There are many emotions that run through a couple as they step into their first dance. While it's an intimate moment, it's displayed for family and friends to see. But it's the sweet kilig feeling (with a tinge of shyness) that Ebe Dancel and his team wanted to capture for the music video of his latest single 'Huling Unang Sayaw'.

Shot in La Union with a gorgeous view of the West Philippine Sea, the 'Huling Unang Sayaw' visual stars renowned dancer Mia Cabalfin as a bride who dances by herself. It's an intriguing concept, considering that some viewers may see it as sad or heart-wrenching, but there's a simple reason behind this creative decision.

"We wanted to show what goes on in that smaller intimate space between the bride and her partner," director Simon Te reveals to Bandwagon. "I wanted to show the feeling of what it's like to be in that moment, to be in that dance."

Bandwagon had a chat with Ebe Dancel, Mia Cabalfin, and Simon Te about the story behind 'Huling Unang Sayaw', shooting at Dalum Kubo and around La Union, and the power of film in black and white.

Tell us about the concept behind the 'Huling Unang Sayaw' music video and why you decided to have a bride dance alone.

Ebe: I just really imagined a bride dancing, tapos parang masyado nang cliché kung nandun yung groom. I thought it would be more interesting if we had just the bride. And then it's as if she's dancing with someone. I'm really glad that Mia said yes. She was my only option. I didn't have a plan B, I don't usually have a plan B.

We got in touch with Simon. We wanted it to be a small team, kasi we know naman it's very difficult making music and videos in the age of the pandemic. 

Simon: It was a concept that I already somewhat had in my head—of someone dancing alone. Coming from my background as a dancer, itong mga notes na 'to, mga elements na 'to, aren't too foreign to me. We wanted to show what goes on in that smaller intimate space between the bride and her partner. More than just the dance of what people outwardly see, which is very much apparent. I wanted to show the feeling of what it's like to be in that moment, to be in that dance. To the people who are dancing, it's something big. It doesn't have to be monumental, but it's something emotionally deep and founded. 

I think Mia did an outstanding job, breathing life into that character. Pati kami kinikilig habang nag-soshoot. Sa gilid may mga umiiyak.

Mia: When Simon and Ebe told me about the concept, they said not to make it sad or forlorn. If you think about the imagery—a bride dancing alone—it's sad. Simon specifically told me to show the joy and excitement and the little nuances of being a bride, of being in love, and really imagining dancing with a partner, being held, being touched. Little kilig moments. That was a very crucial part of doing the choreography and movement studies for the dance.

Mia, how do you use movement to translate the story into dance?

Mia: It really depends. For this specific project, I collaborated with Simon on the breakdown of the different parts. I thought it was very important to get the director's vision and translate it into the choreography.

I choreographed a lot of wedding dances for people, so just try to imagine choreographing the wedding dance with somebody in mind. I created it as a solo, but if I were to insert a partner in the dance, it could be danced with a partner. I wanted to create that feeling that I'm dancing with somebody. I did a lot of movement studies right before the shoot. It wasn't just improvisation. The dance was a mix of improv and choreo. For the choreography, I did it from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. (laughs). I watched a lot of dance videos just to see the feeling of people.

As Simon said earlier, it's not so much about the dance, because if you look at the steps of a traditional wedding video it's pretty much all the same. Normally the couples aren't professional dancers. It's really about their expressions and the way they look at each other. Yung konting hiya, konting kilig. Little nuances, that's what I wanted to bring out in the dance. I videoed myself doing some movement studies and sent it to Simon.

It's a little more challenging as a solo, because you kind of have to watch yourself. In essence, I just wanted to bring out the feeling more than focus on the steps.

Was there a particular reason why you decided to deliver the video in black and white with a 4:3 aspect ratio?

Simon: Yes, there is a reason. I think that was one of the first few things I decided on when I was writing the treatment. I remember specifically writing it down that I wanted it to be 4:3 and black and white. I remember at the back of my head, iniisip ko, mababaril ito ng label. Na I'm going to hear feedback from this and that it's not going to happen, but I pitched it anyway. I also wrote in my treatment that I was quite firm about it.

When I got the feedback, they were happy with it and they let it happen! The reason why I wanted to go with black and white, when we were diving down with the concept, was always a question of "What does this need?" and a question of "What doesn't this need?" and all I wanted to show was feeling, emotion, movement. The intimacy, the delicateness of the touch. The location, of course.

When we got to the place, the lighting was perfect. It would've been gorgeous to show it in color, but I think it would've taken away from the moment, from what Mia was giving us. We would've been distracted by everything else. We just wanted to keep it simple and direct the focus to Mia.

What was the timeframe like shooting this and putting it all together?

Simon: I think it was tight. I think we had a week to talk about concept, let it sit, let it simmer, and build up a treatment for it. I remember the concept was approved while we were already in La Union. I think that was one of the non-negotiables from the start. We wanted to shoot in La Union. We wanted to shoot Mia, a performance portion, and a dance portion. 

I remember we were meeting outside El Union and we were looking at ourselves and all of a sudden there was this long list of stuff that needed to be produced. And we had to go to our location to see if it was feasible. It actually went a lot smoother than we thought it would be. It was a lot of good vibes, good energy.

Ebe, why did you get this team in particular?

Ebe: Mia, I've known for the longest time. When I started out, she was one of the first few who went to my shows. Mia's a good friend, I'm a fan. I follow her on Instagram and I see all her videos of her dancing. So, why Mia? Why not! I love working with friends. I really, really do. I'm just so grateful that Mia said yes.

When it comes to Anjo and Simon, they happened to be in the area and I wanted an environment that was safe for everyone. I researched on Simon and on Anjo and I was really, really impressed so I showed it to the label. Sabi ko, "I don't actually need a big team." Wala naman sa numbers 'yun eh. As long as you're efficient. I needed people who knew what they were talking about.

I'm not a visual person. I think in melodies and sometimes when I talk to myself, may melody in my head rin eh. The visual aspect, I understand and acknowledge that I'm not very good at it. I really needed the right people who share the same passion for what we do. It's Simon, it's Mia, it's Summer, it's Anjo, and it's Maddie just helping me through everything. Just really, really grateful we got to do this. Understanding that these are extraordinary talents and just to record a song, just to make a music video, it's almost impossible, really. It was just a team of seven, and they made it work. All credit goes out to the team. I had very little to do with what you are now watching, except for the very simple concept that Simon and Mia worked on.

Simon: It was nice because there was a lot of trust from Ebe from the start. The work I do is a far cry from what's mainstream here. When Ebe rang me up that he wanted to do something intimate and feelings-based, sabi ko sa kanya, "You're knocking on the right door." And in that moment na-excite ako. This was such a fun concept to work on. There was a lot of stuff burning in my head. It was a product of the right place, right time, with all the right people. And that's also why it felt so easy. We all put in the work. Hindi siya biro, but it still felt so easy. We ended the day with a great dinner. We were all tired but were still all smiles. I think that was a testament na maganda yung pairing for the whole project.

Besides the fact that you're all pretty much based in La Union, why did you choose La Union for the video shoot?

Ebe: It's beautiful! The whole province is beautiful. I've had the privilege of biking around the province and you never get bored no matter how many times you do it in a week and it's the same view. It doesn't get old. That's not lost on me. Again, it's a privilege to be making songs, to be making music videos, just to get to bike around—that's something from God and I appreciate that. Sayang eh, I would've chosen a lot more spots, but the direction Simon wanted to take, okay na ako sa Dalum at doon sa pebble beach. Not a lot of people know about it, by the way. Tinuro lang 'yun sa akin ni Flip Corpus, my housemate. We went biking one day and he took me there. Everything about it was so beautiful.

And it helps that everything is open-air. These days kasi, when you do something with a group, half the time you're afraid you're going to get sick. The fact that we did it in open-air and none of us were actually sick, mas magaan yung flow ng video. You're working with people you trust.

Mia: We got a really good community going—a lot of people who have been based here previously and people who just moved because of the pandemic. A lot of creatives are here—musicians, visual artists, dancers, movers, filmmakers. We have this community going and I feel this wasn't present in previous years. Yes, we have this scene going and have people ready to work just like that. It's easier to meet, to get things together. The vibe here attracts your tribe and I feel that's what happened with us and that's how it worked with such a small team, because we're all here in this little bubble. It could be divine. I think it all works because we're all here in this specific locale and we all have that in common. I feel very lucky to be part of this community and that a lot of beautiful work is being made here in La Union.

Simon: Just the prospect of shooting outside Metro Manila is exciting. There's already been a ton of music videos that have been shot in the city. There's a lot of who we are that gets lost when we focus on just one thing. Having the privilege and opportunity to shoot in the province, there are a lot of gems you don't really see around. There are specific characters and nuances to specific places na nobody gets to see. Where else do you get to see a place like that?

When Ebe showed me a picture [of the beach], sabi ko, "That's where we have to shoot." After that shoot, I drove 30 minutes up north just to find a location and that's when we knew na tama 'to. It pays to listen and really look out for it. It's so easy to miss and be Manila-centric and lose out on everything else. I think it's good to shed the spotlight on these places too.

What do you guys have down the pipeline for 2022?

Ebe: I think we're tired of trying to stay afloat. God-willing, this is the year that we finally go back to some sense of normalcy. I understand that because I've been taking my time as well. I haven't done a live show since my concert and I don't know what it's going to feel like just to get back out there. But I think it's a reality that we all have to face at some point. That's why the elections are so crucial. We need all the right people to guide us. Once we have those guys, we can start focusing on our craft. What was it like? I think at some point what it was like to be doing 5-6 shows a week. Now I have a deeper understanding of the kind of privilege that I had and personally, I'm still patiently waiting for the time when I can play in front of the fans again. I get letters from them every day. They're all so beautiful. They're all so touching. But I don't know what to say, because 'di ko naman alam kung kelan ulit magkaka-shows eh. 

2022 will be a time for me to come back around. We gotta do the work and start doing live shows again, hopefully. That's what I'm looking forward to. It's hard to function as an artist. It's hard to function, period. Because you were taken out of what you naturally do, your environment, and this year is the time for me to gig again. I miss my fans. I really, really do. I hope that happens again. I'm not worried about next year (laughs). Ito muna.

Mia: Personally, because I relocated to La Union, I really moved out of Manila na, I realized na maybe from last year na it's important for me to create work here. Same thing with Ebe. I don't know when I'll be performing onstage again in the theatre. When I'll be creating pieces like that again. I have no idea when that's going to happen. It's been so long.

I've been talking to other people also about making more creative spaces here. It's just more open. Hopefully, that's something that can happen. Since 2020, I've also been working a little bit more with dance on film. I have collaborations with my friend JM Cabling. I think it's still a matter of adjusting as an artist. And if things go back to normal, will it be a Manila and La Union thing. I'm not sure. My challenge here is to create work in this different environment. But we have to keep making work, right?

Simon: I think not just this year, but starting from now I think it's a matter of—ang daming nawala eh with what we do, where we go, and how we live. I think I'm at that point where I honestly have nothing to lose. I'm at that point in my art where we speak our truth and we move forward with what we believe in and go in unapologetically. With all the music videos that I've been writing right now, I'm ready to outright reject it because the concepts might be too jarring or strong, but that's how I want to move forward. Ang daming nawala so why bother wasting our time trying to half-ass what we do and try to dim down our light?

Stream 'Huling Unang Sayaw' below.