Triple Threat Comment From Teacher Kets' Site

melaniemotus said

Ang masasabi ko lang ay to be an actor is to be a dancer and a singer also. Why don't Filipinos get this kind of training? I would assume that actors in UP pretty much get the whole picture due to their kind of exposure, but they still fall short somehow? How come actors from West End or Broadway have a more wholistic approach? Can't Filipinos have the same?

Dami ko namang tanong. : )

pjrebullida wrote today at 8:31 AM, edited today at 8:54 AM

an actor-dancer-singer is what we call a triple threat in theater.

i used to aspire to this. hence, as an actor, i took lessons in voice, singing, acting and dance. it is however expensive take all three lessons. there are hardly scholarships in these fields. i was blessed to have a scholarship in dance (c/o Steps Dance Studio), but for the others i had to shell out 500-1000 pesos per one-on-one session. It takes a high level of commitment to juggle the time needed and the budget.

My lessons payed off and, before I left acting for dance, I had reached a level of competency. However, I turned out to be more of a dancer than actor or singer. I can attribute this to having a scholarship that required me to take 6 to 10 classes a week plus the exposure I received in dance productions. When you compare this to once a week voice lessons and acting lessons only when I am rehearsing a play, one can see why i chose to dance.

i believe actors in the Philippines are not triple threats because of three reasons. One, not all actors have the luxury to get all they need to hone their craft. Two, Laziness and Complacency. And, third, a false pride (yabang na kaya na nila lahat). Of course, the Philippines has its fair share of triple threats but not so many.

After my career turning out, in, and everything in between, I plan to go back to acting with a more "wholistic" approach. But for now, I have the luxury of being a full-fledged dancer.

===== i think i did more than answer your questions. i answered my own.

Theory of Choice

I used to espouse a theory of choice. That what happens to us is based on the choices we make. We can choose to be happy or sad whether the situation is good or bad. In the end, we should be able to make the best of the worst and, in stupid choices, the worst of the best. As of late, my thinking has been changed.

Such elementary words. Happy and Sad. Good and Bad. But, real. They inhabit every moment of our lives. We cannot control these feelings and circumstances. No matter how adamant we are on choosing.

However, this is not foolproof. There are those rare instances when the choices we make prove to make the best of the best and of the worst. Therein, lies my hope and faith.