Although it feels like so much has happened between the time Yanis Marshall was here and now that I am writing this blog post, that fuzzy feeling I got while watching him dance live still comes up as I try to recall what went on then.
Wait, Yanis who?
You probably don’t know him by name (YET), but unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably seen or heard about his viral videos that spread like wildfire on Youtube. Keywords: Gay, High Heels, Beyonce. You’ll find their videos at the top of the list. And mind you, they dance BETTER than 99% of women who wear high heels.
If not dancing solo, you’ll find Yanis snappin’ it with Arnaud Boursain and Mehdi Mamine in these videos. These three have come a long way since they made it to the finals of Britain’s Got Talent. And now, Yanis, is on a world tour, both performing and leading dance workshops that teach his style and choreography. #YanisWorldTourBitch
The Philippines is the third country he visited in Asia in the past month, having been to Taiwan and Singapore also very recently. The G-Force dance company took care of everything. Yanis performed as a special guest during the G-Force‘s show at The Music Museum the day before his workshops were held.
June 23, Tuesday – G-FORCE x YANIS MARSHALL CONCERT
Find my favorite parts from the concert below.
Note: These are only clips and not the full performances. Please pardon the defocused parts. I got too excited that I forgot to set my camera up properly.
The fiercest duet! G-Force Unique dances to Kelis’ Milkshake. All numbers screamed that sexy, bitchy attitude Yanis is known for.
Ladies and gents, THIS is how you dance to Twerk it Like Miley.
After about an hour of astounding performances by the G-Force, Yanis Marshall came out and the crowd went wild.
I nearly died when he danced to “Dance Like We’re Making Love” by Ciara. One my favourites from her latest album, Jackie.
The show lasted an hour but felt like ten minutes. Well, that was literally the duration of Yanis’ performance. But with the talented performers from GForce, it was definitely worth watching. I’d say Yanis’ short performance worked to their favor because then my friends (Venice and Kate) and I were all looking forward to attending his classes.
June 24, Wednesday- YANIS MARSHALL DANCE WORKSHOPS
Not a lot of people knew Yanis Marshall was coming to Manila. Heck, not even a lot knew his name! When I told people he was coming I would always end up describing him and they would go “Oh! Yeah I know him”. Of course, you do. Who wouldn’t?
But when I arrived at the SMX Convention Center for the first day of his workshop series, it seemed they didn’t have problems marketing his classes. I wouldn’t say the space was small because when they finally took out the huge divider at the back we were all surprised by how big the area was. I am not kidding when I say they had a huge turnout of attendees that night. I actually sat on someone’s face while doing one of the routines because we were rolling on such cramped floor space. To be fair, it’s not very often that a very popular, international dance teacher comes to hold classes. There were no mirrors, floor was partly wood partly carpeted and man, was it hard to learn while you’re struggling to hear (Yanis taught without a mic), get the choreography and not hit anyone in the process. I was craning my neck the whole time just to get the footwork (Venice and I were at the middle part). I could just imagine the struggle of the shorter girls at the back.
An evening of classes costs Php3000, whether you decide to take one, two or three classes at 1.5 hrs each. We started a little late and ended the second class at nearly 11PM, after which Venice and I were too tired that we decided to just call it a night. While part of me sort of regrets that I didn’t stay, I probably wouldn’t be able to absorb anything else from what he taught had I stayed for the third class.
Yanis was a really good teacher, his artistry clearly evident in his style of teaching. He was practical and made even the most complicated routines seem basic and simple–nothing too technical. He taught us to feel the music and just move with the beat rather than start off counting our moves. In fact, he sang the lyrics of the song to us while he broke down the steps and did not give a rat’s ass about the counting.
He was also really entertaining to watch and listen to, I fell in love with his character and how he could get bitchy in the funniest way. He was pretty strict too, absolutely no gum in class (not like I chewed gum) and we couldn’t get videos of us doing the routines, the official videographer did that.
I kept going back to his videos and reliving his performances. I’ve never been so starstruck in my life. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever been starstruck before. <3
What do you think about bringing Yanis back to Manila? Let me know in the comments below!
Also listen to my femme fatale workout playlist inspired by Yanis’ recent visit here.
G-Force offers classes and workshops at the G-Force Dance Center. Visit www.gforceofficial.com for more information. Follow Yanis on Instagram @yanismarshall and keep yourself posted by following me on IG too @nkitorres.
