Name: Jemuel Valencia
Nicknames: JV, Kuya
Birthday: September 6, 1985
Hometown: Born in Quezon City, P.I. Then lived in Montgomery County, MD USA. Currently residing in Silver Spring, MD.
Favorite Dance Style: House, Locking, Freeform Hip Hop

-About me:  (Sporadic, understanding, comedic, and passionate)

Good hello! So in a big nutshell, my major influences in life are Family, Religion, and Dance.  These are the three main things that molded me into the person that I am today.  The support of my family and friends in anything I do ("it's all about the company you keep") I guess brings out the compassionate, understanding, and comedic side in me. Without the warmth of close people I don't think I would appreciate things as I do and learn the wide range of experiences I have faced. Hence Friends = Family.

Religion is what keeps me whole and pushes me through the rough times.  I've been raised in the traditional Filipino Roman Catholic teachings and have gone through private school all my life until college.  I've always believed that "everyday is a gift" and appreciate everything in life, and without Him, nothing is possible. The talents He has given me for dance, I use as a tool to inspire and express myself to others.

Dance is what has become essential in my life. It is my means of expression and emotional outlet.  Dance is where I learned so much about myself and brought out a confidence in me which I can't really express in words.  It is what centers me, brings focus in my life, and taught me most of my life lessons. It is more than just dance, but it IS a culture, life, and me.

-Dance Experience:  (Tito Boyscouts, Major Definition, Culture Shock D.C.)

(Tito Boyscouts) I have pretty much been dancing from all of my childhood through my college career/present day.  My early dance experience started out in a Filipino culture group based in PG County Maryland called Mabuhay Inc.  Within this organization I did multiple traditional Filipino culture dances; my favorite is Singkil. Over the years in this organization, my friends and I started volunteering for a Filipino culture camp geared towards adopted Filipino children as camp counselors. Many of the counselors thought it would be a great idea to showcase some Hip-Hop dancing for the campers. Due to the popular and ecstatic response from the campers, the counselors decided to make this a yearly thing and hence we were formed as the Tito BoyScouts. As crew members we all started out as friends who hung out doing dumb comedic things and have known each other for more than a decade now. All the dancing skill came later and have always put ourselves as "Tru Family" first, as if we were all brothers and sisters.  Now, the dance crew has both grown in numbers and in dance skill.  We are a group who is all about portrayal of dance as an art, outlet, and to have fun.

(Major Definition) I really didn't become serious in dancing until my first and second year in college.  It is through this time I found a different appreciation for Hip-Hop dancing and performance.  Each year there is an annual semi formal held for invited Filipino student organizations of the DC metro area universities and colleges. WIthin this semi formal most of the school's showcased a Hip-Hop medley.  I was a part of UMBC's FASA and joined when Lyle Beniga ran the practices.  It was through him and this semi formal performance my friends and I from FASA found inspiration. We decided to start the university's competitive Hip-Hop team.  After many seasons without a name, we became an organized student group and named ourselves Major Definition.  From Artistic Director to becoming Executive Director, under my guidance, the team became well known and won or placed in major competitions local and out of state.  Now, the team has grown a big reputation up and down the east coast. The team has recently earned 3rd place in ECDC (East Coast Dance Competition) hosted by Culture Shock D.C., dancing alongside Rhythm City, Fr3sh, Fr3sh Juniors, Capital Funk, And Rhythmology.

(Culture Shock D.C.)  Throughout all these previous dance experiences, I am also part of the non-profit company Culture Shock D.C.  Within this company I learned professional training in performance and youth outreach.  It is through this company that I found that dance is really my center and has help me find my confidence.  What this team means to me is very important, in not just becoming a versatile dancer, but to also relate and interact with all types of people with the same goal of personal growth.  Currently I am not just also doing the choreography team, but now have become the Freestyle Team Captain and training actively in the style's of House, Locking, some B-boying, Popping, Wacking/Punking and even fundamentals in K.R.U.M.P.

-Favorite quotes: 
"Dance like nobody's watching; love like you've never been hurt. Sing like nobody's listening; live like it's heaven on earth."
“I believe that every single event in life happens in an opportunity to choose love over fear.”
"Dancers are the athletes of God."
"We are all fools whether we dance or not, so might as well dance"

-Misc: 
Huge video game and computer geek, first system was atari, current systems: Nintendo Wii and PS3, Ocarina of time = All time favorite game.  
Likes to be athletic, played soccer and basketball in high school, currently does swimming and jogging.
TV: grew up in the the nickelodeon generation (Rugrats, doug, rocko's modern life, legends of the hidden temple, etc...) 
Anime and manga fan 
Appreciates all types of films and music