Mentoring Young Steps
Jun Patrimonio Cortel
*He says that dancing also promotes unity. "Even if groups have a misunderstanding, try to put on that music and everybody starts to dance and enjoy"
Jun Patrimonio Cortel admits that he looks awkward while dancing. It is for this reason that the dance troupes that he joined took him for granted.
Of course, being discriminated upon is not a good thing. Thus, Cortel decided that dancers like him won't have to go through his experience. He was determined to hone other people's talents, starting with his two brothers, who happened to be good dancers.
It was in 1997 when Cortel, under the JPC Talent Center he founded, managed his brothers' group, the Maximizers. He managed this for five years.
MIGS dance workshop
He also created workshops on modeling, voice lessons and dancing for free. His first workshop culmination program was held in SM City Iloilo in 1999. The next year, he again offered a free workshop, and the culmination was held at Robinsons Place Iloilo.
The management of Robinsons Place Iloilo was impressed with him that they asked him to handle the mall's Dance Showdown, a dance competition among men. After its success, the mall and Cortel ventured to Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, an all-girls dance competition.
His center is now called the JPC Productions.
With the Final Impact Dancers
He and his friends also hold the Migs Variety Show. The name "Migs" came from the endearment of Cortel and his friends Andrew Ong, Paul Clark, Clifford Mabaquiao and Herlie Peñaflorida. This show is a good venue for children and teens to express themselves through song and dance. It's also a stepping stone for those who would like to pursue a career in singing and dancing.
For Cortel, learning how to dance is very important. "Based from the students that I have developed, I saw that they learned to express themselves. Not only their talent improved but their self-confidence," Cortel said. Students were able to discover a lot about themselves, not just dancing.
He noticed that dance also holds a lot of appeal to the public. "When there's a dance show, not even a celebrity's presence could beat the crowd's turnout," he added.
He said that dancing also promotes unity. "Even if groups have a misunderstanding, try to put on that music and everybody starts to dance and enjoy," he concludes.