Gela Atayde – dancing with heart and purpose in 'Time to Dance'

Young actress and Philippine dance star, Gela Atayde TMT PHOTO

Gela's journey in dance started long before the spotlight found her. As the daughter of veteran actress Sylvia Sanchez, Gela grew up immersed in the entertainment industry but forged her own path through dance. She worked tirelessly with her team, Legit Status — a group composed of the best dancers from high schools and colleges around Metro Manila — to achieve the coveted 2023 world championship title, proving that hard work and perseverance indeed yield great rewards.

Reflecting on her journey, Gela said at a media conference this week that "Time to Dance" — co-produced by her family's Nathan Studios — is her passion project for the many talented but undiscovered dancers out there and the dance community as a whole.

"I wanted to do this because I want to help those who want to learn and explore dance as well as to inspire," explained the young and earnest mover and shaker. "I have teammates who were not financially stable enough to fly with us [when we competed in 2023], and that was when the realization hit me that I want to help because I'm privileged enough to do so. This show came to be because of the heart and passion."

In "Time to Dance," Gela will take on the role of host for the first time alongside veteran Robi Domingo. Despite her initial apprehensions, the bright and pretty lady embraced the challenge, saying, "Hosting was a challenge for me because I'm not used to public speaking. With acting, it came naturally. But hosting made me push myself out of my comfort zone."

Robi, who sat beside her at the media con, praised Gela's dedication to learning the ropes and especially to the show. He beamed, "Gela is all heart. She cries during eliminations because she's so invested. It shows how big her heart is."

In speaking more about the show's concept, the co-hosts shared that "Time to Dance" is more than a competition but a platform to showcase untold stories of the dance community. And so, in bringing together 17 hopefuls from diverse backgrounds, including a delivery rider and a person with a disability, the reality contest will not only highlight the talents of these carefully chosen and very able bodies but also delve into their personal journeys.

"We usually only see dancers when they're already champions," Gela explained. "But here, we get to see their struggles, sacrifices, and everything they've gone through to achieve their dreams."

The competition's "Dance Council" — rounded out by coach Vimi Rivera and dancer-judge Ken San Jose, who were likewise present at the media conference — emphasizes creativity and storytelling through movement.

Atayde with her ‘Time to Dance’ team Robi Domingo, Vimi Rivera and Ken San Jose INSTAGRAM PHOTO/NATHAN.STUDIOS

"As a performer, you need to use your moves to tell a story," Ken remarked, while coach Vimi added, "You have to be the best at what you do. You need to be competitive."

Picking up on Ken's remarks, Gela shared as an aside that reflected how "Time to Dance" represents a confluence of her two great loves: dance and storytelling. While dance remains her foundation, pushing her to be all out in her passion project, she nonetheless dreams of pursuing acting more deeply.

One of the acclaimed standouts in the ensemble casts of ABS-CBN's most recent youth series, "Senior High" and "High Street," she shyly admitted, "Dancing will always be closest to my heart because it is where everything started for me. Dance is the reason why I am where I am and for who I am. So, I will always give it to dance. But then, acting is really my first love.

"I actually grew up watching teleseryes since I was a little girl. I grew up in the kitchen with the nannies and they would expose me to the teleseryes. So I pretended I was friends with Santino and Agua Bendita back then," she continued laughing as she named two iconic ABS-CBN soap opera characters in the 2000s.

"I would even keep copies of my mom's old scripts and read them out as I hid in the bedroom," Gela added. "So acting really is my ultimate dream."

Aware that it is still early days in a whole career ahead of her, Gela practically shared she feels — like the title of her show says — that it's time for her to showcase her dancing skills for now, while continuing to work on her ultimate dream of acting.

In fact, she is overwhelmed that she's already been given a title in the biz in time for her show's premiere as the "New Gen Dance Champ."

Asked how she feels about it, the astute Gela replied, "I'm so honored and grateful for the title. And I want to believe that I deserve it because, like I said, many of the things were given to me.

"So, in my head, I did ask myself at some point, 'Did I not work hard enough for this?' But then I would remind myself that, yes, I am the New Gen Global Champ because I really did become a global champ. That's why I'm really holding on to this title and I'm really grateful — super grateful — that it was given to me. Because for me, it's not what it is or how big it is but what it means. Being a champion is like, you're inspiring people, and that's what's important to me."

Young as she is, Gela Atayde's journey with "Time to Dance" is, by all means, a full-circle moment — one where she combines her love for dance with her desire to uplift the community that has given her so much.

"This show, the title — it's really all about heart," Gela concluded. "I want to inspire people and show that anything is possible if you work hard and stay true to your passion." And her time to do all that, indeed, is now.