STILL DANCING! THE RUBIES! THE CLASS OF HIGH SCHOOL OF 1984!
by Gina M Ordonez
To the Graduates of ACHS Batch 2024
40 years from now, you will get a message asking you to join the Velada on Old Girls’ Day.
You’re gonna stop and think… “Should I join?”… “Can I squeeze this into my busy schedule?”… “Can I still dance???”
Dear ladies, the answer is: YES! YES! YES!
Should you join? YES!
Because the Velada is more than just dancing — much, much more! It is a journey back in time. It is about forgetting for a few hours that you are wives/mothers/grandmothers or CEO’s/managers/entrepreneurs. It is about giggling and whispering like you were high school girls all over again. It is about laughing at the same old memories while you create wonderful new ones.
The Velada is not just a show — it is a sisterhood.
It is about squealing like a teenager when you see someone you haven’t seen in ages. And squealing even harder when you see your beloved Assumption nuns from back then. It is about bringing food to feed an army, because you don’t want anyone to go hungry. It is about helping in any way you can — whether it’s giving away an extra pair of costume shoes or retouching someone’s makeup. It is about yelling, “Picture! Picture!” when someone whips out their camera to make sure that no one misses out on a photo op. And zany picture-taking rituals like looking up and saying, “Heyyyyyyyyyy!” (By the way, you should try it, it makes everyone look great, LOL!)
But, we’re not gonna lie. It’s not easy bringing everyone together for Velada. For many, work or business will make it hard to attend two to three practices a week. For those who live far, the drive to the practice venues will be tough, especially on week nights. Out-of-town trips will be unavoidable. Family commitments will always take priority.
But, can you squeeze this into your busy schedule? YES!
Believe us when we say that God finds a way. You’ll find that you’ve reached a point in your life when “work-life balance” is tipping more towards “life”, and “work” will go on just fine without you — at least, for a few hours a week. Hopefully, Metro Manila would’ve eased up in 40 years — but in case it doesn’t, you’d be surprised how many offers you’ll get to carpool or to hitch a ride home. (Free ride plus free kwentuhan along the way. Nice deal, right?)
What about your family? Your family will be as excited about your Velada as you are. They’re going to see how being with your batchmates puts a smile on your face, a light in your eyes and an extra spring in your step. So, you can rest assured that they will support you 100% — even if it means adjusting some family skeds here and there.
Now, on to the big question: Can you still dance??? YES!
We’re going to be completely honest with you. The first few practices will be a lesson in humility. Unless you’re one of the precious few in your batch that are still sporty, active and slim by that time, dancing won’t be as easy as you remember.
Your hips and your limbs won’t work the way you want. Even when you think you’re making big expressive dance movements, in reality, you’ll probably making itty-bitty motions. And if you push yourself too much and actually do some fancy footwork, your knees, ankles and back won’t let you forget about it the next day.
And while we’re on the subject of forgetfulness… Warning: Remembering the choreography will be a full-time job. The step you learned on Monday might be forgotten by Thursday. To be honest, the step you just learned might be forgotten in 15 minutes. Such is life.
But, remember what we said about sisterhood? This is where the magic happens. Because if you do forget a step… or if you stray into someone else’s space… or if you miss your cue… never fear! Your Ruby sisters will be there to help you.
Whether it’s to remind you about the choreo… or to show you how it’s really supposed to be done (“Your hands should be like this, not like that.”)… or to just remind you to smile… or not laugh… or to keep your eyes on the Mother Rose Auditorium doors so you don’t get distracted by the audience… your Ruby sisters will always be there for you. You can count on them. Always.
So, you’re probably thinking: Ok fine, let’s say I can still dance, but what if I can’t dance very well?
We’ll let you in on a little secret: It doesn’t matter.
The Velada is not about skill — it’s about heart. We don’t dance for ourselves or for people to tell us how good we are.
We dance for our sisters — the ones dancing next to us… the ones dancing far away… and even the ones dancing in heaven.
We dance for our families — the families we were born in and the families we created… for our kids who will be surprised to see us on stage in full makeup and costume and will say, “Si Mommy ba ‘yan???”
We dance for our Assumption family — the nuns and teachers who made our AC days such a wonderful learning experience. Some of them may even be in the audience, reminding us to “Smile!”
We dance for our fellow Old Girls — who continue to amaze us by being Women of Faith and Women of Action.
But most of all, we dance for God — who, by His Grace, has kept us alive and kicking 40 years later. We dance for joy that He has brought us back to the halls of the Assumption — perhaps older and wiser, but forever young in spirit.
40 years will fly by so fast, dear young ladies. Get ready to dance!