Most performers keep doing pretty much the same, old thing over and over again, but a few more intrepid talents make it a point to keep stretching their limits and developing their versatility—to the max!
Recently, for instance, we were bowled over to see acclaimed actor-filmmaker Ina Feleo competing in a celebrity belly-dancing competition on “Eat Bulaga!”
She looked really lovely and luscious in her daring reinvention as a dance-dervish diva—and she did so wonderfully well that she emerged victorious!
Ina as a dance diva? Now, that was a bracingly new viewing experience for most people, who usually associate her with intense and insightful dramatic portrayals.
On second thought, after we’d gotten over our surprise and delight, we recalled that, many years ago, Ina was one of the lead dancers of the Bayanihan Dance Company—and that she was also an ice-skating champion who had undergone extensive and expensive training in the States.
So, she did pay her dues as a dancer and athlete—the big surprise was that she was now putting it all together in an entirely different configuration—as a belly dancer!
After the TV tilt, Ina may not pursue her new calling or “sideline,” but the key point is that she’s proven to herself that she can do it—and win!
In addition, viewers who caught her winning performance realized that there’s much more to her than the exceptional dramatics they had previously thought summed her up.
Come to think of it, Ina has had a penchant for surprising us and herself for a long time now. Our most amazing discovery about her some years ago was that the daughter of Laurice Guillen and Johnny Delgado was an exceptional filmmaker in her own right!
She proved it when she directed a short dramatic film about illness and death, starring her own parents!
She elicited memorable portrayals from her parents and came up with a truly exceptional short drama, which we keep urging people to get hold of and appreciate.
We trust that other young talents will get “infected” by Ina’s drive for stretching her limits—and similarly discover new facets to their performing and creative gifts!