THE COMPANY of Ateneo Dancers (CADs) bagged fifth place in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 Street Dance Competition. The event was held yesterday, May 20, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Out of eight teams, Ateneo earned an overall score of 83.83 points.
Inspired by Michael Jackson’s ghost short film, CADs stormed the stage with skull-painted faces, leather jackets, and red handkerchiefs, showcasing a dark, rebellious routine set to the rhythm of “2 Bad” featuring Shaquille O’Neal. With sharp isolations and heavy, grounded movements, the Katipunan-based dance troupe carved out a performance that pulsed with defiance and swagger.
CADs Head Coach Jesse “Reflex” Gotangco highlighted the troupe’s goal to stage something new. Coming from two previous competitions—Dance Supremacy Kings and Queens, and World of Dance Philippines—Ateneo sought to exhibit versatility in their various concepts.
“One of the goals of CADs was to continue to innovate and try new things. We also wanted to increase [our] athleticism in the performance, which is something we will continue to work on,” Gotangco stated.
Coming from a loaded year, CADs rookie Sam Panlilio expressed his gratitude for the humbling opportunity to be part of the UAAP roster.
“Joining the UAAP competition as a rookie—along with my fellow newbies, Sofia Yabyabin, Sofi Protesta, and Sam Perez—was, with no question, a humbling opportunity and experience overall. It only pushed us to work and train harder in pursuit of honoring the spot we were given in this team of 20 exceptional dancers,” Panlilio said.
Despite looking at their UAAP stint being their year’s “TOTGA” (the one that got away), Gotangco is “confident that [CADs’] members will continuously be motivated to strive for excellence,” as the team reaches for higher ambitions. Moving forward, CADs will shift their focus on demonstrating first-rate dance production in the World of Dance Summit set on July 17 to 21 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in the United States.
The lineup of the UAAP Street Dance Competition competition team:
Renee Perez, Lenny Leyes, Lexie Toledo, Uno Ramos, Sabine Divino, Bea Verdadero, Feli Maneclang, Aki Gudiaga, Didi De Vera, Sofia Yabyabin, Sofia Protesta, Juancho Garcia, Mia Chua, Jodee Quintos, Jan Imbao, Niel Getigan, Mika Avellaneda, Julia Villa, Mika Evangelista, and Sam Panlilio.
Final Rankings:
1st – University of the Philippines Street Dance Club
2nd – University of Santo Tomas Prime
3rd – La Salle Dance Company – Street
4th – Far Eastern University Street Alliance
5th – Company of Ateneo Dancers – Street
6th – National University Dance Company
7th – University of the East UExtreme Squad
8th – Adamson University Dance Company – Street
