First of all, you might be asking, "WHO THE HELL IS MATT?". If you are, click the link below!
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| "I never thought of stopping." - Karla :) |
Just the other day I found out that Matt of www.wherethehellismatt.com was coming to Manila. He was inviting people through his Facebook account to go to the University of the Philippines to dance with him. I did not think twice. I just knew I had to go and just do it... DANCE WITH MATT.
My younger brother and his friends were apparently going too. Yey! I was not going to look stupid alone... well, I mean with strangers. :)
I was pretty sure some will wear crazy outfits. I was planning to do a Filipiniana theme with my brother Kevin to represent the country. Hey, what's the sense of doing the dance if you
won't be able to find yourself in the video, right? However, due
to me waking up late and being my usual uber slow self in the morning, I
ended up grabbing the brightest shirt I saw in my closet and wore it. I thought
I can just say "I'm the itty bitty girl in red.". Although right now, I wish we prepared better. It would have been cool if were in costume. I would have brought my own kalabaw there if I had one, or be in an Igorot outfit just so the country is well-represented. The weather was pretty cold and wet though, so using my emergency bahag might not be a good idea anyway.
On our way, Kevin and I got lost and went two rounds around UP. I forgot how large it was, and I didn't know they close some roads on Sundays. He and I were starting to get annoyed at each other out of frustration. When we finally got to the venue, we squeezed in the crowd of people already dancing, and learned the steps in a snap. I guess we just forgot how pissed we were about getting lost because we had to focus on not making complete fools of ourselves - at least not more than everyone else there. Haha!
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| The gang. I love his straw hat! |
So we danced... in the rain. No, not the romantic kind with violins or a piano playing in the background, Matt handing me a rose as we glide in harmony in front of the College of Fine Arts building. He gave out directions and I'd say he was awesome at teaching to a bunch of people with mixed backgrounds in dance. That's the way I like it! Simple and straight to the point. I followed Matt's fun and crazy steps, together with around 30 strangers, counting and shouting with everyone which side we had to be in just so there's a dose of "choreography" in the video. It was really fun!
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| With Matt, wet! Good thing I was wearing a dri-fit shirt! |
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| Kevin with Matt. I think my brother's "Matt" pose is better than mine. BOO. |
I tried not to put rhythm or grace in my moves too. I found that quite hard
since moving to the beat is something I always try to do. However, making myself look "awkward" is very natural to me, so I guess that helped.
My favorite part was the last clip, where he asked us to just get crazy - AND WE DID. Well, at least I thought I did. It was epic. I can't remember when was the last time I let myself go like that, it was liberating. And before I forget, I want to apologize to the people beside me if I have
splashed you with mud during the crazy, do-whatever-you-want dance. I
get super excited sometimes. Okay fine... almost all the time.
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| Groupies |
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| I wish you get really rich and take some fans with you to travel. *wink wink! MY IDEA. Hence, SHOTGUN! |
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| JR with Matt! |
Some tips if Matt is in your area and you decided to be part of his journey (and him to be part of yours):
1. Know where the actual venue is, parking, etc. My brother and I missed the first 2 parts and I'm kind of sad about that because we got lost!
2. Get there early!
3. Wear cool outfits. It would be awesome if you can wear a traditional costume to represent your country / city.
4. Have extra clothes just in case it rains. Or in case you sweat profusely.
5. Bring cash so you can buy a shirt and his book! I wasn't able to buy a shirt :( We were rushing to get to the venue on time and didn't have time to stop by an ATM. That was so stupid.
6. Let him sign the shirt/book. He will take photos with you, even dance for you. He is such a cool guy!
7. Let go and DANCE!
Matt is just a simple man, who saw the opportunity to go around the world. He's also SUPER nice. I had to leave earlier than Kevin and his friends because I had other plans the same day. After a few minutes, my brother called and told me they were driving Matt and his friend to the airport! That's super cool! And to thank them, I guess he just gave free shirts away. My brother was awesomeenough to ask for an extra one for me! I love my brotha! Thank you Matt!!!
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| YEY!!! Coolest shirt ever, and it's free! |
Why the hell did I dance with Matt?!
I danced for my family, for my friends, for those who I hated and those who hates me, for peace and forgiveness, for stress and relief, for the blessings and the losses, the pain and the pleasure, for my past, present and future. I danced to let go of the regret and instead be thankful for whatever I've received and will be receiving. I danced for the awesome opportunities ahead. I danced for love. I danced like a lunatic for my 2011, for all the years before it, and for the next 75. I danced for the years after that, just in case I'm still alive. I danced for the adventures and the risks I will be taking. I danced to scare the fear away. I danced as I was grateful for still being grateful in that very moment: Wet, tired and cold but felt very BLESSED. Lastly, I danced for the love of dancing!
Here's a teaser of the 2011 video, starring (from left to right) Chris, JR, Matt the Dancing Man, Moi and Kevin!
"...and BIG FINISH!" - Matt
Matt said the full video, with all his trips from 2011, will be out around March next year. So watch out for our debut!
Check out the Matt links!
MATT'S WEBSITE: http://www.wherethehellismatt.com
MATT'S FACEBOOK PAGE: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Where-the-Hell-is-Matt/369964540488
