From Hollywood to Kapuso studios

It’s evident that Hollywood dancer-choreographer Fusion has a soft spot for the Philippines.

His last two girlfriends were Filipino-Americans, volunteered Fusion, whose real name is Ruben Monet Ludlow.

“I live in San Diego, California, and I made lots of Filipino friends there,” he said.

Not surprising

Truth to tell, he’s not much surprised at the warm welcome he received when he arrived in Manila recently. (He will stay here for a month to choreograph the planned GMA 7 Sunday variety show “Party Pilipinas,” which will take over the slot of “SOP” starting March 28.)

What stunned him was the “level of talent” that greeted him when he started conducting workshops with local dancers.

“In other countries I visited, I had to work double time...but here, I was impressed. Filipinos are strong, intelligent dancers who really understand what it means to deliver a good performance,” he said.

He taught the local dancers the style he created, Kung-Fu Hip-Hop—a mixture of “martial arts and Lindy Hop, a kind of underground swing.”

The way he explained it, his signature move can be a tad complicated. “Lindy Hop is high energy and explosive. Then I put in a little capoeira, along with Shaolin moves and break dancing. There’s a lot of Jacky Chan in it, too. But the Filipino dancers adapted well. They got the move quickly.”

Track record

That’s quite a compliment, considering that it came from the same dancer-choreographer who had worked with such global megastars as Will Smith, Beyoncé Knowles, Missy Elliot, Akon and Diana Ross.

“I’m pretty lucky because I never ever work with boring people,” quipped Fusion who’s a friend of GMA 7 resident choreographer Geleen Eugenio.

He choreographed the Diana Ross World Tour that took him to Australia, Japan and Europe.

He asserted that the music biz’s biggest divas, Diana and Beyoncé, were no prima donnas.

“They’re famous all over the world, but in real life, they are normal people,” he said.

He described Beyoncé as a “true professional who always gives her best. She’s fun to work with.”

He reserved highest praise for Will Smith whose “Men in Black” music video was Fusion’s first big break as dancer in 1997.

“Will was a regular guy. He cracked jokes as if we had known each other for a long time. It was a pleasant experience,” he recalled.

He hopes his month-long stay in the Philippines will be just as enjoyable.

Should he meet his nth Filipino girlfriend?

“I’m single. I’m open to meeting someone special,” he said.