Jarvis Mo readily admits that he wasn’t the most diligent of students when he was in his third year at the University of Macau (UM). In fact, he skipped a lot of lectures in order to pursue his passion for dance, prompting one professor to sit him down for a talk. “University is for those who don’t know what they want to do,” Mo was told. “If it doesn’t work out, you can always return.”
Mo heeded the advice. Now 32, he is the founder of the Rebel Z dance crew in Macao. In July, it became the first team from Macao to compete in the World of Dance in Los Angeles. The city is the birthplace of a global series of dance competitions, which are held under the banner of the US reality TV series of the same name.
Rebel Z also lent its name to the now-defunct dance studio that Mo set up in Macao at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. While that studio may be no more, its community spirit survives. Mo believes that Macao has “a lot of talent” that just needs to be brought together. “I was the only one trying to build up the community,” he says of his early days in Macao’s small dance scene.
The early days of Macao’s Rebel Z dance group
Mo’s participation in a dance camp in Chengdu several years ago proved a turning point. He was there alone, learning valuable skills from international choreographers during an intensive two-week course – but he found himself feeling jealous of a tight-knit crew from Hong Kong. “If I had a team to go to a dance camp with,” he thought, “that would be amazing.”
It was that pang that led to the formation of Rebel Z in 2019, initially with around a dozen members. They immediately went to the Philippines for coaching after getting some help from Macao-born Filipino choreographer Ruperto Abelgas, who was then at university in the Southeast Asian country.
The dynamism and professionalism of the well-funded Philippine dance scene was an eye-opener for the fledgling group from Macao, demonstrating the level of commitment and training that would be required in order to become a success. But not all of the members were ready.
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“Half of the team decided to leave,” Mo says. “They wanted to have fun but weren’t ready to push themselves. Our group went from 12 to just 4 or 5 members.”
Those that remained formed a dedicated core that competed in the May We Dance competition in Macao later in 2019. “We lost because we were still figuring out our style,” Mo recalls.
In the meantime, the pandemic struck. Mo juggled various jobs, dance performances, and Rebel Z rehearsals. He tutored maths for about two hours each day before giving dance lessons. He also launched an agency to connect singers and dancers with companies in need.
Then, the May We Dance competition came around again at the end of 2020. Abelgas had just returned from university in the Philippines and together with Mo choreographed Rebel Z’s entry. “There were about 20 members at the time,” Abelgas recalls. “That was a big responsibility for me, as that’s when I started teaching more professionally.”
[See more: On pointe: Where can you learn ballet in Macao?]
To their surprise, Rebel Z ended up winning their first trophy that year. “People started to recognize us,” Mo says.
He and Abelgas quickly followed up with “Choreo Kitchen,” an event designed to showcase the work of different choreographers in Macao. “Macao’s dance events were mostly student showcases,” Abelgas recalls. “Choreo Kitchen focused on highlighting artistic and unique aspects of each choreographer.”
Held in a black box theatre, the event consisted of 16 pieces in styles ranging from jazz to funk. Rebel Z debuted an original piece, Have Mercy. “This piece is crucial for us because it helped define our style,” Mo explains.
Growing recognition for Rebel Z
In 2023, with pandemic travel restrictions lifted, Rebel Z was able to join a World of Dance preliminary competition in Hong Kong, securing third place and a ticket to the World of Dance in Los Angeles in July this year.
Rebel Z did creditably in California, coming 14th out of 52 teams. Abelgas believes they could have easily been in the top 10 if they had more time to practise – but coordinating the schedules of so many different team members, many of whom had full time jobs, was a challenge.
Looking ahead, both Mo and Abelgas are committed to growing the Macao dance community and give it a platform to show the world what local dancers are capable of. They want to continue to “train dedicated dancers, even those starting from scratch,” says Mo.
“If you keep pushing over your limits and believe in yourself, you can do unbelievable things. It’s that simple and with that, you’ll get to where you want to be someday.”
