Some people just know from their earliest years that they were born to do certain things. Some paint, some sing, others write or act but for Georcelle Dapat (who would grow up to become the brains behind the commercially successful G-Force dance group), she knew, from the start, that she was born to dance.
She was 10 years old when she began taking classes as a scholar at the Metropolitan Dance Theater. She got into all types and genres of dance — from jazz to ballet, tap, folk dance and Hawaiian and Tahitian, “Kasi when you’re a scholar pala, you have to take up all classes,” she says. “Eh yung mommy ko kasi, talagang naghanap din siya ng scholarship because I didn’t come from a well-off family.”
As a scholar, Georcelle was mentored by some of the biggest names in dance, including Tita Radaic, who brought the RAD, or the London-based Royal Academy of Dance system to the country. But it didn’t take long for Georcelle to realize that she wasn’t really cut out for classical dance. “Jazz, ‘yun ang hinahanap ko. Na-attract kasi ako sa rhythm niya,” says Georcelle, who trained at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) under the likes of Agnes Locsin and Noordin Jumalon. It was while she was training at the CCP that she learned about the auditions for the Adrenaline dancers, which were then backing up Sharon Cuneta in The Sharon Cuneta Show. She auditioned on a Wednesday, and by Sunday, Georcelle, then all of 14 years old, was dancing on TV. After that, she joined the Hotlegs, but eventually also left the group.
Years later, she’s still dancing on TV, but this time as the head of her own group called the G-Force. Formed in 2004, the G-Force has become — pardon the pun — a force to reckon with. Today, the G-Force dancers perform regularly in ASAP 19 and have performed with some of the biggest artists, from Gary Valenciano to Anne Curtis, in their concerts and live gigs. In just 10 years, the G-Force has become one of the industry’s most respected dance groups. “Well, they say that every time we step on stage, nakikita nila na we’re fresh, we’re fierce and we’re glossy. For us, we just do our best every time we step on stage. What makes us different? Maybe we don’t compete and we don’t try to be above other groups, we just step on stage and do what we want and be ourselves, meaning what we want people to see on stage.”
Georcelle enjoys dancing almost as much as she does passing it on and sharing it with others. She has mentored many young dancers, as well as countless artists. Eventually, she put up a school where she can formally hold classes and teach. It is called the G-Force Dance Center.
Explains Georcelle: “I have always dreamt of having a school, na kung paano ko sinimulan ang pagsasayaw ko, gusto ko siyang i-share. Parang it’s my way of giving back. Gusto kong mag-share, gusto ko rin kumuha ng scholars. Nung nag-start naman ako, wala naman akong pang-enroll, di ba? Nag-ba-ballet ako nang wala pa akong ballet shoes; dun naman nag-start yun. Now that I have my school, hindi ba pwedeng gawin yun ulit? So this is my way of giving back. And with the members of my G-Force, I also train them to become choreographers, to be teachers, not only choreographers but also teachers.”
Georcelle — who’s now known more famously as Teacher Georcelle — describes the experience of working with top artists as very rewarding. “Nakakatuwa siyempre ‘yung trust na binibigay nila sa iyo. Like when I worked with Anne, natuwa ako kasi baliw siya; kaya lahat ng crazy ideas ko, pasok sa kanya,” she laughs.
Years from now, Georcelle plans to just keep on dancing. But she does have a dream. “Gusto kong makita ang younger generation pa — the new breed of dancers — because now nakikita niyo na, ito yung new breed of dancers eh, pero meron pang mas bata pa sa kanila na kailangan nating simulan yung training.”
And Georcelle believes now, as she did then, that anyone can learn to dance, but it starts with believing that you can. “Lahat puwedeng matuto, especially ngayon. Lahat puwedeng ma-aral pero kasi ’pag wala kang kumpiyansa, ’pag wala kang confidence to learn, wala. ‘Yun ang first step. ’Pag wala ka nang confidence na yun, wala kang pupuntahan.”