JM Dance Academy in Dandan has a new dance instructor.
Joel D. Balagon, 30, of Davao City, the Philippines, was the leader of D’ Square Cru that won the championship in the Dance and Step International Competition in Beijing, China in August 2019 and the Wet Dance Competition in Hongcheon, South Korea in July of the same year.
Balagon’s D’ Square Cru, the group that popularized the social-media-oriented dance move “budots,” was also the grand slam champion of Hip Hop International Philippines and has won several other regional events.
One of his students who placed seventh in an international dance competition in Phoenix, Arizona three years ago referred him to Esther Sablan of Saipan Music and Dance Studio who is a friend of the JM Dance Academy owners. (Not partners as earlier reported.)
Balagon, who started his career as a theater arts choreographer, accepted the academy’s job offer saying that he also wishes to help promote a healthy lifestyle through dancing.
He said his job here on Saipan will also allow him to explore new ideas and acquaint himself with other cultures.
A big fan of Michael Jackson, he believes dancing is “more than just fun.”
“It’s a lifestyle and an art form,” he said, adding that when he teaches dancing, he always sees to it that his students will also “possess the spirit of art.”
Today, Friday, Aug. 12, starting at 5:30 p.m., Balagon will conduct a free open-house session for children, then for adult beginners at 6:30 p.m. at the JM Dance Academy studio on the second floor of Mango Six Café on Msgr. Guerrero Road in Dandan.
For more information, call (670) 788-4935.
