Even before she thought of entering the world of dance, Gela Atayde had been tagging along with her mom, Sylvia Sanchez, and was dreaming of following in the respected actress’ footsteps.
Gela was so intent in her desire to be an actress she said she was willing to be kicked out of her school, which had a strict attendance policy.
She eventually put that dream on hold. But at age 12, Gela found her groove.
With inspiration from her family and buoyed by her brother Arjo’s example, Gela broke through the scene with her fast footwork and power moves.
Last August 6, twelve months of sacrifices and backbreaking work resulted in victory. In a dazzling display of talent, creativity, and grit, rising Kapamilya actress Gela Atayde and her dance crew, Legit Status, clinched the top spot in the MegaCrew division at the World Hip Hop Dance Championship held in Phoenix, Arizona.
Maintaining its lead throughout the fierce competition and showcasing its unmatched dancing prowess and solid teamwork, the team eventually bested 54 other dance groups from all over the world with their sound performance.
Thousands of fans and guests cheered on as Gela and Legit Status were announced as the winners and had the distinct honor of singing the Philippine national anthem, representing the country with pride in front of international acts.
“From all the sleepless training nights, missed events, injuries, failures, heartaches, and doubts to the great runs, good laughs, happy tears, great memories, and this championship. This is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to go through in my life so far but I am so grateful for how it turned out,” said Gela.
With the hope of conquering more stages for her fiery dance moves and impeccable routines, Gela makes sure to keep herself grounded by continuously honing her talent from the mentorship she receives from the equally passionate people she’s meeting along the way, including Coach Vimi Rivera.
Following her triumphant return, Gela is set to embark on another stage of her career: acting.
Apart from her show-stopping dance performances, she is now ready to make a mark with her starring role in “Senior High.” The highly anticipated TV series offering produced by ABS-CBN and Dreamscape is composed of the hottest teen stars of today: Andrea Brillantes, Elijah Canlas, Zaijan Jaranilla, and Xyriel Manabat.
Gela expressed her enthusiasm for the role she is about to play as it is very close to her personality. Making it a full circle moment for the young actress is the fact she will also be working with her mother: Sylvia Sanchez and her best friend: Kyle Echarri on the show.
“Being part of a family that is passionate about acting has played a huge role in opening my eyes to the beauty of the craft. I am really grateful to all those who paved the way for me to tick another goal off of my bucket list. ‘Senior High’ is really gonna be special for me, not only because it’s my first acting gig but also because I’m sharing the camera with my mom,” said Gela.
Truly, Gela has many more moves in store for the business and she is all set to carve her very own path to stardom at full speed.
