THE COMPANY of Ateneo Dancers (CADs) Street Dance Team is set to compete at the World of Dance Finals (WoD) 2017 in Pasadena, California on Saturday, July 22. This is CADs’ first international competition in the organization’s 14-year history.
Back in March, the premier dance troupe of the Ateneo earned a spot in the finals of the competition after placing third in the WoD Philippines Qualifying Rounds, behind fellow qualifiers Nitrus Image Crew (NIC) and Xtreme Dancers.
CADs staged a masterful performance inspired by the Academy Award-winning film Whiplash (2014). Conceptualized by Street Dance Head Joe Morabe, the piece portrayed the relationship between dance students and their tyrant instructor. It was choreographed by CADs members themselves, and will once again be performed by the team during the finals at the Pasadena Convention Center.
When asked on his inspiration for the piece, Morabe said, “Dance is a very physical art form that doesn’t always get the recognition that it deserves. There’s so much work and sacrifice, and for the most part, dancers are made to question whether what they’re doing is sustainable. I see this in CADs all the time and [it’s] the reason why our team got to the place that we’re at right now.”
Focusing largely on the expression of the passion and purpose of its members, the emotional performance clearly highlighted the core values of the budding dance group.
Because of the magnitude of the competition, the organization–alumni included–has combined efforts over the past few months to raise funds in support of the competing team. The CADs community hosted concerts, dance classes, and a flurry of other events in recognition of the giant step that the competition offers to the Ateneo-based dance troupe.
Given the preparation and support that sent the team dancing overseas, the expectations that the CADs delegation has set for itself is still sky high despite being foreign to the international spotlight.
“We’ll be going up against some of the best dancers in the world,” said Morabe. “We’re aiming for gold, of course, [and] we want our best run to be our last run, and we want to make an impact on both the local and international dance community.”
The members of the CADs WoD Finals Competing Team are as follows:
Jaco Abat, Carlo Acosta, Martin Awid, Jesse Cabero, Patricia Clemente, Mikki Cortes, Peterni Coloyan, Kat Espedido, Anton Fausto, Aigee Gatmaytan, Riel Geli, Jason Go, Jake Lanada, Josh Llanto, Diane Lee, Ricciardo Leuterio, Ethan Lim, Joe Morabe, Jana Padilla, Martin Perez, Mike Perfecto, Gaby Reyes, Mike Roa, Cai Santos, Winette Siy, Lance Tan, Lex Tanganco, Angelo Tapia, Julia Temeña, and Kim Velasco
