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What made people notice the boy from the Cordilleras was his dancing prowess. With Marky Cielo, you truly can’t stop the beat.
The first StarStruck sole survivor didn’t start out by playing very serious roles on primetime, neither did he make a name for himself through his singing. What made people notice the boy from the Cordilleras was his dancing prowess. With Marky Cielo, you truly can’t stop the beat. Text by Jason John S. Lim. Photos by Mitch S. Mauricio. Encantadia, Bakekang and Asian Treasures are just some of the shows Marky Cielo that put his dramatic skills to a test. But when Marky auditioned for StarStruck, it’s his amazing footwork that guaranteed his winning the top spot. But, just how did Marky get interested in dancing? This teenager started dancing during his elementary days as part of school programs and Christmas parties when students were asked to form groups for dance presentations. “Siyempre, (yung) boys kasama ang boys, ‘yung girls punta kaagad sa girls…So ang nangyayari, ‘yung girls ang laging nananalo,” he continues. “Sila kasi, malinis ang sayaw nila, laging angat…kaya kina-career na rin namin ng mga boys. Nagpa-practice na kami lagi…Lahat ginagawa namin.” “Doon na rin na-develop ‘yung hilig ko sa pagsayaw,” he finishes. Dance moves Marky notes that his style is more on hip-hop and breakdancing, but he’s also open to other, more traditional, forms of dancing. “Open ako sa ballet at ballroom dancing, mga ganun. Basta tuturuan ako, willing ako matuto…Pinaka-challenging ang ballet,” he admits. “Discipline kasi ang kailangan.” Of course, Marky stresses that hip-hop isn’t that easy as well, adding that all kinds of dance have their own difficulties. “Ang hip-hop nasa attitude mo ‘yun, samantalang ang ballet dapat graceful lahat, dapat may uniformity.” When asked who he likes to dance with, Marky quickly answers, “Pinakagusto kong kasama si Mark Herras at si Mart Escudero.” “Pero mas hindi ko makakalimutan ‘yung dance troupe na nakasama ko sa Baguio,” he confides. “Kakaiba kasi ‘yung energy na binibigay nila. Kapag rehearsals, wala na dapat ang Marky; pantay-pantay dapat lahat. At dapat kung ano ‘yung ipapakita mo sa show, dapat sa rehearsals ganun na rin.” Vocal rhythms Marky cites that he looks up to the dancing styles of Billy Crawford, Justin Timberlike, Usher and Mr. Pure Energy himself, Gary Valenciano. “Gusto ko rin siyempre si Gary V. ‘yung sing and dance performance…Gusto ko ngang matutunan lahat, pinaka-frustration ko ‘yung pagkanta,” Marky reveals. He clarifies that while he can carry a tune, he knows he’s not a singer. And this is more obvious to him every Sunday during SOP. “Lalo na kung nakakasama namin sa dressing room ang Pinoy Pop Superstar!” After acting and dancing, should we be watching out for Marky’s foray into singing soon? “Hindi ko pa alam kung ano ang dapat abangan ngayon,” he discloses. But when it comes to dancing, one thing’s certain for him, “Hindi ako titigil sa kung ano ‘yung dapat ko pang matutunan sa pagsasayaw. Hindi siguro ako magste-stay sa paghi-hip-hop at breakdancing lang.” See Marky dance every Sunday on SOP! Then, catch him again after Move with the teen-oriented Boys Nxt Door. And soon, you’ll also be able to watch Marky during week nights again! Watch out for that! Talk about Marky with his fellow fans at the iGMA forums! Who knows, you might even get to exchange messages with him! Not registered yet? Register now! Feel the Fun with Marky by texting MARKY to 4627! (Each Fanatxt message costs PhP2.50 for GLOBE, SMART, and TALK 'N TEXT, while it costs PhP2.00 for Sun subscribers.) Check out Marky’s gallery all around the iGMA Galleries: Marky Cielo Photo Gallery The Boys Nxt Door And relive the first ever iGMA Live Chat with Marky Cielo by reading the transcript!