. Our rehearsals served as dance workshops for me. The steps were really hard because I was not really into dancing before.”

After several dance sessions, Enrique found himself getting more comfortable with dancing. He was even cast in the dance show Good Vibes that also “served as an avenue to hone my dancing skills.”

Fast-forward to the present. Enrique is now billed as the Dougie King as he never fails to thrill fans while swaying to the once hot and too-familiar Teach Me How To Dougie. Lately, he impressed the crowd during a show with his version of the Gentleman moves. He continues to receive plaudits for his dancing that led to the idea of producing a dance concert for Enrique.  

According to Enrique, he, too, was surprised upon learning that after the release of his debut album, King of the Gil, under Star Records, a dance concert was already on the drawing board.

“I didn’t expect that after an album, I will be having a dance concert. They say, ‘Let’s try, whatever happens.’ Perhaps, they’re thinking that it’s about time na rin to see somebody young who could dance na parang mala-Gary V and they saw that whenever I dance the Dougie or Gentleman, nabubuhay yung mga tao so they thought why not do a  dance concert, try lang.”

On Nov. 29, Enrique is set to perform in his first major dance concert titled King of the Gil at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum. The one-and-a half-hour show will see him dancing, rapping and singing on stage.

He admits feeling jittery just thinking about how big the capacity of the venue is. “Considering the number of seats, there are too many to fill up. Well, siguro bahala na lang, whatever happens my goal is to see to it that those people who will come to Araneta will enjoy the show. Kahit di mapuno, okey lang basta lahat ng pumunta ay masasabing sulit ang binayad nila. That, I can already consider successful.” 

Enrique also brushes off any rivalry talk between him and Daniel Padilla. The latter also had a concert at the Big Dome a few months back to celebrate his birthday. Some surmised that the 21-year-old Kapamilya actor is trying to compete with Daniel now that he, too, is mounting a concert.

“They can compare us as long as they want but my concert is different from his,” Enrique reiterates. “This is dance and it’s very different from what he did; sa kanya rock, banda. It’s a totally different genre. Alam ko trabaho ng ibang tao yun (to compare them). We can’t do anything about it.”

Although Enrique and Daniel don’t get to see each other often since the primetime series Princess and I folded up, Enrique confirms that they remain friends. “We were being compared even at the start of Princess and I. We’re used to it kaya tinginan lang kami at nag-kakaintindihan na kami.”

Asked how he is prepping up for the dance concert, Enrique says that he had already started rehearsing but it was interrupted due to his commitments abroad. By this time, Enrique is in Canada for a show. He will be back in November. “I still have enough time to prepare when I come back.”

In King of the Gil, Enrique will be joined by guests Vice Ganda, Angel Locsin, Toni Gonzaga, Kim Chiu, Vhong Navarro, Jhong Hilario, Rico Blanco, Gloc-9, Young JV, Arjo Atayde, Ejay Falcon, Julia Montes and Aaron Villaflor. Tickets are now available at Ticketnet outlets.