In their third go-round in the Philippines, Hi5, the popular entertainment group for children, now includes new faces in the mix.
Gone are Tim Maddren and Casey Burgess who last performed with the group in Cebu City only last January. Taking their place are Ainsley Melham and Mary Lascaris, who are currently in town along with mainstays Lauren Brant, Steve Nicholson and Dayen Zheng for a weekend show at the Samsung Hall of the SM Aura Premier mall in Taguig City.
Still popular with young audiences, Hi5 continues to attract large crowds at their concert which started last Friday and will conclude this Sunday with three performances scheduled for 1PM, 4PM and 7PM.
During the recent press conference to promote their concert, the group said that unlike last year’s show which was “a Hi-Seas adventure to Hi-5 Island”, this year’s presentation called “Hi5 House Party” has more of a concert feel and is billed as “a dance party extravaganza” that also serves as a greatest hits revue of some of the well-loved songs they’ve performed on their TV show over the years.
These include all-time favorites such as “Ready or Not”, “Move Your Body”, “Making Music”, “Robot Number One” and “L.O.V.E.”. New songs like “Dance with the Dinosaurs” and “Come On In” will be performed by the group live for the very first time.
“Also, what’s special about this tour is that it’s also the first time we are performing with this new line-up,” Steve noted.
Indeed, Hi5’s new show is an opportunity for the group’s young Filipino fans to get to know Ainsley and Mary, the two newest members of the gang. Both debuted with the group last January during a performance in Melbourne, Australia.
Ainsley, 22, had just graduated from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts when he passed the group’s auditions for new members. He said entertaining children from many parts of the world is already a rewarding job to begin with.
“But what I find really amazing is when we always get reactions like ‘Are you real?’ “Huh? What’s going on?’ or ‘How did you get out of the TV?’ whenever we perform live,” he enthused. “It’s definitely one of my favorite things about being in Hi5,” he shared.
Although she was born in Australia and is based in Melbourne, Mary’s parents are actually Greek. She got her training from Centre Stage in Melbourne where she finished her course in Inaugural Musical Theatre and was a performer in Universal Studios Japan where she dresses up as different characters, including Princess Fiona from “Shrek”.
“Meeting so many new friends, so many new people as we travel to different places, it’s just so surreal. I still don’t believe I’m doing this,” she exclaimed.
Being their first time in the Philippines, both Ainsley and Mary were looking forward to eating Filipino food such as adobo and balut as well as get a better feel of Pinoy culture and hospitality, something that second time visitor Dayen is already familiar with.
“I love Filipino culture. The people here are so friendly,” she declared.
Dayen, a native of South Korea who replaced half-Filipina member Fely Irvine who left the group to pursue acting, said that as a member of Hi5, she enjoys teaching children all around the world through song, dance and interaction which she describes as “the best and more fun way to learn”.
She added that another rewarding aspect of being with Hi5 is that they get to be ambassadors of World Vision and Starlight Foundation that allows them to cheer up their young fans in hospitals.
Ainsley said all five of them were concerned when news of typhoon Yolanda hit Australia.
“Our immediate reaction was, ‘What can we do? How can we help?’. Since these guys have worked with World Vision, we thought that is something we want to explore and give back to those kids affected by the typhoon and maybe help bring back the smile on their faces.”
“Hi5 House Party” is presented by Hi5 and Wilbros Live, in cooperation with SM Aura Premier, Magnolia Chocolait, and Disney Junior. For ticket information, visit www.smtickets.com.
Asked what makes this show different from their last performance in Manila, Lauren said that aside from its Christmas theme, Hi-5 will embark on a Hi-Seas adventure in what the group calls as “the most fun-filled place in the world: Hi-5 Island.”
source: interaksyon.com