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Penthouse ‘alumni’ can still dance up a storm
By Nestor Torre
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 03:27:00 04/27/2008
MANILA, Philippines - For weeks now, the Penthouse 7 dance group, which set the standard for dancing on TV in the ‘70s, has been promoting its grand reunion show set April 30.
The prospect of seeing the group’s members dance together again after 27 long years has excited their fans, but the question has often been raised: How good are they now? Have the intervening years taken too much toll on their vitality, endurance and dancing prowess?
All too often, comeback performances turn out to be disappointments rather than triumphs, because the veteran performers have lost the spark that made them so exciting in their prime. Veteran singers’ voices crack, they forget their lyrics, and the inexorable law of gravity has diminished or weighed down their physical appeal.
Does the same process of deterioration affect dancers as well? In answer to that “dangerous” question, the Penthouse 7 gang guested on GMA 7’s “SOP” last April 20, coming up with a long and difficult dance number that was truly impressive.
Very definitely—and definitively—the Penthouse dancers are still in good form (especially if you do the math and figure out that most of them are already in their 50s or older).
Graying but giving
Even better, they had a great, fun time dancing together for the first time after almost three decades. Yes, some of them were graying, but they came across as vital and giving as ever. If viewers needed some convincing to catch the dance group’s comeback show, its GMA 7 guest stint removed all doubts and must have jacked up ticket sales for the April 30 dance concert in a big way.
Older viewers must also have had a fun time sizing up how their favorite individual dancers have weathered the years—and how the years have weathered them! It’s likely, too, that they were inspired by the veteran dancers’ sustained zest for performing.
It was a timely reminder that other people in their 50s or 60s can also revitalize their lives, each in his own way. We don’t have to whip ourselves up into star dancers, just launch more enthusiastically into the dance of life in our own corner of the world.
Best of all, the Penthouse group’s TV guest stint showed, on point of contrast, how easy and even lazy some of today’s dancers have become. Many new dance fads bank more on repetition than creativity, on standard execution rather than interpretation.
The Penthouse 7 dance group may no longer be young and frisky, but they can still teach today’s dancers a thing or two—or three!
Downey as ‘Iron Man’
At first glance, Robert Downey Jr. would seem to be a most unlikely choice to play the title role in “Iron Man,” which opens in local theaters on April 30. But when the film was recently screened for thousands of fans of the original action comics series, they roared their approval of his on-target performance.
How did he pull off the difficult transformation from sensitive actor to superhero?
“It wasn’t easy,” Downey admits. “I worked on my arms really hard for those 11 seconds in the trailer where I’m like (roars). I will never be that muscular again. I was swollen up—and now I’ve shrunk again!
“I decided to do this now, because I’m still young enough so there’s a very low embarrassment factor, age-wise. Also, director Jon Favreau is one of the best there is for this sort of movie. To be able to do something like this with him—it’s a no-brainer.”
Star-studded Aliwan Fiesta
Marvin Agustin and Valerie Concepcion host the awarding ceremonies of Aliwan Fiesta on May 3 at the area fronting Aliw Theater at the CCP Complex.
The opening production number features Isay Alvarez and Robert Seña, and spot numbers will be performed by Luke Mejares and South Border vocalist Pido.
The Reyna ng Aliwan Pageant the day before will be hosted by Bobby Yan, and Jay-R and Gian Magdangal will perform.
Aliwan Fiesta starts on May 1 with Pasakalye 2008, which features an interscholastic dance showdown and musical performances by Mocha, 6 Cycle Mind, Shamrock and Calla Lily, plus the wacky tandem of 90.7 Love Radio’s Chris Tsuper and Nicole Hyala (“Balasubas at Balahura”).
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