DANCE is a universal language and form of communication that brings people together regardless of their backgrounds.
This could not be truer than when a humble family hailing from the island of Mindanao, the Philippines managed to capture the hearts of the global social media audience with their moves and grooves.
Dazzling their 3.1 million followers on TikTok, the Palicte Family (@palictefamily) has been active at churning videos showcasing the many dance skills they have, in a true family affair, from the young ones to the ‘titos’ (uncle).
Fans simply love the clan’s wholesome and infectious energy.
In the spirit of celebrating the positivity of dance, The Vibes Culture and Lifestyle team caught up with @palictefamily via Zoom to talk about their popularity on the video-sharing platform.
The Vibes: Hi there Palicte Family. Happy International Dance Day! To start, could you help to share what inspired the family to dance together? Is it a shared tradition?
Noel: For us – Nixon, Dongpals and I, we have been dancing since the 80s.
Nixon: Dance is in the blood of our family fostered since we are young. Growing up, we had our own individual groups that we dance for before coming together.
Dongpals: My son, John, had his own dance group but for Christian, the youngest in this interview also had his own thing.
Christian: I didn't really have a dance group, but I have joined contests since I was very young, at 5-years-old because of my dad (Noel) who got me into dancing.
TV: What do you love most about dancing?
C: My father and uncles started dancing at a young age, and through it, they were able to bond very well and feel happy. So naturally that bond was passed on to us (younger generation) where it equally made us happy. That is what we love most about it.
TV: Is there anyone in the family who does not know how to dance?
D: None. Even Noel’s wife is a choreographer herself.
John: Dancing has become our family passion. We all share the same interest, and you can see it from the videos that we post on our profile.
TV: How do you source for choreography inspiration in your dance videos?
D: Some steps are from discovering other dance videos and turning it (into) our own.
C: We also keep a lookout on dance craze online and try it out together and just go with the flow. Sometimes the dance challenges become viral because the moves are very fresh and young, which we love doing.
TV: How often do you record your videos?
J: We try to do so every weekend, on Sundays, and take around five videos because that is when we are all available and can gather to dance as a group since most of us work on the weekdays. But before TikTok came, we would usually do dance battles (between cousins) at our grandmother’s house, so now instead of dance battles, we do dance videos.
TV: After receiving widespread attention thanks to TikTok, will there be a day any of you would quit your day job and pursue dance fulltime?
D: Not really. We are just having fun together as a family.
Noel: ... and also enjoying the opportunities that come in. – The Vibes, April 29, 2021
*More on the interview in the video below:
