FRANCISCO “PIPO” LIBORO:  ‘Twas an unlikely path that took Pipo to dance with the Penthouse 7 Modern Group.  First of all, Pipo isn’t a trained dancer.  Having taken no classes in classical dance nor jazz, what Pipo had was chutzpah.  At 11, he took his first steps in seeing the world when he joined the Philippine CISV (Children’s International Summer Village) delegation to Ontario, Canada.  There, he first experienced dancing publicly as he and his co-delegates performed the country’s cultural dances to an interested crowd of young international delegates, including a Television stint at the popular Art Linkletter show en route to Canada.  With some modicum of athleticism, Pipo was a member of the Ateneo De Manila High School Volleyball team that won championships at the NCAA & PAVA tournaments in 1973 & 1974.  After graduating High School, Pipo spent 3 years in Spain where he sought to study Law at the University of Madrid.  Unfortunately, the demise of Generalissimo Franco resulted in the lengthy shutdown of the University.  It wasn’t a total loss though as the burgeoning Disco scene in the mid-70s enticed Pipo to frequent Cerebro, the city’s premiere disco, where he tripped the light fantastic almost nightly.  Upon his return to Manila, and with Penthouse 7 in its full glory, a temporary need for a male dance member presented itself and Pipo, naturally, grabbed at the chance to dance.  Humbled by the opportunity to dance with icons, Pipo strove to raise his dancing skills every week until he was made a regular till the show’s conclusion in 1981.  While his feet swayed to the musical beats at night, Pipo’s professional career was taking him on a different course.  Graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Ateneo, Pipo logically joined the financial world. He was an investment banker and stockbroker till his retirement in 2017.  He now resides in the San Francisco Bay Area (USA) with wife, Beth de Mesa.  Oh yes, his rhythm is still intact.  He occasionally choreographs brief sections of songs from his Spotify and YouTube playlists and performs them only to Beth 😊