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.

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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.

Animo Christmas! Concert

Member of the Lasallian community? Come this Friday!

In line with De La Salle University's Centennial Year, the Lasallian Community is having the FIRST EVER Animo Christmas! Concert on Friday, December 16, 2011 from 5:00pm to 10:00pm at the De La Salle University Amphitheater.

Watch our very own Lasallian Bands and Singers, DLSU Alumni, representatives from the different sectors, De La Salle Brothers and many more as they render us Christmas Performances! Skittlez Crew will also be performing our Remix 2011 championship piece here :)

Guest singers and bands such as PUPIL, AKAFELLAS, KUNDIRANA, CLAYTON RISNER (International Youtube Singer) and others will be performing as well ;)

SEE YOU THERE!

Note:
Unfortunately, this event is only open to the Lasallian community (students, alumni, staff, and students from the other sixteen Lasallian schools).

Jay~

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~

Party University 2

My first gig in months :)

I needed this, and even though my skills and abilities have downgraded somewhat, I'm glad that I can still perform with the best crew/family in the world.

Over 70 members now :)

We are Skittlez Crew.

Ripping up the dance floor since 2007 <3

Jay~

Solid Saturday

Some weekends are fun. Some are downright great. Then there was yesterday, and it was packed but very, very fun :D

The boss' chief of staff (he calls himself, humbly, as nothing more than a "special assistant") let me have Saturday off (I work half-days on Saturdays), so I took this opportunity to sleep in since sleep is something that I have been greatly lacking for the past month or so. Woke up at 1100 hrs or so, then just got ready to go to Greenbelt 3 to meet PJ. Pretty awesome date :)

Started the day off with lunch at Sentro, where we go to when we need our Filipino food fix. We ate here before, at the Global City branch, and we never seem to learn anything when it came to Sentro's huge servings. We are both on healthy lifestyles commitment, so we ordered healthier options. It's nice to have a support/partner when trying to lose pounds!

Grilled chicken barbecue.

Pot of green tea :)

Pumpkin soup.

Salad with anchovies, mozzarella cheese balls, and tofu.

Sizzling tofu.

Then we watched Love and Other Drugs which, can I just say, provided so much laughter to PJ and myself because we could totally relate with about 93% of the movie's contents. ROFL. Will definitely blog this when I have the time.


Then we walked around the malls a bit, looking at sneakers and clothes (I'm sure we were both planning to get something :P) then we decided to have a light dinner before she had to go home. Enter Krazy Garlik. It was my first time, and apparently, her brother-in-law partially owns the place. Virtually all of their menu items contain garlic in varying proportions.

Beer and candlelight.

Baba ghanoush.

Gambas al ajillo.

Then I went home, and it was off to Global City to attend my crew's third performance of 2011 so far, at the Topshelf club in High Street. Thanks to DLSU's POLISCY student organization for the invite to this gig.

Daddy gave 'em swagger.

There you go. A pretty solid Saturday :)

Jay~

Skittlez at UP Sigma Alpha Nu Sorority Fashion Show

My crew's first gig of the year. Even if I'm not with them on this gig due to work commitments, I am very proud of them. It was a pretty good show as well. Here's the video:


One love, Chyeah!

Jay~

So Long, 2010!

It's been a year of ups and downs, but I've been lucky to have way more ups than downs.

Thank you to all my friends, new and old, for having stuck with me and our friendship for yet another year. I can never express my gratitude to you guys. I know I met many of you in university, and then I just left (I graduated, okay, not expelled :P) but I am sure we will all still keep in contact, what with the many online-based social networking sites we're all using now. Haha.. Here's to another year of friendship!

Thank you to my parents, for the endless moral, emotional, and financial support this year. I'm a graduate from a good school, and I hope I've made you both very proud. This has been an awesome year; thanks for being a part of it.

Skittlez Crew! This year gave me my third Remix dance competition with you guys, and I am honored to have led you guys for two years. I'm so proud and honored to have won two championships dancing beside all of you, when just a couple of years ago, "I wasn't good enough" to be a 'proper' dancer. How things have changed, and how we've all grown! We were champions of 2008, and this year, thank you for the graduation gift of being champions of 2010. Through ups and downs, you have all proven yourselves to be a true family, in every sense of the word. I love you guys, more than words can say. You've been there for me on my first week in university, my final week as a student, my first day on the job, and so much more. ONE LOVE, through and through. Thank you for making my 2010 absolutely amazing.

I have to thank my alma mater as well, De La Salle University Manila, for the high-quality education I received from this wonderful institution. I didn't know at first why the hell I took up a liberal arts course here, when I was coming from a science background with my Cambridge A-Levels. It was a decision that made me fall in love with politics, political science, world and international systems, as well as society and culture in general. Thank you also for my very first job. I can never be grateful enough to our President (and my boss) Brother President Jun Erguiza FSC. You saw something in me, trusted me, and have become so much of a father-figure to me. It's truly difficult to leave Taft when one is taken care of so well by a great academic institution. Here's to our Centennial next year, La Salle! Animo :D

Last but not least, the icing on the cake, thank you PJ for being that special someone who is willing to be beside me through thick and thin, and I think we've gone through enough to justify my saying that :P You've been nothing short of awesome, and you're unbelievably cool and laid-back. I know I can be really uptight, but you've slowly made me a more fun and outgoing person. Oh, and you're just so gorgeous on top of it all! LOL. If my 2010 was already freakin' great, you made it perfect. I'm looking forward to many more New Year's with you :) You make me better, in more ways than you know. You're the absolute best.

Happy New Year, and let's all welcome 2011!
Another year, another chance to be a better person.

Life has been great, 2010; I'm sure it can only be better :)

Jay~

Skittlez Crew - The Christmas Party

I thought that in our almost four years of existence, the crew needed a proper Christmas party. That means exchanging presents as well, and it turned out to be a big load of fun! I also surprised the crew with some official-looking certificates just to show them that the effort, time, and talent put into the crew was not lost on anyone.

We played two of our most popular private games, the Stop Dance Challenge (where we would dance a routine, but the music could cut off abruptly at any time, thus enabling us to spot who was off-beat, too fast, too slow, etc. You get the idea) and the Araneta Level Challenge (where we'd try to dance a routine in the most exaggerated form possible, assuming that since Araneta Coliseum was pretty big, it would take much more effort for a dance to be seen). HAHAHA!






Winners of the Stop-Dance and Araneta Challenges, respectively :)



Recognizing the behind-the-scenes contributions: music mixing, make-up and costume, as well as transport and logistics.




Our Most Improved Dancers of 2010: Rocky Estallo and Richard Ong. Both were part of our UAAP dance team, as well as our championship-winning Remix team. I'm very proud of these boys.



We conducted a vote a week before this, and it was tallied that the Best Choreography for 2010 was our piece on "Walking on a Dream". It was made by Cheng Ortaleza (our music mixer) and choreography pool members Paulo Buenaventura and Nicole Carlos. We used it for our Remix 2010 championship piece.


There were also more than fifteen members of the choreography pool that received individual certificates, but that's quite a bit to post. Haha.. We capped off the night doing what we do best: we battled each other :D






Skittlez Crew: One Love, CHYEAH! :D







Jay~

Skittlez Pool Party

Some of us in the crew decided to have a pre-Christmas celebration at Karelle's house, and since she had a swimming pool, we decided to have a pool party as well. Our first crew papi, Decky, was also back from California so it was a great chance to have a get-together. Dinner at Karelle's, for lack of a better term, is bountiful. Haha!



And it was pool time! :D









The Skittlez "Qwerty Club" LOL


Wish you were here <3


For virtue of sheer cuteness, Karelle's pet Haley Dy (yes, she has a last name) deserves a picture on this post :D


Love you Skittlez! <3

Jay~