L5.+Arjay's+Big+Dream

Arjay’s Big Dream By Dale, Gabby, Jeremy, and Ashley

Hi, my name is Arjay Aquino! I live in Cavite, Philippines. Every morning my four brothers and I walk three miles to school. It’s a long walk, but we play games and dance along the way. The kids at school joke us, but we keep our heads high like Mom tells us to do. We usually skip lunch and practice dancing in the gym when no one is looking. I’m not sure why we like to dance so much, it’s just who we are.

Then after school, my brothers and I go to work in the rice fields alongside our parents. Its hard work, but we know we have to. Other kids play soccer and go to movies while we work, so I am jealous. I tell my brothers I want to play and go to the movies but they laugh and tell me I dream too much.

After working in the fields, if it’s not too late, my brothers and I go to the old barn behind our house and do what we do best, dancing! They taught me how to do a flare, I haven’t gotten it all the way yet like they have their air flares. I want to be able to dance like them one day.

After we dance, we take the long walk back home. We are so tired, we fall straight to sleep. I wish I could stay in my bed all day and not go to school. But I know I have to.


 * Can you dance? Show what you got at the Dance Off in the school gym, Friday at 2:30. Winner moves on the city competition in three weeks. Good Luck! ||

The next day at school, on the way to the gym to practice, my brothers and I saw the thing that changed our lives. The poster said, “Can you dance? Show what you got at the Dance Off in the school gym, Friday at 2:30. Winner moves on the city competition in three weeks. Good Luck!”

We started practicing like we had never practiced before! I finally got my flare and my brothers were so proud of me. We named our crew “Got Rice?” and began to make a routine and my brothers actually used some of my ideas! I was for sure we were going to win, but my brothers told me not to get my hopes up. I can dream right?

We were practicing everyday for two hours or more just so that we can get the routine right. During our last week of practice, we finished our routine. We were not just break dancing anymore. We put pop, tutting, and bone breaking in our routine.

While we were practicing the day before the battle, my oldest brother broke his wrist. He was the leader of the group and the support of the whole routine. Now it was up to me to take his place because I was the only other dancer in our group who can pop, tut, and bone break. So we had to fix the routine to make it a four man routine.

The day of the battle we were really nervous. There were about nine different crews there besides us. They all had at least eight people while we only had four. What separated us were our styles of dancing. Those crews stuck with one type of dance while we had a couple types. As we were warming up the announcer said it was time to start.

Each group had great routines which made me nervous because we had to change our routine yesterday. Then it was our turn to dance and I thought that we did everything clean and correct. After every crew performed the announcer came on stage. The announcer said who the judges thought was the best dance crew. He said, “And the winner is ‘Got Rice?’ crew!”

As he said that my brothers and I jumped for joy. We did not think that we were going to win but we did. So I guess big dreams can come true if you work for them.