Meet 6x9 dancer: Jonathan Michael Mercado, "Boying"

L-R: Tino Lagahid, Earl Paus, Johnny 'Huy' Nguyen, Jonathan Michael Mercado, Jose Abad

Where were you born?
San Jose, CA

What's your favorite food?
Food. All food. Food is amazing. But usually anything home cooked always fills my soul a little more.

Tell us about your character, Boying.
My character of Boying is actually based off a real person. His personal experiences during imprisonment and his connection with his family gave him hope in such a dark place. Real life Boying is a passionate person and his passion helps me drive the content in Boying's character. Part of this performance is also understanding the choices that we as humans have made to get us to where we are. In this case, Boying's choices lead him to his imprisonment, but it was also his choices of finding hope and not giving up on his family that helped guide him out. I always thought he was really relatable since in our darkest of times, our human nature is to find strength and support in the people that we love.

What was your most intense moment as a dancer?
My favorite and most intense moment as a dancer is actually a recent experience. It was the time that I danced Sagayan (the particular style is from Maguindanao, channeling the warrior spirit) during a ritual. It was the true rawness of unchoreographed movement and connection to spirit that made me feel strong and united to my cultural roots.