CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Overcoming an opening-day injury that forced a last-minute choreographic rewrite, Cagayan de Oro’s Sayaw Movement Studio captured gold and took second place overall in the ballet ensemble division at the national MNL Dance Prix in Taguig City.
Hours before hitting the stage at the Maybank Performing Arts Theater for the Aug. 28–31 competition, panic set in when a core ensemble member suffered an injury. With no time to spare, choreographer Chesca Guico restructured the team's four-dancer "Diamond Pas de Quatre" routine to fit the remaining performers.
Sayaw Movement Studio entered the event as self-described underdogs with less competition experience than tenured Manila institutions, making the sudden setback all the more daunting as they prepared to face more than 1,000 dancers nationwide.
"The whole team was a bundle of nerves, but Teacher Chesca kept reminding us to make the most of performing and enjoy the moment," said ensemble dancer Anika Quiblat.
When the performance concluded, the team's quick adaptation paid off with a gold medal in the ballet ensemble category and a second-place finish in the overall division standings.
The victory headlined a strong showing across individual categories for the Cagayan de Oro studio.
Kree Daodaoang won gold in the Senior Jazz Solo division performing "Lovestruck," choreographed by Chrissa Guico. Quiblat took bronze in Senior Ballet Solo performing "Kitri," while Sam Asuncion earned silver in Contemporary Solo performing "Urge," choreographed by Ria Alfaro.
Co-instructors Chesca Guico and Chrissa Guico were both honored with Outstanding Teacher Awards at the event.
Beyond the trophies, the team viewed their performance as a major statement for the Northern Mindanao arts community, proving that local talent can hold its own against established metropolitan dance schools.
"It’s a reminder that with hard work, our younger dancers can stand on stage next to tenured schools, teachers, choreographers, and dancers," said Daodaoang. "We’re proud to show that Cagayan de Oro can produce quality, award-winning dancers too," Asuncion added.
Behind the stage lights was a grueling training regimen. Chesca Guico explained that the teaching staff put themselves through the exact physical conditioning required of their students to better gauge the physical and mental demands of the routines.
"The life of a dancer isn’t easy — you train for hours to perform for two or three minutes on stage," Chrissa Guico said. "The biggest difference we saw was developed artistry, that added layer separating an artist from an athlete."
Following a one-week breather, the dancers will return to daily conditioning at the barre as Sayaw Movement Studio prepares for its annual year-end recital this December.
