GOING VIRAL

Ate Reya
Sep 17, 2019
3 min read

ENTRY 2

I never expected this to happen. For me, the goal was just to share a Tinikling performance that I have created for my cousin's cotillion. I expected at max 10 Facebook posts from relatives, a few retweets, less than 500 views alone on youtube. But then, sh*t happens.

I didn't understand how powerful social media was until the video had a combined total of 28k views in less than 6 hours

It seemed like many people were not familiar with that type of Modern Tinikling performance. These reactions surprised me because as a choreographer, every performance you watch looks the same. It was funny because so many UCLA students from the UCLA Pilipinx community started to react to this and wanted to try and recreate it. But the craziest part was people that I haven't talked to ever since I graduated high school tagging me and saying, "I saw this on Facebook/Instagram/Twitter, and I thought of you."

But then when Saweetie reposted it, so many things started to happened. I cannot believe many celebrities/influencers reacted to it. There were hella retweets and repostings from other accounts. And when KTVU Bay Area, TAYO News, NBCLA , and CNN Philippines featured us, I couldn't breathe. We realized we actually did something special. Not only we created a performance for our loved ones, but we're doing the Bay Area and Filipinos from all around the world justice.

But aside from this crazy experience, I started to think about how I got to this point in my life. And just like with other things we do in life, it hasn't been a smooth sailing experience.

Every experience is such a stressful situation. Throughout these past six years, there were times when disputes happened. People got injured. Many people doubted me and this performance, and I even doubted myself. Crazy part is, I didn't even know if we could pull through with the performance until the day before the cotillion.

But when it is showtime, everything clicks. Everything feels right. There's reassurance from God I just had to trust him and the process. There is a quote that I found on google and it states,

"Your hardest times often lead to the greatest moments of your life"

And as I am reflecting on this journey, I realize that although going viral has given me and the crew so much recognition and opportunities, it isn't the greatest moment of my life. The greatest moment from this experience is when we execute a performance the best we can. That's why you can see me in the cotillion performance having a Lil Mama moment at the end of the performance.

the husband and wifey. i love them so much

I wouldn't have been in this situation if it wasn't for the people who were a part of this journey.

I started reflecting on the past six years and the people and events I have encountered throughout this journey. If it weren't for my sister, I don't think I would have forced myself to join a tinikling crew. If it wasn't for the two bomb@$$ PYC 2014 coordinators (they know who they are), I wouldn't have come back to PYC and learn more about tinikling and the choreography process. If it weren't for the tinikleaders who led the tinikling crew with me, I wouldn't have become the leader that I am today. If it weren't for the FHS 2017 tinikling performance group, I wouldn't have stepped out of my comfort zone and experimented with so many things (literally.. have you seen that performance? )

After reading this, I hope you reflect on your life and the journey that led to where you are today. Think about what you have done, your failures, and what you have achieved. Think about the events that have molded you into the person you are today and the people that have been there for you. Reach out to them and thank them from the bottom of your heart.

xoxo MMP