Melencio keeps dancesport fire burning with recent wins

MANILA, Philippines – For veteran international dance athlete Judith Anne Melencio, the jiving and winning never stop.

At 32, the San Rafael, Bulacan-based Melencio remains active throughout the years, inspiring the youth to excel more on the international dancesport stage.

She has been plying her craft on the dance floor since 1998, actively competing locally and globally via Latin and Standard categories as a national athlete under the DanceSport Council of the Philippines Inc. (DSCPI) — the country’s top dancesport governing body.

Melencio’s careers as a national dance athlete and certified instructor are accelerating anew after a needed break to start a family. After additional delays brought by the pandemic, the dancer promised to be more competitive and achieve further success and glory for the Philippines.

Melencio recently ruled the 2022 Penang Open Championships last September 10 and captured the crown in Danspiration Open Championships in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia last September 11. She then snared the Amateur Latin crown in the 10th Singapore Open Dancesport Championships last November 5.

Melencio, together with partner Jumil Edera Bacalso, will be rocking the dance floor when they compete against 30 competitive couples in the Amateur Open Latin of 2023 Asia Open Dance Tour-Asian Open Dance Championships in Tokyo on February 26.

“I have been in the competitions since when I was six or seven. I really love this sport. And aside from competing, I also teach aspiring dance athletes in different fields — basics and advance,” Melencio said.

“But I still compete internationally, which I love most. I love winning not only for myself but also for our country,” she added. “It’s not just (about) expressing our inner self when we dance, it is also (about showing) proper movement, grace and how competitive you are.”

She and Bacalso are also set to dance in the 2023 World Grand Prix Open in Taipei, Taiwan on April 9. They will then strut their stuff in the 2023 Blackpool Dance Festival on May 20 to June 2, 2023 at the Winter Gardens Church Street Blackpool in London.

The eldest among a family of dancers, Melencio also a champion in Singapore Millennium International Open DanceSports Championships in both the junior Open Standard and Latin categories in August 2004.

Melencio has proven herself to be a force in the sport, winning the Juvenile Latin and Standard titles from 1998 to 2000 in the Philippines and the 2002 junior Latin and Standard crowns in the World Superstars Dance Festival in Tokyo, Japan.

Among her other achievements include finishing ninth out of hundreds of participants in the 2nd International Sports Games “Children of Asia” Sports Dancing Event Junior 1 Latin American Discipline in Yakutsk, Russia in 2000.

Besides winning, Melencio has trained and produced a lot of competitive pairs since 2007 — when she was 17 —including her younger sister, rising star amateur level Judilyn Melencio, and her partner Benny Co.

“It’s a great feeling to share your knowledge in dancesport as well, but I still compete and win,” she said.

Melencio is among the best talents in Asia and a perennial contender in international tiffs.

"This dancer caught my eyes as soon as she walked to the dance floor. She was beautiful overall (her makeup, her tanning, her dress — all very professional-looking, elegant and classy). I have to say she stands out immediately because she has so much movement in volume. At the same time, she is quick and sharp in the execution plus she is very feminine and very emotionally expressive. She is a very quality dancer in terms of technique, rhythm and musicality. I can’t wait to see Judith and Jumil dance again," said Hristina Semova, an international judge in the 10th Singapore Open Dance Championship.