Even as two Filipino acts have already advanced to the grand finals of AXN’s “Asia’s Got Talent,” the fate of one more hangs in the balance and hinges on the votes of viewers of the popular talent search series.
After judges David Foster, Jay Park and Anggun gave their final Judges’ Pick vote to young Taiwanese electric ukulele player Feng E, the rest of the eight semifinalists who performed last Thursday will have to hope they get enough votes to win the two remaining finals slot.
This includes the 12-man dance group Urban Crew who earlier in the competition impressed the judges with their breathtaking acrobatic dance numbers.
“Masaya kami na napabilang kami sa semifinals, parang hindi kami makapaniwala na umabot kami dito dahil alam namin na mahirap at magagaling ang mga nakalaban namin. Pero umabot kami dito dahil siguro sa mga nakita nila sa amin na kakaiba. (We’re so happy to reach the semifinals, we couldn’t believe we’re here because the rest of the other contestants are so talented. It must be because they saw how different we are),” Jeff Lozada, the group’s spokesman told InterAksyon in a recent interview.
Recalling their humble beginnings, Lozada said the group is composed of dancers from rival groups that specialize in different skills. Asked what makes Urban Crew stand out from other dance groups, Lozada had this to say.
“Siguro po ang kaibahan namin sa ibang grupo ay yung mga tricks and stunts na sa amin lang makikita. Karamihan ng mga stunts namin ay sa amin talaga nag simula. (Maybe what makes us different from the others is the tricks and stunts that only we are capable of. Most of these stunts we came up on our own),” the young lad pointed out.
Lozada further shared that they had been wanting to audition for ‘Asia’s Got Talent’ since it began two years ago and felt bad that they weren’t able to make it to Season 1 simply because they didn’t know where and how.
“Nung may nakapag-sabi sa amin na magkakaroon ng ‘Asia’s Got Talent Season 2,’ hindi na kami nag-dalawang isip na mag-audition at sumubok kung kaya ba namin makapasa at mapili na lumaban. (When somebody told us that there’s going to be a Season 2 of ‘Asia’s Got Talent,’ we did not hesitate to audition and see if we can pass and make it to the competition).”
Like DM-X Convaleñoz, the other Filipino dance group in the contest, Urban Crew said they were inspired by their respective families especially their respective children.
“Pipilitin namin na mabigyan sila ng magandang kinabukasan gamit ang mga talentong ipinagkaloob sa amin. Inspirasyon din namin ang bawat miyembro ng aming grupo dahil sa mga pinagdaanan namin, hnd kami nag iwanan at as lalong tumitibay pa. (We will try our best to give our children a bright future using the talents that we’re blessed with. We are also inspired by each other as each of our members have gone through a lot of hardships which has also strengthened our bond and resolve),” Lozada noted.
Working hard on their routines, the boys continue to improve on their craft by not only practicing every day but also learning new skills that they intend to incorporate in their performances.
“Nagtutulong-tulong kami na makabuo ng bago at ng maayos na routine sa bawat training at rehearsals na ginagawa nain araw-araw. (Everyday we help each other come up with a new routine as we continue to train and rehearse to get better.).”
To send Urban Crew to the Grand Finals of “Asia’s Got Talent,” create a Facebook post with the hashtag #AGTVote24, or go to @Asiasgottalent Facebook page and click on the message button to vote or do a Google Search with the the words, “Asia’s Got Talent vote.” Learn more here: www.axn-asia.com/AGTVote.
Voting closes Sunday, 11.59pm, so vote now.
“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 Urban Crew’s breathtaking semifinals performance on “Asia’s Got Talent” here: