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I’M a
frustrated dancer. I’ve been envious totally of
Madonna since my prepubescent years. When I was in high
school and college, besides the Divine Ms M, I would
also try to channel Janet Jackson and Paula Abdul on the
dance floor or in the privacy of my bedroom. But when I
was still an innocent little kid, without MTV, Penthouse
7 on GMA was my source of the newest and the grooviest
dance moves. For those who don’t remember it, or were
too young at the time to watch the show in the late
night, it was the groundbreaking dance party on the air
back in the ’70s. For those who also don’t remember, the
’70s was the golden era of dance.
Penthouse 7 was a late Sunday dance show, a precursor of
sorts of MTV as it also set trends popularizing the
latest dances and the newest songs. It also became a
launchpad for new artists and personalities, and even
inspired recording companies to create their own dance
groups. The show aired from the mid-’70s until 1981.
Archie
Lacson was at the helm of Penthouse 7 with different
female cohosts every week. The show was made of two
groups: the Latin and Modern groups. It was also from
this show that my older sister learned dance steps like
the Robot, Bump, Jacksons, LA Walk, New York Hustle,
Swing, Pop-Locking, Rock, Errol Flynn and hundreds of
other moves that were taught by the dancers during the
show’s instructional segment.
In the
27 years since Penthouse 7 took its final bow, there
hasn’t been a dance show that came remotely close to
duplicating its success.
Fast-forward to today, and in the age of the Internet
someone posted on YouTube the opening credits of
Penthouse 7. And that got the wheels turning. E-mails
started circulating, phone calls and text messages were
exchanged, meetings were set, rehearsals scheduled,
pictorials arranged and voilà! Penthouse 7: That ’70s
Dance Show, The Grand Reunion was born.
The
dance concert is set on April 30, 8 pm, at the NBC Tent
at The Fort in Taguig City.
Archie
Lacson, Tito Garcia, Poncy Quirino, Nino Morato-Borja,
Susan Payawal, Rosie Garchitorena-Tan, Ronnie Henares,
Pipo Liboro, Mike Monserrat, RayAn Fuentes, Sandy
Hontiveros, Gina Valenciano-Martinez, Ida Ramos-Henares,
Marlyn Feliciano-Lopez and Anna Garcia are ready and
raring to bring back that glorious era of the ’70s
through dance. The direction is by Ronnie Henares.
The cast
is back together, though a few years older and,
obviously, a few pounds heavier, but the group is very
much alive and kicking. Says Sandy Hontiveros, “We have
pulled all our resources together, poured in all our
blood, sweat, tears and hope to God that we bring as
much fun to our audience as we have had putting this all
together.”
Because,
as the group swears, theirs is all about fun. And
dancing without fun isn’t dancing at all.
Tickets
for Penthouse 7: That ’70s Dance Show, The Grand Reunion
are available at all Ticketworld outlets (891-9999) and
the Genesis office, or you can visit
www.ticketworld.com.ph. n |
