On the weekends of July 10 to August 2, if you find yourself in the vicinity of the Proscenium Theater at Rockwell Center, Makati, you’ll be forgiven if you start counting ‘1-2-3’ in a loud voice, suddenly shout ‘Conga’, or go chasing after your friends while calling yourself Rhythm - as in the "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You."

For on those prescribed dates, "On Your Feet!" will be having its limited engagement, Southeast Asian premiere - as presented by Rockwell and 9Works.

In the tradition of their "The Bodyguard" staging, expect "On Your Feet!" to be a heavy dose of musical nostalgia, as it’s subtitled "The Story of Emilio and Gloria Estefan."

26-time Grammy Award winners, the couple and their Miami Sound Machine lorded it over the international music charts from the early 1980s - and in 1989, she rose to solo stardom, with that solo success extending beyond the life-threatening tour bus accident of 1990.

All this is put together in quick episodic vignettes in "On Your Feet!" Directed by Robbie Guevara, with the musical direction of Daniel Bartolome; it’s based on the book of Alexander Dinelaris Jr., and ran on Broadway from 2015 to 2017, earning a Tony Award nomination for Best Choreography.

Kayla Rivera and Molly Langley alternate as Gloria, and import American actor of Cuban descent Jason Canela portrays Emilio.

There’s more than able support from the likes of Ayen Laurel as Gloria Fajardo, the mother of Gloria Estefan; and Pinky Marquez as the rambunctious Lola Consuelo.

"Words Get In the Way" is another of Gloria’s major hits, and I use it to describe the book that comes from Dinelaris. It starts off flat, trying to stuff too many things and not letting the vignettes have much dramatic impact.

In those first 30 minutes, it was really Pinky Marquez as the Lola who resonated, and created a strong impression. Both Gloria and Emilio would register; but more by default, because you know it’s their story.

I’d call the musical number of "Don’t Wanna Lose You," staged as Gloria singing in a club for the first time along with Emilio’s band, then known as the Miami Latin Boys; as my first instance of really feeling the narrative. And it is for me a missed opportunity as there’s so much to talk about.

Their struggle as a Latin American band to make it past the color line that existed back then - they could be considered successful, but only as a niche act; is one great storyline.

Essentially, Gloria and Emilio paved the way for Selena, Menudo, Ricky Martin and Julio Iglesias. Even the success today of Shakira and Bad Bunny can be traced back to the Estefan couple.

Then internally, the recognition by Emilio to make the Miami Latin Boys be rechristened the Miami Sound Machine so as to incorporate Gloria’s official entry into the band. And later on, to use her name to front the band; and ultimately, go solo under his guidance and drop the band. Those for me are all potentially interesting stories as they’re about the internal dynamics of a musical act - but they’re all glossed over as simple choices made by Emilio.

What rises above the book is the energy, the singing, and the commitment of the cast to their respective roles. Canela exhibits the right amount of rough at the edges charm, and on the night I caught the show, it was Kayla as Gloria. And yes, I’d love to watch Molly as I thought she was impressive in "Side Show."

So honestly, for me there was a bit of just waiting for the musical numbers to unfold. Others in the audience seemed to enjoy the narrative as well, so it might just be me. But I will be one with them in agreeing that when the music hits you, it does so in a great party way, and that alone, should be worth the price of admission.