Erich & Miko: Less Talk, More Dance
A wise person once said: “We can’t choose the music that life gives us but we can choose how to dance it.” Master choreographers, dancers and instructors Erich Edralin and Miko Valenzuela have danced through life with an eclectic playlist, engaging others with their passion and adrenaline along the way.
(L-R) Erich and Miko at a pre-pandemic party
Miko (L) and Erich (R) at a Studio 54 themed birthday party
If you haven’t joined a Zumbalicious class of Erich and Miko, you are missing out on the fun, the humour, the entertainment and creative values this much-loved duo brings to the floor, showbiz style. The themes alone – from whimsical and quirky to funky and glitzy – set the tone. Once they get you gyrating it’s hard to stop because you realise that Zumbalicious is good for your physical and mental wellbeing.
“It comes easily to us,” offers Erich modestly describing their creative productions. “We don’t think of it as work. It is part of the art and the service.”
“Plus the joy!” Miko chimes in. “The night before a party, it’s hard for us to sleep! What is missing? Can we execute it well?” Miko lies wide-eyed with some trepidation but also with much excitement.
Erich is the prime choreographer (Miko also choreographs). Miko puts the playlist together and styles their outfits (Erich doesn’t hesitate to give his input). They rehearse, adjust, rehearse some more.
“Sometimes I worry we can’t dance in a certain costume!” shares Erich. You will find them both researching hacks to improve their craft: how can we keep our headdress on despite a dramatic head-throw? Otherwise, you will find them on Shopee and Lazada looking for wigs (that Rockstar mullet!), colourful tops, scarves, hats and eyewear to add spectacle and a touch of humour.
Mullet wig, tie-dye top and eyeliner complete the rock star look
Erich and Miko have been dancing for as long as they can remember. With a colourful career that spans decades in the Philippines and Singapore, they reinvent themselves in tune with life’s ascending and descending melodies.
“At first, we were apprehensive about taking our classes online,” they recall. But necessity is the mother of invention. The show must go on. Students signed up for online “zoomba” as fitness centres closed due to the pandemic.
Now back home in Manila after 18 years in Singapore, they continue to bring joy to those who are spending more time at home via their Zumbalicious zoomba online classes. Participants join in from Manila, Singapore, KL, Seoul, LA, Las Vegas, Vancouver, Switzerland, Melbourne and more.
Every Monday, Thursday and Saturday at 10:30 a.m., the “Forever Divas” (an endearing term coined for Zumbalicious members) sweat it out. Some are “Platinum Divas” who pay a monthly rate for unlimited classes (full disclosure, I am one of them!) Others join ad hoc and pay as they go. There is an evening class on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. for those who prefer to dance after work, or live in European or Middle East time zone.
These are not ordinary classes! Every Saturday there is a colour or visual design theme (ex. Pink Happy Thoughts, Glow for Gold, Gaga over Animalia, Flores de Mayo) and on the first Saturday of every month, Erich and Miko host a theme party.
Previous themes for monthly parties have included Vamos a la Playa, Around the World, I Fell in Love in the 80s, Idols and Icons, To be a Rockstar 101, ZoombaStar Galactica, Dances with Movies, etc. You can imagine the diverse playlist with songs from the Beatles, Bruno Mars, Billie Eilish, BTS and more!
The party playlist is carefully curated and new choreography introduced. Erich and Miko go through multiple costume changes (Around the World had 13 outfits!) and song-specific videos are projected on a green screen to create a delightfully rich, multi-sensory production.
Around the World: stopover Brazil
Au Revoir cool down in France
Perhaps there’s truth to the saying “dance is a little insanity that does us all good.” The effusive response from the Zumbalicious’ “Forever Divas” is uplifting, to say the least. Many swear that it has given them elevated pleasure, a mental high and a different level of exhilaration. Everyone agrees that Zumbalicious’ zoomba is beyond exercise, workout or dance.
Marjorie (Melbourne): ’Dance like nobody is watching’ is a mantra I’ve embraced 230 days and counting. During our zoomba, I connect with female friends. Everyone is chillaxed, accepting, no pressure. And oh, how we come alive under the creative guidance of Erich and Miko. I rediscovered my quirky side, my sexiness, my disco diva self. I also powered through aching knees and frozen shoulders, improving my mobility.
Fides (Manila): Zoomba with Erich and Miko literally sparks joy. As soon as I turn on the zoom video, I am transported to a happy place, away from negative thoughts, fear, stress and frustrations. Zumbalicious takes the online experience to a whole other level. It is livestream, interactive and dynamic. We turn on our cameras and feel like we are amongst other people. We increase our endorphins which makes us happy. Yes, it is going to be a great day!
Glittering Divas at a yearend party
Rocking hair and make-up
Divas glow for gold
Sunny (Kuala Lumpur): Our husbands, children and pets look on with a mix of amusement and bewilderment at our crazy attires. It is pure, simple joy to interact with a group of like-minded individuals who have now become dear friends, our happy little family. (A graduate of Fine Arts, Sunny amazes the class with costumes that she sews for the occasion).
Michelle (Singapore): Our Happy Hour class is a mid-week de-stressor. Going to zoomba is like going to a party – you look forward to seeing your friends, you plan your outfit and you feel good. Zoomba offers me an outlet for creativity and self-expression.
Cathy (Singapore): Zoomba has re-awakened my love for crafting and arts. In a time where people are discouraged from socializing, zoomba makes it possible to make new friends and provides an opportunity for a weekly meet-up. The classes provide a lot of laughter and much needed distraction and levity.
Kelly (Vancouver): I joined for physical health reasons. I did not realise the classes would be good for my emotional and spiritual well-being as well. I get to move my muscles from head to toe, including face muscles because Erich and Miko and my energetic Z’mates make me smile and laugh and shout. The duo seem to truly enjoy what they're doing. And maybe that is why I don't feel like zoomba is a chore. In fact, I forget about my health and my sometimes achey knee. I just enjoy the party! (Kelly confessed she hates exercising but needed an activity to lower her cholesterol. Her doctor is pleased with her results.)
Pris (Manila): The word zoomba is an understatement. For me, this is ‘body movement therapy,’ especially at this time which is physically and mentally confining. It is liberating to be able to feel like one’s self again with friends who share in the whole happy, freeing experience of dancing. You shake your entire body and even sing to the music (on mute), and that has a way of shaking the bad vibes out. It’s like rain-dancing, you call in the good vibes every time you dance! We feed on each other’s happiness to get us through the day. It’s that 60 min space the pandemic and its cohort of worries can’t touch. We fill up our emotional tank to be emotionally available to those who need us.
“Toothache” pose
“Dance” in sign language from Permission to Dance choreography
Eunmi (Seoul): Zoomba is revolutionary! We can dance online together from all around the world. That is awesome! We don't have to worry about time differences, traffic jams or bad weather. I get a Zumbalicious high, like a ‘runner's high’ which erases any Covid blues. (Eunmi is the class video editor who lovingly assembles montages and follow-along choreography for the Zumbalicious youtube channel).
Tetch (Los Angeles): This zoomba class is one for the books. Aside from getting your heart rate going and keeping your body in shape, it also improves memory. (Tetch used to dance with Erich back in Manila in the 1980s).
Rizza (Canberra): One word: FUN! Another word: HEALING!
I first met Erich in 2010 when he took over a Zumba class that I was enrolled in. Even when I was tired, I just loved watching him – his showbiz presence and facial expressions can motivate anyone to keep going. Before long, I was doing regular classes, adding Miko’s classes on Saturdays and joining their seasonal theme parties. Even then, they delighted us with curated playlists and quick, almost magic-wand-type costume changes. Erich and Miko have continued this tradition and upped the ante bringing their offering online.
Some Divas have also commissioned Erich and Miko to do special online parties for their birthdays. It was a glitzy Yuletide evening when 49 of my friends from 11 countries and 9 time zones donned gold, silver and glitter in a birthday session, with calls to make it an annual event. Michelle surprised her guests by performing with the duo. Tita Lil had a “Staying Alive” party to celebrate her 80-something birthday. Rizza did an amazing zoomba fund-raiser with 64 guests dancing for three charities.
Erich and Miko, both Filipinos, claim that their biggest “high” is seeing their Divas dancing with smiles on their faces, moving in perfect synchronicity, across their Zoom gallery-view screen.
Erich, 61, started performing in songfests and school productions at a young age. His father said he was like a “kiti-kiti” (mosquito larvae) that couldn’t keep still. He joined and won various dance competitions which allowed him to guest and judge similar contests overseas. In these activities, he met other dancers whom he worked with around Asia, and who later encouraged him to try out for television. The popular dance programme Penthouse Live was his first regular show.
His mother, now 82 years old, also proudly recalls that Erich was either a stage or an assistant director for beauty pageants such as Mutya ng Pilipinas and Miss Asia Pacific. He was the pride of the Philippines as he represented the country in the ASEAN Music and Dance Festivals back then.
Miko, 55, grew up in a family of 8 children. He was the child performer called upon to sing, dance or play the piano for guests. He was in the college Glee Club and skipped military service (required at that time) by getting a scholarship and joining “Salinggawi” (Transfer of Tradition) Dance Troupe of the University of Santo Tomas. He, too, represented the Philippines in overseas events, swaying to Philippine folkloric dance.
Miko auditioned for the local TV variety show “Sharon” in 1986, where he met Erich. They have been inseparable ever since.
Under their own company label Adrenaline Productions Inc, Erich and Miko danced, choreographed and provided dancers to popular shows like Sharon, P.O.P.S. and The Party. Some will recall the “Adrenaline Dancers” who were managed by Erich and Miko. At its peak, the company was working with 5 shows per week.
“The entertainment industry is very different now,” Erich observes. “There are so many options and anybody can get access at any time, any place, and even play videos back.” Technology has made entertainment open to anyone, borderless and almost frenetically paced.
There is also greater appreciation of male dancers in genre such as hip hop, pop, street dance, etc. “People are more open and accepting,” Miko says happily.
Singapore departure countdown
It was time for a change in 2003 when Erich and Miko moved to Singapore. They were tasked with putting up a school for Performing Arts for children. That did not turn out as viable as they hoped, so they carried on choreographing, dancing, staging musical events and eventually teaching in the Lion City.
“The fitness industry winked at us,” says Erich.
A year into the pandemic, as Erich and Miko settled into a new routine that saw their 30 or so weekly live classes dwindle to online classes, they were dealt another blow. The couple’s Singapore landlord asked them to vacate their apartment, which had been home for 14 years, to do structural improvements to their building. The construction could last a year. This news had Erich and Miko evaluate their long term plans. They decided to bring forward their return to the Philippines.
“We had intended to stay in Singapore for 20 years total, but pulled forward our return by a couple of years,” both expressed with mixed emotions at that time.
Singapore-based zumba students were heartbroken. But Erich and Miko have found ways to surprise and delight their “Divas” online. Today, classes have about an equal mix of former students and those who discovered or re-discovered Erich and Miko online.
Erich and Miko are full of heart. They are gifted and compelled to keep sharing their gifts. They are the real Divas of Zumbalicious.
Fides (Manila): Erich and Miko are so creative and their online presence is magnetic. You see the hard work they put in, the preparations for each class with the perfect choreography and playlist. I am in awe every time they introduce their monthly special production.
Perlita (Singapore): Erich and Miko spend countless hours in preparing for the parties to ensure that they are flawless and fun. We, participants, also dress up accordingly to complete the extravaganza. While there are other online activities to join, Erich and Miko give us a solid hour or more of continuous choreography plus extra minutes when we participate in lip sync and have spontaneous fun. I do miss the live Zumba classes, but having started zoomba online, I prefer to stick to these now, having seen the couple work together, seeing the best of their creativity.
Pris (Manila): Erich and Miko’s creativity chest is overflowing! In practical terms you get all these – a super-fun whole body dance workout + a great playlist which is a mix of old, modern and new releases like listening to a superbly mixed club playlist + a visual feast of costumes and video backdrops + a chance to wear costumes based on the theme + this community which has become so dear to me because everyone’s just dancing like ‘no one, no one, no one can get in the way of what I’m feeling’ to borrow from Alicia Keys.
What would it be like if you couldn’t dance? I asked Erich and Miko. There was a long pause; the thought was so far-fetched. Then they remembered that they had no classes for three weeks, at the end of 2019, when they went on a beach holiday in the Philippines and a volcano eruption delayed flights back to Singapore. But while there were no official classes, there was still dancing on the beach.
“Music is a constant,” shares Miko. “There is music when we are cooking, gardening, washing or ironing clothes and taking a shower. When you are working, music gives you a rhythm and you find yourself completing the work faster.”
“Music and dance take you somewhere else. Of course, you can read or cuddle with someone; that helps. But the combination of music and dance liberates!” declares Erich with conviction.
“One day, we imagine living and owning a boutique hotel or resort with a culinary school and an art school. There will be a fabulous dance studio that converts into a bar in the evening. People who love music and dance will be our guests,” the couple dreams. Put me on the waiting list!
Roxanne | ws
Subscribe to Erich and Miko’s YouTube channel Zumbalicious Erich and Miko. Facebook: erichedralin, mikovalenzuela
Come and join an online Zumbalicious trial class. Send a whatsapp or viber message to Erich at +65 9106 8730 or +63 917 114 2379