FSA takes top honors in dance competition at UF

This year, the Filipino Student Association took first place at the University of Florida Def Talent Jam (DTJ) competition, a weekend-long mixer and dance competition which takes place in the fall.

DTJ welcomes many different collegiate student groups who practice for months preparing dance routines and performances. For 15 years DTJ has invited students and professional groups alike.

With an annual attendance of over 2,000 people, DTJ is the one of the most well-known cultural student association mixers in the Southeast.

At Tech, the Filipino Student Association (FSA) has placed third for the past two years, but with a combined program with the Georgia State FSA and a top-notch choreographer, they took the title at DTJ in 2007 from the defending champion, the University of Central Florida.

The theme for DTJ this year was was based on Halloween: "Royal Blood." Members from Tech's FSA danced a hip-hop routine depicting a scene between black and white chess pieces dancing in synchronization with original steps as well as famous moves like those featured in Soulja Boy's "Crank That" and Unk's "Walk It Out."

"The best part of the weekend was when they announced that we won first place," said FSA member and performer Acelyn Barlaan, a third-year Electrical and Computer Engineering major.

However, the victory did not come without sacrifice. The road to DTJ began in September, with intense practices multiple times a week.

"Before we got up on stage, it was nerve-racking. We were all anxious to just get it over with already. But once we started dancing, all the anxiety went away and the adrenaline rush kicked in. We knew that all our hard work and preparations came down to this one dance, so we might as well give it our all and have fun with it. And we did," Barlaan said.

The performers ranged from amateurs to advanced dancers, bringing together people with years of training with those with very little.

"The practices pushed our limits, requiring dance rehearsals for hours to perfect every little thing," Barlaan said.

According to Barlaan, the Filipino culture takes great interest in the art of dance. Although FSA was dancing hip-hop, traditional Filipino dance has both original and foreign influences.

The Filipino culture expanded its range of dancing with the arrival of Spanish in the 16th century. That, combined with American occupation in the 20th century, resulted in a cultural crossroads reflected in dance. With such a slew of techniques, Filipino dancing is one of the most versatile and expansive forms of the art.

As seen at DTJ 2007, FSA at Tech excels in including dancing as part of its embrace of Filipino culture. FSA's membership, however, is not limited to students of Filipino descent-everyone is welcome to participate in FSA.

"Students of all cultural backgrounds were invited and were present at DTJ...there's never anything about FSA that is for Filipinos only," Barlaan said.

The purpose of FSA is simply to encourage and sponsor a fun environment for the preservation of Filipino culture. The organization regularly holds events to help people discover and enjoy Filipino traditions. No events are restricted to Filipinos, and everyone is welcome to enjoy many of the activities sponsored by FSA.

To find more information about FSA, visit the contact page at http://www.cyberbuzz.gatech.edu/fsa/contact.php or look for some of their upcoming events.