Gela Atayde, as photographed by Chris Cantos

Gela Atayde may carry a surname recognizable in the entertainment scene, but she is dancing to the beat of her own drum as a dance champ, actress, and now host of the new dance survival reality show Time to Dance. 

For Gela, this project is not just any career milestone, it’s taking her steps further toward her goal of helping uplift the local dance community in the Philippines. Filipinos are known all over the world as great singers. “But what people may not know,” Gela began, “is that when we go to dance competitions and they hear that you’re Team Philippines, everyone is on the lookout. All countries are scared of the Philippines because we always win. We always bring home gold. We’re always part of the podium.”

While taking on Time to Dance is a personal win for Gela, ultimately, the show’s goal is also a win for the local dance community as it shines a light on the talented Filipino dancers who deserve attention and recognition. The show also offers a glimpse into the lives of these dancers, as each one of them has different stories to tell that contribute to their journey in the field of dancing. 

How the NewGen Dance Champ got her moves

How Gela discovered her passion for dancing wasn’t a linear path. There were breaks and detours, but the magnetic pull of dance was so strong she couldn’t resist busting a move. 

Gela’s older brother, Arjo, inspired her to start dancing. “When I was younger, I used to watch Kuya Arjo. He was a competitive hip-hop dancer also. And I remember watching him and it’s so vivid in my head till now how I was like, ‘Oh, that looks so cool. They look so cool.’ And I like the music. As a kid pa lang, alam ko na I like hip-hop music,” Gela told Metro.Style. “And I remember seeing my parents so proud of Kuya because he was succeeding also in dance that time… I thought that was something I wanted to do, but it was at the back of my mind.”

Growing up, Gela tried different sports. The last one she tried was golf, but she felt it didn’t suit her personality. She was craving the adrenaline from dancing, and it was a definite bonus that the activity also helped her get in shape. She tried Zumba and “Just Dance” on Xbox. “Workout na rin pala ’yun…,” she realized. ”I memorized 17 ‘Just Dance’ choreographies. And I was doing it every day in the house. I was losing weight na rin, slowly. Tapos, after that, parang I wanted to dance pa. Parang du’n ko nahanap ’yung ‘ang saya pala nito.’ Fulfilling siya.”

Gela became so passionate about dancing that she even immersed herself in studying the choreographies in the dance franchise Step Up. 

Eventually, she sought professional training with G-Force Dance Center. She also joined Poveda’s dance varsity team, Enciende, and made it to the team’s competing lineup, a notable feat for someone who only tried out for the first time. 

For their first competition, however, Gela didn’t get to compete. “Even if you’re in the competing pool, that doesn’t mean you’re going to compete pa rin,” Gela explained. “Because out of, let’s say, the 17 or 18 of us, they have to cut that down pa. So, may two or three reserves. I was a reserve in the first competition. I remember I was crying kasi grabe ako mag-training tapos hindi ako naka-compete. And then, my coach, I remember she sat me down and she was like, ‘It’s just your first. You have so much time to improve.’ And she was like, ‘It doesn’t mean that because you’re not going compete, you're not good enough.’”

Getting into the groove

After that pep talk, she picked herself up and trained harder until she eventually found her spot in the team’s competing lineup for a clothing line’s dance competition. It was then that her parents, seasoned actress Sylvia Sanchez and businessman Art Atayde, saw how passionate she was about dancing. She was in the zone and knew she wanted to pursue the craft and take it to the next level. 

But then the pandemic happened, and she lost interest in dancing. She opened up, “Hindi ako sumayaw for six months. I felt anxiety. First, sanay ako na ’pag sumasayaw ako, may kasama ako. Kasama ko ’yung team ko. We couldn’t see anyone. I was dancing alone lang, taking videos of myself dancing. Pangalawa, kasi sanay ako na nagko-compete so I lost ’yung burning passion, ’yung grind. I was just dancing for fun which I also love doing, of course, pero wala ’yung may goal and reward.” 

At the time, she and her team, for which she was the captain, were supposed to compete locally and internationally and even hold their annual “Siklab” concert but the events were canceled because of the pandemic.  

As the captain then, she had big dreams for their team, but when the events did not push through, she felt like she lost her purpose. “I felt like my dance career was over kasi ’di na kami maka-compete. I was overage na rin for the categories of the competitions we were going to join,” she said.

But that was not the end—it was just a pause. In 2022, Vimi Rivera, head coach of the Legit Status dance team of which Arjo was one of the original members, recruited Gela to be part of the team. She joined Legit Status and got her groove back—thankfully, the pandemic-caused lockdowns were already lifted by then. 

Fast forward to 2023, she and her dance troupe, Legit Status, won the World Hip Hop Dance Championship in Arizona, bringing a sense of Pinoy pride. 

Stepping into a host’s shoes

Gela’s latest showbiz project, following her acting stints on Senior High and High Street, is also aligned with nurturing Filipino pride.

Initially tapped to be one of the judges on Time to Dance, Gela politely declined the offer since she felt she was not qualified enough to take on that role. Though an uncharted territory for her, hosting seemed more fit for Gela. “With judging, there’s so much you have to know about dance… I have a lot of experience but I don’t know much about it in terms of the formula in making a piece. Siguro mas general ’yung knowledge ko. So that’s why I said, if we get judges, they have to be knowledgeable,” Gela shared. 

The task of being part of the dance council is now in the capable hands of Director of World Dance Philippines Vimi Rivera, World of Dance Philippines finalist Ken San Jose, and actor-dancers AC Bonifacio and Darren Espanto. 

Gela co-hosts Time to Dance with Robi Domingo who, she said, makes hosting look so easy and authentic. “I remember my first day in Time to Dance as a host, I was so scared,” she recalled, adding that she’s somehow an introvert who takes some time getting used to interacting with others. “You can make me dance, you can make me perform, you can make me act in front of people, but to speak for a long time…,” Gela paused, before finally saying, “Your brain has to think fast.” 

Unlike in dancing where there is a routine and choreography, hosting—especially a reality show like Time to Dance—could require many moments of spontaneity; one will need to be reactive depending on circumstances or the flow of conversations, and these things cannot be rehearsed. “For example, there’s something a contestant says, you have to think of a follow-up question to transition to the next part flawlessly,” Gela shared. “It’s just a lot of brainpower that I didn’t see coming. And honestly, it’s a different type of pagod. At some point, I was like, ‘It’s even more tiring than dancing.’” 

But Gela is no quitter. She took the job because she knew she could help make a difference with the show, so she vowed to deliver and is eager to do better each time. 

Because she’s new to hosting, Gela keeps an open mind and allows herself to be shaped and driven by constructive criticism. She shared, “I would talk to Kuya Robi a lot. Even without me asking, he’d give me advice. ’Maybe you can say it like this or just try doing this. Try doing that.’ And also the Time to Dance team, they’re like, ‘Okay, Gela, we need a little more energy.’ They really help me in terms of getting better and improving, and they do it in such a way that I don’t get intimidated or I don’t feel degraded.”

There is no formula for hosting. Hosts have their own takes, and Gela is enjoying the process of discovering her own style. She is not forcing herself to establish that just yet. “It‘s something that you learn through time, through the experience,” she realized. 

Dancers in the spotlight

Despite the learning curve she knew would come with the job, Gela didn’t hesitate to join Time to Dance because it perfectly fits her advocacy. 

Hands-on with the show’s executions, Gela pushed for a balance between the celebrities and the performers from the local dance community. “I was the one who also said that we have to really involve the dance community,” Gela revealed. “That’s what I really appreciated with our production and the Time to Dance team na they accepted it and they were willing to take the risk in terms of ratings even if, usually, it’s hard to get viewers when they don’t know or they’re not familiar with the faces they see. But here, they were like, ‘Sige, i-try natin because this has never been done.’” 

Gela is passionate about highlighting the dancers’ stories because she’s seen firsthand their struggles. Besides, dancing doesn’t start and end with the performance—it’s a long-time commitment requiring constant practice or training. The two important Cs of this craft are commitment and consistency. “Hindi lang kami lumalakas as dancers through dance. We also have workouts and training. We have conditioning. We do jogging. We have all of that to strengthen our bodies,” she explained. “It’s a lifestyle.” 

Dance has been a life-changing endeavor for Gela. Technicalities aside, it has taught her discipline and the value of teamwork. She shared, “I remember before when I used to train, ’pag five minutes late ka sa training, five minutes is equivalent to 25 push-ups. But you won’t do it. Your teammates will do it. But you count for them. And that’s five minutes. So imagine if I’m 30 minutes late, how many push-ups do they all have to do and I’m standing counting for them?”

It’s impressive to see dancers perform and they’re all in sync. But what’s even more impressive is their effort in getting to that flawless performance. Giving us an idea of a dance team’s dynamics and the level of discipline dancers have, Gela narrated, “’Pag magkamali ka lang ng isa, parang sira ’yung buong set. It’s a domino effect. And we feed off each other’s energy. So, kunwari, may isang absent sa training, absent ’yung katabi ko sa blocking, magugulo ako. Iba ’yung energy na mabibigay ko because walang tao sa tabi ko—even that matters. So being absent in training is also parang a big no in the dance community—unless, of course, it’s an emergency. Pero even if we’re injured, even if we have a fever, no matter what it is, we’ll go to training.”

It’s behind-the-scene stories like this that Gela wants people to hear, hoping to inspire them to be as dedicated to whatever their crafts may be. “I want people to appreciate that,” she quipped, further talking about the emotions and soulfulness involved in every movement. 

However, Gela also knows she’s privileged enough to consider dancing a passion. Many, however, rely on dancing as a profession. Through initiatives like Time to Dance, Gela hopes to uplift dancers to a level where they’re more respected, recognized, and rewarded. 

“I think the thing that sets Filipinos apart from all other dancers is the resilience we have,” Gela observes. “I see the grit of Filipinos and how hard they’re willing to work just to reach for their dreams. And I think that’s one thing that really motivated me.”

Gela in Time to Dance keeps the cycle of dancers inspiring their fellow dancers, as she becomes a representative of the local dance community with a huge potential to go global. 

Photography by Chris Cantos

Creative direction by Chookie Cruz

Sittings editor: Grace Libero-Cruz

Styling by Ica Villanueva

Hair and makeup by Nancy Soriano

Shoot assistants: Iya Baring, Angela Nepomunceno, and Krystel Matias

Special thanks to Star Magic and Nathan Studios