The hair-flipping dance group from Compostela Valley has advanced to the grand finals of AXN’s “Asia’s Got Talent.”
After two semifinals episodes, DM-X Convaleñoz joins singing harpist Angela July from Indonesia, digital dancer Canion Shijirbat from Mongolia and beatboxer Neil Rey Garcia Llanes, who is also from the Philippines, in the final round.
Filipino contortionist Deniel Sarmiento, however, has been eliminated. It is not yet known if singer Fitri Cerado will make it to the finals. But hip-hop dance group Urban Crew still has a chance to advance in the third and final semifinals episode set to air this Thursday, November 30.
In a recent interview with InterAksyon, DM-X dance coach Joeffrey Mamayabay talked about the group’s origins and how thrilled they were to be one of the acts that had advanced via Judges’ Pick in the competition.
“Binuo ko ang pangalan na DM-X hango sa konseptong class mates. Kasi sa nakikita ko ang pag sasayaw parang pag-aaral na tulad nang normal na klase. So parang ganyan, dance mates. Eight years na kaming dance mates,” he said.
(“DM-X came from the concept of classmates. Because I thought dancing is like a form of class in school. Just like classmates, we are dance mates and we’ve been dance mates for eight years.”)
“Ang X naman ay nag-represent nag Extreme. Kasi hindi lang naman puro sayaw lang ginagawa namin meron talagang extreme stunts, tricks, tumbling at iba pa.”
(“X represents Extreme. Because we don’t just dance, we also do extreme stunts, tricks, tumbling and many more.”)
Asked why they decided to sport long hair, Mamayabay says they were inspired by another group of dancers in Mindanao.
“Nagpahaba talaga kami nang mga buhok namin. Kasi sa tingin namin mas astig, mas maangas, mas magandang tingnan sa stage,” he pointed out.
(“We grew our hair long because in our view, it looks better and more compelling onstage.”)
Given that it’s easy to for them to maintain or sport long hair, the gambit has paid off with their impressive performance on “Asia’s Got Talent.”
“Mahirap talaga magpahaba nang buhok kasi unang-una hindi kami mga babae na sanay alagaan ang mga buhok. Mahirap din ang buhok namin pag mag-a-apply sa trabaho kasi kadalasan sa pinag-a-applayan namin bawal ang may mahahaba ang buhok,” he admitted
(“We’re not women who are so used to taking care of their long hair. It’s also hard for us to apply for jobs because most of the companies don’t allow long hair.”)
Asked who they consider as their influences, Mamayabay points to their respective families, friends and their fellow churchgoers.
“Alam namin na hindi pa talaga kami tapos sa mission namin na binigay nang panginoon sa amin. Jesus is the center of it all. Sa kanya ito. Kailangan namin gamitin, at maibalik sa kanya.”
(“We know we’re not yet done with our mission with the gifts that the Lord has given us. Jesus is the center of it all. This is for him. We have to use our gifts and give back to him.”)
As for their strategy in the competition now that they have made it all the way to the finals, Mamayabay said that while they were still overwhelmed with their good fortune, from landing in Malaysia to getting some extra help.
“At least na-represent namin ang maliit naming lugar sa Compostela Valley province. Lalo pa naming pinag-hihirapan ang pagpa-practice. Nagpatulong na rin kami sa kakilala naming choreogrpaher na kaibigan namin para mas madagdagan pa ang dating, idea at mga pakulo sa sayaw namin. DM-X will do the best! God will do the rest!,” he quipped.
(“We’re happy to represent our little town in Compostela Valley province. We’re working harder in practice and asked our choreographer friend to help us with our dance routines. DM-X will do the best! God will do the rest!”)
“Asia’s Got Talent” airs every Thursday at 8:30pm on AXN with replays shown throughout the week. To follow the journey of this season’s acts, check out #AXNAsia and #AsiasGotTalent.
AXN is available on Cablelink Channel 38, Cignal Channel 121, Destiny Cable Channel 61, Dream Satellite TV Channel 20, G Sat Channel 51, and SKYCable Channel 49. AXN HD is available on SKYCable Channel 247.
Watch DM-X Convaleñoz reflect on their “Asia’s Got Talent” journey so far here:
