During half-time at Vancouver Bandits games, Hazelle Flores, Kristine Panganiban and Calvin Cruz perform their fast-paced hip-hop routine in front of basketball fans at the Langley Events Centre as part of the new dance crew.
Although now dance professionals, Flores, Panganiban and Cruz's journeys to joining the Bandits’ dance team are the result of immense determination and self discipline.
Flores is a fifth-year Sauder student studying business technology management and operations and logistics. She credits her success with the Bandits to mastering time management, something she learned at her co-op.
“Being able to … hold yourself responsible, especially in the corporate world is something that I think once you experience it, you start to get used to it,” she said.
But even with great organizational skills, loving what she does is what's most important to her.
“For Bandits, it doesn’t even feel like I’m working — it’s more of a passion. I’ve been dancing since I was eight, so I’ve always had dance in my life in some aspect,” Flores said.
For Panganiban, a third-year psychology student and dance instructor at Trek of Arts, a Vancouver-based studio, dancing with the Bandits is a step toward her future.
“My passion is for dance and will always be for dance,” she said.
However, the passion doesn't always distract from the wide open floor with everyone watching.
“With the Bandits’ dance team, there is a lot of pressure when it comes to dancing in front of people and practicing,” Panganiban said. “It does become stressful when you’re around all those people but you have to just relax and be in the moment when you’re there.”
“I think UBC prepared me for all that stress and pressure and being able to relieve some anxiety [about performing] because I understand … how stressful it gets when a lot of things are piled up," she added.
Cruz, a 2021 graduate of psychology and mathematics, balances his corporate career with the Bandits.
Following his avid involvement in the academic and dance communities at UBC, Cruz continues to manage a double-life.
“I work in HR and then dance is also something that I do full time,” he said. “[The Bandits] is like my five to nine after my nine to five, even though it’s longer than five to nine, [more] like five to midnight.”
As a mentor to his younger Bandits teammates, Cruz often gives advice to undergraduates like Flores and Panganiban.
“Every time I meet someone in the dance scene that are also from UBC, it’s always just nice,” he said. “Giving them ‘tips and tricks’ [about] how I did it … passing [that on] to fellow students to get that connection. I’m like ‘this is what I did during my undergrad,' [and] 'this may or may not work for you.’”
Going forward, all three dancers want to keep pursuing dance professionally while still working towards their other careers.
“Making a career out of dance is difficult — there’s so many factors that play into it. But I love dance, and I knew I couldn’t stop dancing,” Flores said. “Whether I could make a career out of it or not, I would still want to do it.”
Their journeys to professional dancing were varied and challenging, but these three dancers now reap the rewards. Flores said the key is a willingness to pursue your dreams.
“Don’t stop your passion. You can make it work. And just believe in yourself. There [were] so many times where I didn’t think I would be able to do it,” she said.