Skittlez Crew Total Body Conditioning Circuit

The current conditioning circuit I designed last month for my dance crew. 

Major focus on short-duration endurance, core strength and stability, and flexibility. 

Feel free to get for your personal use.

Running our way to be the fittest crew!

Warm-up

Brisk walking (2-3 minutes)

Cardio Conditioning

3km run (20 minutes max)

Strength Conditioning

Crab-walk pushups (1 minute, 2 sets per side)

1. Assume the pushup position. 
2. 'Walk' towards the left by bringing the right hand and right foot simultaneously towards the left hand and the left foot. 
3. Now extend the left hand and the left foot to the left. You should be back at the pushup position once more. 
4. Do one pushup. 
5. Repeat from the beginning. 
6. After the designated time/distance, rest 30 seconds and repeat going to the right.

Hand-walk with pushups and hamstring stretch (1 minute, 2 sets)

1. Assume the hamstring stretch position (bend over and touch toes, keeping knees locked). 
2. Slowly 'walk' the hands forward in a controlled motion until you read the pushup position. 
3. Do one pushup. 
4. 'Walk' your feet forward, keeping hands/fingers on the ground until you reach the hamstring stretch position once more. That's one repetition. Repeat for the designated time/distance.

Walking lunges (1 minute, 3 sets)

1. Stand with feet shoulder-width. 
2. In one controlled motion, lunge forward with the right leg. 
3. Upon landing, the forward (right) leg should maintain a 90-degree angle; knees will not go past toes (do not lunge too far forward). Left knee should be 2-3 inches from the ground. 
4. Push up with the right leg and lunge with the left leg. 
5. Repeat for the designated time/distance. 

 Wheelbarrow carry (1 minute, 2 sets per position)

1. Assume the pushup position. 
2. A partner will lift your legs. Keep your core tight; body position should be as if doing a plank. 
3. 'Walk' forward with your hands, keeping the core tight all the way for the designated time/distance. 
4. For the next set, assume the role of carrier, lifting partner's legs this time. Throughout this part, keep your chest out and your back stable.

Cooldown Jog

2km (14 minutes max)

What is Hip-Hop?

Earlier, we - Skittlez Crew - had the great honor and privilege to be taken under the wing of none other than one of the founders of Filipino hip-hop, Jmasta.

Aside from the bboy foundations, hip-hop history and culture, and tricks he taught us, he shared some amazing pearls of wisdom that isn't just for the random street dancer. He taught us how to 'keep it real', really.

Over 20 years on, and still rocking.

Note: These are not verbatim; I have kept the spirit of the lessons alive (even if synthesized for clarity), if not the exact wordings. Any and all errors of fact are mine alone.

On Knowledge

"Hip Hop isn't just about choreography or the dance itself. You have to know your roots and your history. The years when hip-hop was born, its roots from disco, its music from rock, the first important events, even historical hip-hop places. You have to know all of these to know hip-hop."

"To truly know hip-hop, imagine you're entering a big box. Inside that box are all the styles ever created and invented, all within the big thing called hip-hop. Bboy, locking, popping, krump - they're all part of the big hip-hop entity."

On Battles

"You can't be a hip-hop dancer if you haven't been battle-tested on the cypher; you're just a toy. The cypher is sacred; when you dance in it and you have no idea what you just did after (and no one else does) - the spirit of dance took over."

"Losing is never an option. When you do anything, do it to win. When you do lose, that's okay, learn from it because it shows the things you need to improve on."

"If someone in your crew is weak, it's everybody's fault. You dance as a team, you learn as a team. No man left behind. Everything is done as a team."

On Hip-Hop

"You can never ever say 'I was hip-hop'. Years from now, you may be older and working already, dressed in your corporate attire.. but when you hear a beat and your head bobs to it, you're hip-hop. You never left; it's in you forever."

"My generation is getting old. I'm giving these knowledge to you guys, and I pray that you continue this, continue teaching and giving knowledge to the next generations. One day, one of you will teach my kid hip-hop.That's how hip-hop works because we are all in a family.

"I've learned not to ask for anything when I give knowledge on hip-hop. Why? Because these things, they are small stuff here on Earth, but they're big things for God, and He rewards with many blessings."

"The things every hip-hop practitioner must know are the four elements and the four pillars. The elements are emcee, bboy, DJ, and graffiti. The pillars are peace, love, unity, and have some fun."

*

So what is hip-hop? I think more than a dance and a culture, it's also a rich and sacred living thing present in each and every one of us. It's something we just know when we feel it.

We're proud and so humbled to have him call us 'family'. It wasn't simply inspiring; it was a call to action for us - the new generation of hip-hop artists - to make sure the torch is passed on and the rich culture and history kept alive.

Jmasta is from Battle Crew International and Zulu Nation. He gives workshops to aspiring and experienced dancers alike all around the country, and is heavily involved with bringing the love of hip-hop to orphans.

Skittlez Crew holds open training sessions almost daily at the Yuchengco Lobby, De La Salle University. No experience necessary. All you need to bring is an open mind and the hunger to learn.

Like us on Facebook and/or follow us on Twitter.

Share if you were inspired!

Dance and Fear

What enables a dancer to freestyle? What opens up a dancer's mind to a limitless sky of creativity and a never-ending well of move after move after move? After spending almost four years dancing, and learning so much from so many people, I suppose I have some semblance of an answer.

Not a care in the world.

The Mind/Heart Killer

Fear, not just in dance, kills the ability of the heart and mind to act in unison. Everything that we do passionately, I'd like to believe that it is because we consciously love doing and learning it (the mind) and we will subconsciously feel incomplete and dissatisfied without it at all (the heart). Fear brings doubts, and doubts raises self-consciousness to such a level that a dancer feels s/he "needs to impress" and "look good" in a session. Fear of negative comments, laughter, and getting labeled as 'wack' creates a dancer that thinks too much of rejection and 'not being good enough'. Fear's essential impact is preventing a dancer from sharing his/her entire being (feelings, emotions, skills, etc.) on the dance floor. In other words, a dancer who feels s/he must prove something to someone ends up not being able to freestyle with a limitless mind and a sharing heart.

The Opposite of Fear

In the book Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield (which, by the way, is my favorite book of all time), the Spartan general Dienekes (of "We'll fight in the shade" fame) teaches his young warrior-squire Alexandros the meaning of fear and its opposite. While defending Thermopylae (of "300" fame), Alexandros - exposed to the horrors of war at the young age of 18 - eventually discovers the opposite of fear. It is also the exact same answer that I've learned from several individuals I respect highly in the Filipino dance community. The opposite of fear is love.

Unconditional

Love doesn't judge; it doesn't have an opinion. All it does is be. Nothing more, nothing less, nothing else. When a dancer loves his/her art so much that the world ceases to exist around him/her, something magical happens. A dancer in love with everything about the art will not care  S/he hits every single beat every single time, moves that flow into each other materializes one after the other smoothly, and best of all, a story is told. Freestyle is considered by some to be somewhat of 'a test' on whether or not a street dancer can really dance. No practice, no choreography, no pre-sets. Just the music and the moment. Love for the art, love for one's inspiration(s) (be it one's Faith, a life-changing moment, or someone important), and love for one's self all brings out the dancer in his/her best form. A dancer just dances. Love doesn't care who wins or loses, who's amazing or who's wack, and it definitely doesn't have a standard of 'good' or 'bad'.

Just dance.
Out with the fear, in with the love.

One love, chyeah.

Jay~

This post is inspired by my experiences with my beloved Skittlez Crew, a group of friends that have grown into a huge family that inspires many Lasallians. Also much inspiration came from my dance mentor Michael 'Decky' Decano, first Papi of Skittlez and a leader not just in the crew but of people as well. Many thanks go to Phillip Pamintuan aka Adrum the Warrior of Murda Fam and Krumpinoy, a titan in faith and in the dance community. I have so much love and respect for crews that freestyle out of love: Unschooled, Krumpinoy, UPM Indayog, and Bandila Fusion, among others.

Picture courtesy of morethanastance.com; retrieved on January 31, 2012.

"Just Dance" quote courtesy of Phillip Pamintuan, 2012.

Remix 2011 Animotion Aftermath

 My missed Remix turned out pretty well, after all.

Skittlez Crew was crowned champions last night :) The first back-to-back and three-time Lasallian champions. On that note, I believe many thanks are in order.

God

Thank you for the armor, and for joining us on the stage last night. 3x, and it would not have happened if You did not help us do the impossible. Thank You for keeping our hearts and our minds safe.

Skittlez Remix 2011 Team

All of you made me SO proud. An 11-person team with 9 first-timers as champions? Amazing. We won this last year with virtually full veterans, and we won this again with mostly newbies. I suppose this proves once and for all that our system works beautifully. I am so proud to have been your 'papi' once upon a time. More than the trophy and the bragging rights - which will be substantial - the real prize here is having proven to yourselves that anything and everything is possible when you set your eyes and your effort towards it. Papi Rocky said it best: "We're just going to party on stage." We cannot lose so long as we have our +1 up there as well ;) One love, forever chyeah :)

Skittlez Crew and Community

The Remix team would never have done it without each and every one of you. From the moral support, to the financial assistance, to the unwavering devotion and love you have given to them for the past two months or so, thank you. Non-compet members, alumni, camera-persons, video-persons, friends and family, I know you guys have given so much, because I've been with all of you for most of this journey this year. Non-compet and newbies, you will all be the next Remix team members, and I am so happy and confident to see that the family is in such skilled and capable hands. You have no idea how much gratitude and pride the older, alumni members such as myself feel towards all of you. One love! <3

La Salle Dance Company

What a job you guys have done. Because of the standards that you have set, both in your performances and in your competition pieces, the level and degree of Lasallian dance have vastly changed for the better. I look through Remix '07 videos, and having watched the competition last night, it is easy to conclude that the quality of dance that we have now in our Lasallian schools is so much richer and entertaining. You've pushed all the participants to higher limits whether they like it or not. Congratulations on the clean-sweep this year, and thank you for organizing an avenue for so many talented groups of individuals to express their God-given abilities.

Remix 2011 Participants

Thank you for the good fight. It is said that competition is the mother of innovation, and we have consistently produced new and exciting choreography and concepts because all of you drive us to better ourselves. For the 'old guard' crews such as ComOne Ground, Cadence Uprockin' Crew, Team Elite, Absolute Movement, and Vital Legaci, Remix would be so much more boring if all of you weren't in it. My heart beats a little faster with excitement and nerves when your respective crews take the stage. Together, our respective crews represent and build up the dance community of DLSU and DLS-CSB. Let us all continue producing entertaining and sick pieces for our audience to enjoy! For the new crews, please do NOT ever stop plying your trade. Dancing is an art form, and like any trade of skill, it takes time, patience, and diligence. I am sure that with the right combination of these, your crews will enjoy a long and fruitful life in the Lasallian dance scene.

Audience

Last but not least, thank you. The cheers lift spirits, and your continued patronage of the art of dance do not just make better dancers and performances, but better individuals as well.

Quite possibly, the best Remix ever :')

We were ten in 2007.

Jay~

Remix 2011: Reminiscing

 With three days to go, it's all too real:

I am no longer competing with Skittlez in this year's Remix dance competition.

Remix has been something of a life "mile-marker" for me. This particular competition has brought out the best - and the worst - in me, as well as allowed me to discover a talent I never thought existed. For me, it has been more than a college dance competition. It has become a memory that will last my lifetime.

My beloved dance crew, Skittlez, was formed mid-2007. These ten students who comprised the founding members were all dancers who did not make the cut in our university's official dance team. They got to know one another, and formed a colorful and crazy crew which competed in Remix 2007. I missed this Remix; I did not know enough dance to save myself.

Fast-forward a year later and we grabbed our first championship.

In Remix 2008, a bunch of friends have grown to be inseparable winners, when just a little over a year prior, they "weren't good enough". How fortunes have changed!

In 2009, my crew suffered a loss (we placed second on the score-cards and fourth overall due to scoring technicalities) that I took personally. It was my first year as the crew's "Papi" - our leader - and losing the championship will ever be the black mark on my dancing life. It fired me up and drove me to instill discipline in the crew, teaching as many of these kids under me the value of never settling for 'good enough' and never ever resting on one's laurels.

We avenged this slight on our status as the premier dance group in 2010.

As I held that championship trophy on stage in front of a couple of thousand people, I felt the anger of loss dissipate into tears of joy and affirmation. We are the best.

Vindicated :')

This year, we will prove again that we are the best.

Whatever comes out on the judges' scorecards, one thing is for sure. Skittlez has left a true legacy in the Lasallian community, and we have created not just a dance group but an honest-to-goodness community and family. This is our fifth Remix and our second title defense; we will not give this so easily.

Remix 2011 Official Poster.

In the short history of Remix (and dance in De La Salle University in general), no crew has ever had the number of members that we have had (over 80 currently), no crew has ever produced dancers of such caliber as to be literally world-class, no crew has ever produced students of such academic esteem (22 Dean's List students last term), and no crew has ever shown as much love as we have to our beloved Green and White. We will continue to give shows and performances to all Lasallian groups and organizations for free, because we love dance so much that we refuse to put a price on it. We will continue to admit anyone and everyone in, because talent can develop from nothing. We will continue to share our philosophy and creed of One Love, Chyeah, because we are one in everything that we do.

Saying goodbye at his despedida to one of our most beloved supporters, Br. Armin Luistro, FSC.

This Saturday, I might go all teary-eyed because I won't be on stage defending the quirky, crazy family that is Skittlez. More than that, I know those tears will be for the legacy of winning, success, and love that we have created in the Lasallian community. I will miss dancing with Skittlez, but they are in good hands and will continue to be examples of faith, service, and communion to every one we encounter.

We love, we hate. We succeed, we fail. We win, we lose. We stand, we fall.

We have gone through everything, and still here we are.

Here we are.

Five Remixes on.

Here we are.

We will win. 

'Champion' is not a number.

Jay~

Skechers 6 - Shoutouts and Opinion

Skechers 6 was awesome! The level of dance in the country has certainly gone up since last year's Skechers 5, and I'm very proud of the winners.

Company of Ateneo Dancers
This group, otherwise known as CADS, have finally won Skechers! It's been years in the making; they have finished consistently in the top 3, but always just missing out on the top dog position. My krump brother and Skittle supporter friend, Phillip Pamintuan, a huge congratulations on this one! You guys ABSOLUTELY deserve to win the championship. When I saw your routine, it was all heart and soul, and I was very inspired and encouraged. No better winners than you guys. I may be a hardcore Green, but on that day, I was singing Blue :) Now, that's a compliment I never give! LOL. Congratulations on breaking the UP - Street invincibility.

University of the Philippines - Manila
The dance group of UP - Manila, known to the dance community as Indayog, finally bagged a top 3 spot. I am very proud of these guys, especially since a lot of my Skittlez kids have danced with them a few months ago. They were all heart and soul as well, and the great thing was, one could actually see they were having lots of fun on stage. Very inspiring. To a Skittle friend, Dan Manalastas, congratulations to your crew! It was a well-deserved trophy. I am very proud that my crew has affiliations to you guys.

La Salle Dance Company - Street
LSDC, even though you guys didn't bag a trophy this year unlike the previous couple of Skechers competition, I have to say that I really loved the piece this year. It was raw, energetic, and highly passionate - character traits that define a champion and would-be champions. I understand that I personally had several differences with you guys, but in the end of it all, we are all dancers dancing under one roof: our university. My fellow Lasallian dancers, this is simply a trial of fire. Remember, ignis aurum probat: gold is made purer by fire. This is a challenge, and the only way is up. Remember what happened to Skittlez last year? We didn't get the championship, even though our piece was insane. We came back this year. That's exactly what I expect of you guys. To come back, and give CADS, UP - Street, and UP - Indayog (the top 3 placers, respectively) a run for their money. I believe in you guys. Don't ever take off the Armor of God that I told you guys about. IT DOES NOT FAIL.

La Salle Green Hills Air Force
Air what? AIR FORCE! Finally, champions! I am very proud of you guys as well, more so that so many Skittle boys and friends came either from LSGH and/or were members of Air Force. LSGH gave us our competition members Pau and Rocky, as well as mainstay dancers JC, Big Pao, Mickey, and Cham. The piece was sick, and it was, again, a well-deserved win. I am officially a hardcore fan of the GH dance boys aka AIR FORCE :)

**

Skechers 6 as a whole
I was very disappointed and somewhat insulted with the battle system of Skechers. The battle system, over the few years that it has been in place, really needs an overhaul. Preferably with the advice of actual underground icons, and the Philippines is not short of them. What I witnessed was a gross disrespect of the dance battle system, the sacred cipher, and the esteemed dance icons present that night. Let me touch these three points one by one.

A dance battle is an activity of sharing. Winning is besides the point sometimes; the important thing is the dancers share with each other their best dancing abilities, and try to outdo themselves in order to improve and get stronger in their art. Now, this happens when the battlers take their art seriously. What I saw in Skechers 6 was mostly a bunch of hooligans making fools out of themselves - and indirectly, the art and culture that they represent, namely, street dance. What a disgrace.

The cipher is the battle ground. It is the venue where opposing dancers would share their skills and talent with each other, utilizing skills such as creativity, flow, musicality, and sheer talent. What happened in many of the battles were stunt performers flying and flipping - displaying utter disregard to the music playing on their particular battle. It was highly disrespectful to the dance styles certain music adhere to, and disrespectful to genuine practitioners of said style. What a disgrace.

One of the judges was the great Lenny Len. Among the audience present were two-time world champion members of the former Philippine All-Stars, funk community's Pinoy Funk'n Style, Philippines premier krump group Krumpinoy, as well as various icons in their respective styles. Hence, it was simply unacceptable that many of the dancers that battled pretty much spat on many of the dance styles by doing just one thing: gymnastics. I understand that stunts are part and parcel of dance pieces, but they do not have, as far as I know, any direct correlation to genuinely battling unless as part of a complete dance set. Horrific. What a disgrace.

**

My final verdict of Skechers 6 is this:

Dance crews and companies:
WELL DONE

Skechers and organizers:
More on street dance art and culture, less on selling your products.

Jay~

Skittlez Crew at MaFia Eclipse

De La Salle University - Manila's MaFia Organization's Escape party at the Ford Building, Fort Bonifacio Global City.

More details in the YouTube description section. :) Hope you enjoy!

Pictures are at my Facebook though. :P

Jay~

Animo Alive! Culminating Night

My beloved De La Salle University - Manila's University Week, themed Animo Alive! comes to an end.. And Skittlez Crew, as the oldest and most recognized freelance dance crew in the university, performs yet again. :D

February 19, 2010. De La Salle University - Manila's Football Field.


Pictures to follow in the next post! Enjoy!

Jay~

Skittlez Crew - Remix 09

Enjoy. :)

Due to technical rules of 20% of finals score coming from the eliminations round (a very silly way of making a dance competition, in all honesty), Skittlez missed out on the overall top 3 rankings, BUT did place in the top three for the Remix 09 Finals itself.

Moral of the story:
Organizers need to be, um, better organized.
Eliminations, in case they suddenly turn out to be ridiculously important, must be taken very seriously.

LOL.

Jay~

LSDC at LPEP 2009

Performances by the La Salle Dance Companies - Jazz during the freshman orientation of the De La Salle University Manila's College of Liberal Arts. (Go CLA!)

La Salle Dance Company - Jazz


Jay~

Krump Living

I believe that I have found my passion in dancing: KRUMP

I don't want to attempt to explain what that dance style is here, because someone as young as I am in the world of Krump would probably do more harm than good. So kindly just Google 'krump', and look for sites that have 'Krump Kings' on the links.

Anyway, the Krump dancers here in Manila (props to Krumpinoy) have organized two street Krump sessions so far, both at Bonifacio High Street, Serendra, Taguig City (about 20 minutes from Makati). It's been a great success! I have honestly improved so much, and I can really see myself growing in this dance style, to the next level, even.

After my first battle yesterday, which I humbly emerged victorious, I see the spirit and emotion that moves Krump dancers around the world. I am not anymore wondering why this style is being taken up in every major dance capital in the world (assuming), and thanks to the visit of Kaos from Melbourne, Australia, I have been so inspired to continue this.

Thanks Krumpinoy, and the various other Krump dancers who have helped me see which dance style I belong in. :) Here's to many more sessions, and let's get Tight Eyez here in Manila!

Jay~

Danz Dish 4

Watch the La Salle Dance Company - Street as they celebrate a year of
blessings in their exciting major concert! With passion as this year's
theme, see them perform different dance styles touching issues on
mistaken passion, passion for life, and more!
IT IS ONE SHOW YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS!

Special Guests: Skittlez Crew, LSGH Airforce, Miriam Sayawatha, Claret
Hataw, and more!
Tickets: P180 each

Show Dates:
FEBRUARY 5, 2009
FEBRUARY 6, 2009*

*Skittlez' performance

7pm sharp (gates open at 6:30pm), Teresa Yuchengco Theater,
DLSU-Manila, Taft Avenue

Visit our booth at the Central Plaza from 9:00am-5:00pm from Jan.26 to
Feb.6 to see our special exhibit and to buy tickets!

Spread the word! :D




Pictures courtesy of Gayle's Blog

Jay~

Sirens at Dynasty Tower CNY Party

I have been joining Gayle's old crew, Sirens (which used to be an all-female group), in their dance practices for over a year now, and it's peculiar that I have not danced in any of their gigs yet. LOL. Since they had a Chinese New Year party gig at Dynasty Tower (where one of their members, Michelle, lives), I decided to be a busy-body and tag along.

Unfortunately for me, I sort of had to learn two dances in about four hours. =/ Haha.. I bit a little more than I could chew, but it turned out alright (though not one of my best performances).

For this performance, we were (for better or worse, you be the judge) named Firefox. ROFLMAO.


Will embed a video once someone uploads it on YouTube. :)

Jay~

UHS Dance

The video I took of Uno High School's collaborative dance, comprising of UHS Pep Squad members, and various UHS Pep Squad Alumni (of which Gayle is one of). Choreography by my friend and 'boss', Red Soriano of XFX.



Jay~

Skittlez at Remix 2008 (Video)

Our championship piece. Enjoy!


Jay~

Skittlez at Remix 2008

The biggest day for Skittlez Crew, Remix 2008!
November 14, 2008. Teresa Yuchengco Auditorium, DLSU.
Remix 2008 is the annual inter-Lasallian (DLS-College of St. Benilde included) dance competition between the very best non-professional dance crews of De La Salle University. It is hosted by the Cultural Arts Office and the La Salle Dance Company. This year's theme was "Stepping for Life", promoting healthy living through dancing.

22 teams signed up. 7 made it into the finals.
The finalists are Skittlez Crew, Crew A615 (CSB Champions), Z-Ave, Raindrops on a Sunny Day, Heels on Fire, Crewdose, and AftaSkoo.

Before call-time.


In the dressing room.







Dancing!












The results (hold your breath!):
Champions: Skittlez Crew
1st Runner-Up: Z-Ave
2nd Runner-Up: Crew A615

CHYEAH!!

Awarding ceremony.












Our customary prayer and sharing.



Dinner at McDonald's.


Thank you for always being there for me, making sure I go home early, making sure I'm eating enough, and cheering me on when I'm down or can't get a particular choreo. Thanks babe. <3

The champs are here! :D

Jay~