Among the many talents that Filipinos display on the global stage, dancing is one of them. The latest source of Filipino pride is 7-year-old John Philip Bughaw, better known as ‘Balang.’
Hailing from Bacoor, Cavite, Balang has won over millions of Internet users across the globe with viral videos of himself enthusiastically dancing along to pop hits. His energetic moves even caught the attention of Ellen DeGeneres, who has invited him to appear on her talk-variety three times now.
With no formal training, Balang started dancing at 4 years old, emulating motions picked up from videos or by simply just moving along to the background music heard on TV shows.
“Natuto akong sumayaw sa pamamagitan ng panonood ng mga videos (I taught myself how to dance by watching videos),” Balang shared during a recent interview with the Asian Journal, adding that artists Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift and Meghan Trainor, among others, have inspired him to dance.
But it wasn’t until he was 6 years old when his dancing garnered international attention.
Danica Doma, a neighbor and close family friend, started uploading videos of Balang dancing on YouTube and Facebook. The first video posted that gained popularity was a dance cover to Meghan Trainor’s “All About that Bass.”
“Nag like and share yung video. Doon na ako sumikat (The video was liked and shared. There, I got famous),” Balang said.
Doma explained that fame wasn’t the intention, as the videos were initially meant to be shared among family and close friends. “It was supposed to be for fun. We didn’t expect that his videos would go viral,” she said.
She has since become Balang’s interpreter, and accompanies him during his various appearances and trips.
Balang’s subsequent video was for “Bang Bang” (by Jessie J, Nicki Minaj and Ariana Grande), which caught the attention of Ellen DeGeneres, who played a clip on her show.
After that video was posted, a producer from the show contacted Doma about bringing Balang to the US for an appearance.
“The producer and I kept on talking…and we were told we were going to be on ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show.’ They gave us money for the visas, then we went to the US Embassy for the interview. The next day was the release of our visas,” Doma said.
Balang, accompanied by Doma as his interpreter, made his US debut in May 2015 on DeGeneres’s show.
“A couple of months ago I showed you this video of a young boy dancing ‘Bang Bang’ in the Philippines. I said ‘bring him to me’ and I’m happy to say he has been brought,” DeGeneres said during her introduction of the Filipino dancer, who was then 6 years old.
During the interview, Balang made the crowd laugh, joking about how there is a lot of chocolate in the United States. He also shared his aspirations to become a Zumba instructor to “help everyone be healthy.”
Clad in a beige fedora, red collared shirt and black and white suspenders, Balang wowed the audience with a live dance performance of “Bang Bang.” The video, which has been uploaded to show’s YouTube channel, has over 5 million views as of this writing. After the performance, Balang was gifted with lots of sweets, including a chocolate fountain.
In late 2015, DeGeneres invited Balang again to perform a dance to Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies” and have a dance off with the show’s resident DJ tWitch to Silento’s “Watch Me (Whip / Nae Nae).”
Being in the spotlight, he said, is exciting because he gets to help his family financially and entertain people around the world.
“Masaya, po, kasi, nagkakapera kami. Natutuwa din mga tao (It is fun because we are getting money. Also, people are amused),” he said.
Earlier this year, Doma uploaded a video of Balang dancing to Justin Bieber’s hit “Sorry” on Facebook, accumulating over 28 million views. Bieber himself re-posted a link of the video on his Twitter account, writing that Balang “kills it.”
Balang returned to DeGeneres’s show for the third time to dance to “Sorry” in February.
Ditching the outfit preppy combination from the two previous appearances, Balang wore a sleeveless tiger print top, a look he said was inspired by Bieber.
After the three appearances on the talk-variety show, Balang shared that he was gifted an iPad, chocolates, art materials and a stationary bike, which he uses a few times a week to work out.
Balang was back in the US in early March — along with Doma and his mother Mary Jane — to tape an appearance on “¡Qué Noche! con Angelica y Raul,” a variety and entertainment show with Angelica Vale and Raul Gonzalez on Telemundo. The episode, which was filmed at the network’s studios in Miramar, Florida, is slated to air this July.
Balang and his mother Mary Jane both remarked how he received special, red carpet treatment during the taping, and that they were both picked up in a limousine.
“Balang is a very rare talent that is why he is a phenomenal Internet sensation,” Vic Perez, Balang’s international manager, told the Asian Journal. “This dance prodigy kid will soon be the next Filipino pride globally.”
Balang is the newest talent under Perez’s LA-based entertainment company, V Entertainment, which has several projects lined up for him this year.
“We’re planning to have a record for him here [in the United States]. The title is ‘Big Bang Bounce’ and it’ll have its own dance like ‘Gangnam Style,’” Perez said. “By June, it should be out.”
Balang will also be involved with Operation Smile — an international charity that provides children with cleft lip and palate repair surgeries — as a goodwill ambassador.
Now that he’s visited the United States several times and is continuing to build his dancing career, Balang said he hopes to visit and perform in London and one day meet his idols Bieber, Beyoncé and Nicki Minaj.
But even with the fame, he isn’t backing down on his dreams to become a police officer and Zumba instructor.
“Gawain yung gusto mo para magiging masaya din kayo at pamilya mo. Patulo magaaral at mag matapos na maaral, sundin ang iyong mga pangarap (Do what you like so you and your family can be happy. Continue to study and after you finish your education, follow your dreams),” Balang said.
Popular American television personality Ellen DeGeneres just can't get enough of John Philip "Balang" Bughaw, the chubby Pinoy kid who went viral online for his spirited dance covers.
The 8-year-old was again jetted off to the US to guest on DeGeneres's talk show, where he busted out his newest set of moves to the tune of Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You." He also talked about how he now has a honorary license to teach zumba in the country.
"In the two years we've known our next guest, he's gone from being a 6-year-old dancing boy from the Philippines to an 8-year-old international star," said DeGeneres as she introduced Bughaw.
This is Bughaw's fourth time appearing on "Ellen." He was first invited back in 2015, and went on to perform on the show for two more times last year.
It's been a while since we've heard of John Philip "Balang" Bughaw, the adorable, chubby kid who went viral online for his spirited dance covers. Well, he's at it again.
Proving that he's still very much the bundle of energy people have come to know and love, Bughaw shared a clip of him dancing to Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You."
The video has already gotten more than 7 million views on Facebook, and it hasn't even been on the social media site for more than a day, with many praising the kid for his infectious smile and on-point moves.
Bughaw first shot to stardom after a video of him dancing to Ariana Grande and Jessie J's "Bang Bang" went viral back in 2015. He was then invited to perform on the show of popular American television host Ellen DeGeneres twice.