Way before Dancing with the Stars became a huge success in the US, ABC was already producing a show with a similar concept. This was Eezy Dancing which premiered on May 12, 1996. Eezy Dancing, however, was more of a ballroom dance party rather than a competition.
ABC prided itself for introducing the first-of-its-kind ballroom dancing show, not to mention getting the two most sought-after beauty queens-1993 Miss Universe Dayanara Torres and 1995 Miss Universe runner up Charlene Gonzales-as the main hosts of the show. Also included in the ensemble cast were heartthrobs Franco Laurel, Chris Garcia, Alain Sia and Tim Taylor.
An instant success, Eezy Dancing climbed up the ratings chart in a matter of months, forming part of ABC's triumvirate of giant killers (alongside Wow Mali and Sing-Galing) on the Sunday primetime slot. And why not, this dance show did not only exude an aura of glamour and sophistication but also featured different ballroom routines to familiarize the viewers with the intricate steps of ballroom.
But then, some good things never last, as they all say. Dayanara would soon leave the Philippines to try her luck in her native Puerto Rico. After a few months, Charlene got an offer she can't resist in another network to host a copycat show of Eezy Dancing together with fellow ED host Franco Laurel.
But the show must go on for Eezy Dancing even without Dayanara and Charlene, so ABC decided to revamp the show and add a little more spice. Soon, the show became Eezy Dancing Nonstop, which did not strictly focus on ballroom anymore but also presented a mixture of jazz, hip-hop and modern dance. The show was hosted by G Tongi, Ralion Alonzo and another beauty queen, 1995 Miss Philippines Aileen Damiles.
The show's persistence paid off when in 1999 Eezy Dancing Nonstop won as the best musical variety program in the Golden Dove Awards, an annual recognition given by the KBP. It was a good year for ABC as its other show, ISPUP, won a grand slam in that same award giving body.
December 4, 1999 marked another memorable event in EDNS as Miss World first runner-up Ruffa Gutierrez became the newest member of the show, the fourth beauty queen to join the show after Aileen left for the US.
EDNS continued to top the ABC programming along with Wow Mali and Sing-Galing until it bade farewell in 2001.
The legacy of Eezy Dancing, however, continued when ABC produced another ballroom dancing show in the same tradition in November 2005. ABC outdid itself when it launched a not-so-typical dance sport show dubbed Shall We Dance: The Celebrity Dance hosted by no less than the stunning Lucy Torres Gomez, who also happens to be a remarkable Flamenco dancer as well.
Shall We Dance, which airs every Sunday 9 p.m., remains to this day the undisputed reality dance show on Philippine TV.
back to main
