When it comes to dancing, AC Bonifacio doesn’t mess around. The young actress expresses her unwavering affection for the genre of art that has allowed her dreams to come true via memories, moves, and achievements.AC Bonifacio is just thinking about dancing as the music begins to play. And by performances, we don’t simply refer to the weekly ones she delivers on the lazy drawl of Sundays. Even in the very early morning yawn, there is a certain beauty to her movements, whether it be the constant sways of her foot dangling on the chair she is firmly set on, the frantic staccato-like tapping on her phone, or the chewing of gum that followed a rhythmic tempo.
She pushes up a pair of transparent, large eyeglasses that had accidentally dropped down the bridge of her nose during her swing of movements as she explains, “It’s straightforward,” in an interview with Nylon Manila. “I don’t even consider the moves; keep dancing without stopping. All I can think about right now is to keep moving forward because the second I overthink something, I start to feel like I’m not enjoying it and that it’s more like work. I just let my body go and move to ensure that I’m doing what I want to and having pleasure. AC Bonifacio exudes an indescribable sense of delight at the very thought of dancing.
“It’s important for me to always have dance in everything that I do,” she says. “It’s really what got me started.”
Despite what some people might wish to believe, she didn’t merely obtain what she wanted. Neither a fairy godmother nor a string of fortunate circumstances could have brought her dreams to life. In actuality, AC Bonifacio lost the first dance contest she entered in Canada.
Now that I think about it, that was insane,” she says wistfully, her eyes glistening with delight. “The fact that I didn’t win the first competition motivated me to work harder. Every day after school until 10 p.m., I would train. I’ll sleep, go to school, and then resume my training. One wise woman once said: “If at first, you don’t succeed, brush yourself off and try again.” And try again she did since she liked what she was doing. With her crew, AC Bonifacio won the following contest by using diligence and discipline.
“I went through all of my setbacks at a very young age. We always lose in dance competitions, and not just that, like there are times where I [felt] wasn’t good enough, where I couldn’t dance the way I wanted to dance, and it put me down obviously. It’s hard to have that [good] mindset right away because you’re young, you’re always going to get hurt with everything around you,” AC Bonifacio shares. “The main thing [that helped] was supporting my whole family. They are always there in front of the stage, every competition, every show cheering me on. So, that kept me going: even if I lose, it’s okay. I’ll train, even more, get better, and then make it to the next round and win.”
Occasionally, it’s not even the following one. You’re going to lose a lot, you know. Before you reach that destination, there will be many obstacles in your way, she warns, her voice devoid of humour. She was well aware of the notion that even if you don’t obtain what you desire, the world still moves when she was just nine years old. You have to go with the flow, or in this case, continue dancing.
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