Intensity, artistry, and pride collide as UAAP Season 88’s premier street dance crews step onto the floor for their most important showdown of the year on Sunday at the Blue Eagle Gym in Quezon City.
With the stakes higher than ever, reigning collegiate champions UP Street Dance Club and high school titlists NUDC–Nazalian Street face a loaded field of challengers eager to end their dominance and claim the spotlight for themselves.
On the collegiate side, host school entries UST Prime and UST Galvanize are set to cap the competition, with the rest of the lineup performing in rotation. UP Street Dance Club draws the opening slot, followed by East Force Dance Company, Adamson Dance Company-Street, La Salle Dance Company-Street, Company of Ateneo Dancers, NU Dance Company, FEU Street Alliance, and finally UST Prime.
A massive target continues to hover over Diliman, but UP Street Dance Club head coach Ariel Alba said his squad is prepared for the pressure as they chase a record-extending fifth UAAP collegiate street dance crown.
“Giving a stand-alone event gives more value to the streetdance community and to UAAP schools. This also helps promote and elevate the streetdance scene in the Philippines,” Alba said.
“Yes, but being the iskolar ng bayan, we are ready and prepared for any challenges,” he added.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Coming off a runner-up finish last season, UST Prime enters the competition with unfinished business, determined to turn its redemption bid into a breakthrough championship. Now winners of the past two editions, the team embraces both expectation and opportunity in equal measure.
UST Prime head coach Chips Beltran acknowledged the pressure of performing last in an eight-team field but sees it as fuel for a statement finish.
“Performing last is definitely an added pressure for the team, but it is also a huge blessing. We need to close the whole event with a banger performance,” Beltran said.
“Knowing that next year we will be the first to perform if we win the title this year, it will be more challenging to defend it. But you know us, Prime—we always love a challenge. As for Sunday, we will surely cherish the opportunity to perform last,” he added.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
For the wider dance community, Season 87 bronze medalists La Salle Dance Company-Street and head coach Dzhtine Bernardino see this year’s competition as a defining moment for the sport’s continued growth in the country.
“This is good news for the whole community because the dance community in general has been growing in the Philippines, and this only means that the UAAP organization trusts the dance community and the people behind street dance competitions that they can operate with minimal supervision,” Bernardino said.
In the high school division, East Force Varsity opens the program, followed by Adamson University Dance Company-Street, De La Salle Zobel Dance Crew, Ateneo Indayog ng Atenistang Kabataan, defending champion NUDC–Nazalian Street, FEU-Diliman T.A.M. Streetz, and UST Galvanize.
Gates at the Blue Eagle Gym open at 12:30 p.m., with tickets available via smtickets.com.
