Following an eventful Season 86, student-performers from the participating universities were the stars of the afternoon, their eyes locked to snag the UAAP Streetdance title earlier today, May 29, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. As the competition made its return last year following a three-year cancellation, filling teams with lots of rookies, this year’s edition featured battle-tested veterans from various squads. Despite the valiant effort and a tribal-inspired performance, the La Salle Dance Company-Street (LSDC-Street) failed to land a podium finish for the second year in a row, finishing seventh with a score of 82.33.
UST Prime bagged back-to-back championships, proving to be the current best among all competitors with 90.50 points. Meanwhile, the FEU Street Alliance and UP Streetdance Club placed first and second runners-up as they earned 89.17 and 86.33 points, respectively.
Taking the dance floor
Donning costumes consisting of different shades of brown and black and white accents, the Company of Ateneo Dancers went first to showcase their piece. The Katipunan-based team incorporated funk and house for their music choices, with choreographies featuring the waacking and locking genres. Moreover, the company utilized lots of successions, adding style to their performance while setting the standard for the rest of the competitors.
Going second in the performances, DLSU’s LSDC-Street took the main stage with green tops that sported tribal patterns. And, taking their theme to another level, the Taft-based crew featured Afrobeat and Dancehall-inspired moves focused on footwork. As some teams focused on culture and nostalgia, La Salle paid homage to the origins of dancing—the various indigenous tribes worldwide. Their theme was significantly different from last year’s nostalgic Filipino childhood games but was similar in terms of energy and liveliness. LSDC-Street once again excelled with their technicality and musicality, which were brought more to life with their facial expressions.
Next in line to improve on last year’s silver finish, the NU Dance Company brought a different style to this year’s battle for the title. Dancing to Iniko’s Yosemite (Song For The Ahwahnechee), the group from Sampaloc was the first to feature the death drop, which became a trend in the rest of the competition. Wearing silver and navy blue costumes, NU’s performers completed their unique look with dark makeup and long silver braids.
The AdU Dance Company-Street was the fourth to perform in their traditional Southeast Asian warrior-inspired outfits. The crew revived a popular dance style from the 2010s to open their piece—the dubstep. The team in gray and silver added to this with vogue and waacking for a more modern take and to add variety to their performance. Adamson’s dance crew ended their powerful routine with a song from the Filipino all-male group SB19 titled CRIMZONE, revealing their crimson-dyed hair in the process for a strong finish.
Kicking off the second half of performances, the FEU Street Alliance went up next. The Morayta-based squad sported the traditional matador outfit–a reflection of their theme centered around Spanish-Latin culture and music. When American artists Skrillex and The Game’s hit song El Chapo sounded, the crowd went wild and jammed with the dance crew. The silver medallists from 2019 also had a waacking routine alongside other creative elements and steps in unison, punching their ticket to their second podium finish in the competition’s brief history.
Following the creative FEU piece were last year’s third-placers, the UP Streetdance Club. The team went from the dugout with royal blue, maroon, and white costumes while carrying a life-sized two-dimensional cutout of the front of a jeepney to adhere to their message against the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program. Additionally, their outfits featured a variety of styles, such as vests, jerseys, and overalls, resembling different parts of society. With these, UP began with Juan Dela Cruz Band’s Beep Beep, followed by a song of the Budots subgenre—one popular among jeepney drivers—and eventually, Willie Revillame’s Beep Beep Beep Ang Sabi Ng Jeep. The familiar tunes were also remixed with car horns while the performers had props resembling street signs and jeepney placards. To the audience’s delight, the Diliman-based crew concluded their piece with the iconic Good Morning Towel for each dancer, earning UP loud cheers, a standing ovation, and another bronze finish–surpassing DLSU for most podium finishes in 10 years with nine.
Finally, the defending champion, UST Prime, went out to continue their legacy. Wearing the barong tagalog for the men and the baro’t saya for the women, the entire team had silver-colored hair to resemble the Filipino elderly. The España-based performers also featured classic OPM songs from the popular disco group VST & Company and APO Hiking Society, all while incorporating modern steps and dance genres into the music. With a standout theme and superior steps performed in unison, UST’s piece grabbed the people’s hearts and proved enough to earn their second Streetdance Competition championship following their first win last year.
Journey to the fifth title
After being unable to land a podium finish for the second year in a row, DLSU’s LSDC-Street will look to bounce back next year. The Taft-based crew still holds the most championships since the competition’s establishment in 2011 with four, and they remain eager as they search for their fifth. LSDC-Street will work to reestablish their place as the winningest group in UAAP’s brief history of the Streetdance Competition, with eyes set on reclaiming the crown for Season 87.
