"Inspirational" is how Carlos Mendoza describes the International Dance League, the world's first global professional league for competitive dance, which runs until September.
"When I had the opportunity to join, I just jumped right in and saw the chance to grow more as a dancer," said Mendoza, a 28-year-old Pinoy dancer born and raised in Hong Kong.
"All my experiences have been in this small city," he said, noting that in venturing out, he believes he could learn more about dance and what it means to be creative.
The competition began in March in New York City. Unlike one-day dance tournaments such as World of Dance, IDL spans months across multiple cities to determine a winner. Taking place in New York, Vancouver, Sydney, Seoul, and Los Angeles, the league uses a point-based system where no teams are eliminated. Though winning is the end goal, a loss is not without value – the process itself brings growth and reward.
"To see dance branch out in such creative ways, and especially how each team can show their versatility throughout the months until the next [stop] – I think that is the main point of the whole competition," Mendoza said.
Graduating from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts in 2023, Mendoza was professionally trained in contemporary dance and has been in the field for eight years.
As a choreographer for girl group COLLAR and the new boy band ZPot, he concedes that there is still much to learn. Nonetheless, his resume boasts having choreographed COLLAR member Marife Yau's recent McDonald's commercial – for the chocolate McGriddles that debuted in Hong Kong on July 1 – and her opening stage for Coldplay at Kai Tak Stadium last April.
But the IDL is an entirely new experience, a roller-coaster ride that spans performing on what he described as a "monumental" stage to studying opposing teams, taking note of judges' remarks, and breaking the ice with his new team – Jam Republic SEA – which he joined for the league.
Jam Republic SEA won first runner-up against 1MILLION and Brotherhood in Vancouver.
Jam Republic SEA is one of the six teams competing at the International Dance League.
"It's not just about having this individual style, but also being able to dance together, understand someone else's strengths or weaknesses, adapt, and find middle ground."
JR SEA comprises dancers aged 20 to 35 from across Southeast Asia, coming together as a collective. While it was challenging to gather for practice due to visa issues across competition locations, the team pushed through. Thanks to connections with the leaders, he was able to secure a spot in the crew.
"Being able to see different styles, cultures, and voices in one place – it's something so magical."
Waacking – a type of street dance characterized by rapid, rhythmic arm movements – is a new style Mendoza encountered while training five to six hours a day with JR SEA. For him, learning the steps was not enough; it was also necessary to understand how the style came to be.
Among the global elite, one team that has left a lasting mark on him is Brotherhood, a Canadian hip-hop dance crew that has been taking the first-place crown since the beginning. Their genuine, naturally inviting performances have reaffirmed to Mendoza what it means to be a performer.
"It's not about admiring them from a distance anymore. It's really just … oh my gosh … they're having so much fun. I want to dance with [them]," Mendoza shared. Despite competing against Brotherhood, their inclusive performance style, technique, and discipline have resonated with him.
The Seoul and LA legs of the competition lie ahead, and the young dancer is looking forward to the challenge.
"Pressure is up there, but … it's the pressure that I've always prayed for."
