Every time Filipino artists make waves abroad, the rest of us jump for joy. We see their success as proof that Filipinos have what it takes to make it on the world stage. So when Junior New System won two major awards at the World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA) held in Long Beach, California last July, it came as no surprise that social media was abuzz with congratulatory messages for the group.
?Our country has established itself as something of a powerhouse in the WCOPA scene. Junior New System’s own triumph — they bested artists from different countries to clinch the 2016 Champion Dance Group of the World and 2016 Senior Grand Champion Performer of the World awards — has further solidified it.
?This isn’t the first time Junior New System has won the hearts of audiences outside the Philippines. Last year they made headlines for being one of nine finalists in the pan-Asian regional talent search Asia’s Got Talent. Out of those nine, four (including Junior New System and, of course, the show’s eventual winner, the shadow play group El Gamma Penumbra) were from the Philippines.
According to the group’s manager Mars Visda, the boys of Junior New System took a rather circuitous route to international acclaim. It all began in 2007, when a dance group called New System was formed. “They joined every underground hip-hop competition until they became known. Then, they were the champion in one show on GMA 7 until they became part of Party Pilipinas,” he recalls.
At the time, most of Mars’ focus was on training the group’s older members. In so doing, he ended up ignoring most of the younger ones — some of whom eventually became the first few members of Junior New System — though he didn’t really mean to.
“They idolize New System and they also love to dance but we ignored them because they were so very young,” Mars says.
“They told me to form a dance group and to manage them. I told them, we can try. That is why we call them Junior New System because they were all young and the much older ones were in the New System. So sila yung naging juniors nung naunang grupo.”
The first dance competition Junior New System joined was a local one sponsored by HBC, in which they placed third. That gave them the confidence to continue to compete. They danced wherever they could in the Philippines over the next several years, until they finally decided to take things to the next level. They wanted to go international. So upon the urging of a friend, they tested their mettle in Asia’s Got Talent.
“Most dance groups would want to compete abroad. And we dreamed of that,” the boys explain.
They reveal that to audition for Asia’s Got Talent, they gave up a lucrative raket (sideline) so they could be at the SMX Convention Center — where the local auditions were held. Also standing in line with them that day were celebrities like Moymoy Palaboy and other people whom the boys recognized as reality-show veterans.
They briefly considered backing out, but motivated themselves to stay in the game by focusing on the fact that if they made it through, they would be one step closer to their dream of achieving international acclaim. They hung in there and sailed through to the next round, which saw them dance for the actual Asia’s Got Talent judges: Anggun, David Foster, Melanie C and Vanness Wu.
Junior New System’s inventive choreography, which they powered through while clad in ladies’ shoes with a six-inch heel, impressed those heavyweights. Unfortunately, Junior New System didn’t earn a podium finish at the Asia’s Got Talent finale, but they managed to bounce back in time to win the WCOPA.
They dreamed big and worked hard to make their dreams happen.
If there’s anything they want aspiring dancers to take away from their story, it’s that with hard work and a little luck, even the biggest dreams can come true. — With reports from Almed Garcia and Julian Mauricio