Don Juan members pose for posterity after their third defense of their dance crew title. ( CDN Photo/Morexette Marie Erram).
Despite a change in schedule and personal priorities to attend to, the dance group Don Juan won their third Sinulog Best Dance Crew crown, besting eight other groups to retain the title yesterday.
The group received a trophy and P50,000 cash prize. OMG Extreme was 1st runner up and won P30,000 cash while Type One was second runner-up and received P20,000 cash prize.
Other groups that competed were ABC Crew Illusion, New Cycle, New Friends, Watch Your Step, Slim Shadow Crew and the Beatbox Dancers.
Don Juan performed a hip hop piece inspired by the anime Naruto for this year’s competition.
To win the title, Don Juan had to perform during a noontime break of the Sinulog grand parade at the Cebu City Sports Center.
It was different from last year when they performed on Jan. 15, two days before the Sinulog Grand Parade.
Anna Michelle Buot, one of the 13 dancers who comprised Don Juan, told Cebu Daily News that having to perform during noon posed a big challenge to them.
“We were used to dancing for the Sinulog Best Dance Crew at night. For the past four years since we joined, it will always be held at night. If we have to perform on noon, it’s more exhausting,” Buot said.
“It was not easy to gather all the members to practice during noon because of conflicting schedules. We only managed to get it done three days before the finals (January 12),” she said.
Anna and some of the members were working while others were either students or new parents.
Don Juan has been joining the Sinulog Best Dance Crew competition since 2012, winning third runner up on their first attempt.
Instead of the usual three months, Buot said it took them only a month and a half to practice their routine for the event.
There were challenges along the way, she said.
“Our Naruto costumes were really hard to find. The first batch we purchased had defective zippers and we had to buy another set,” she said.
“We had different priorities, different schedules but we remain intact, united. We had each other’s back,” Buot said.
Their performance drew the loudest cheers and applause from the audience.
“When we got off the stage, our bodies were sweating hard. Our faces were red from the sun but when we learned that we were champions again, we were so happy we almost forget how exhausting it really was,” Buot said.
Asked if she and the rest of the group will perform again in the Sinulog Best Dance Crew’s eighth season next year, she said “they have to wait and see.”