There was undeniable chemistry between the Philippine National Dancesport pairs of Mark Gayon and Mary Joy Renigen, and Sean Aranar and Ana Nualla. And it resulted in five of the 10 golds bagged by the national team in the event held at Royce Hotel in Mabalacat, Pampanga last December 1.
The duo of Gayon and Renigen bagged gold in the Slow Foxtrot and Waltz while copping silver in the Quickstep. On the other hand, Aranar and Nualla swept the Tango, Viennese Waltz, and Five Dance events.
The sparks between the dancers was all-natural — Gayon and Renigen and Aranar and Nualla are real-life couples.
The meeting between Aranar, who graduated from Far Eastern University, and Nualla, who studied in Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, was by chance.
“Six years ago, wala siyang partner, then wala akong partner,” recalled Aranar, who is 23 years old.
“Nabuo ‘yung partnership namin sa isang dance studio sa Manila,” added Nualla, 27.
Meanwhile, Cavite-native Gayon and Makati citizen Renigen have been together since their days in University of Makati.
“We are classmates from college and in a relationship for four years,” disclosed Renigen.
However, Renigen was the first to admit that being a real-life couple has its pros and cons. On good days, they can produce magic on the floor, while in times of what they call “lovers quarrels”, their performance dips.
“It’s a balance of everything. It makes it easier because you can produce the feelings more. But if you fight, it’s harder. But this gold medal makes it more worth it.”
Despite the crazy year the quartet had to go through to prepare for the one-day meet, it ended up being all worth it.
