MANILA, Philippines — Filipinos are not just great singers. Whether it’s “My Pochi One,” “Otso-Otso,” or sporadic dougie battles when we were in school, Filipinos are gifted dancers.
2024 has been a productive year for our Filipino dance collectives who prove just that.
Watch the award-winning performances of our local dance crews in the international stages of Super 24, World Hip Hop International, and World of Dance Summit:
Super 24
Super 24 is an international dance competition held in Singapore, with teams having line-ups of 24 members. Super 24 features an 8-by-8-meter-square stage with judges and audience on every side — making way for ingenious 360-degree choreography.
Team Package Makers
After their second place finish last year, dance company Team Package Makers (TPM) secured a first-place win for this year’s Super24 competition. Wearing an agimat around their neck and donning traditional textile and tattoos, TPM brought local power on stage last August.
World Hip Hop Dance Championships
Several Filipino representatives flew out to Phoenix, Arizona, back in August to showcase their Filipino swag in this year’s Hip Hop International (HHI). This year, the Philippines took home five podium finishes.
UPeepz
UPeepz claimed the gold medal at the MegaCrew Division of the HHI. Wearing all-black denim, they brought attitude with their four-minute choreography, featuring witty stunts, amazing beat changes, and a bit of tutting and vogueing.
A-Kidz
A-Kidz made their country proud after landing two podium finishes at this year’s HHI.
In the Varsity Division, the kids brought power in leather in their energetic gold-winning performance.
The team also showed their prowess as a megacrew of young dancers at the Junior Varsity MegaCrew Division, where they bagged a bronze medal.
A-Kidz is the junior team of A-team, a well-known dance team in the Philippines.
The Peepz
The Peepz displayed oneness with the music, showcasing a spectacular groove in a 2-minute set which got them the silver medal.
Their performance also featured member Gab Campos’ viral choreography of “Monalisa” by Lojay ft. Sarz.
The Peepz is UPeepz’s competing team for HHI’s Adult Division.
HQ
Last year’s gold medalist HQ finished bronze finish in the Adult Division this year. They went techno-Western for this HHI, showing genuine funk with skillful popping and shapes in their routine.
HQ’s team for the MiniCrew Division also placed sixth overall.
World of Dance Summit 2024
After ingenious performances and a tight match in the World of Dance (WOD) Philippines back in March, several teams were able to fly to the United States to represent the Philippines in the World of Dance Summit 2024.
The event was held in the Los Angeles Convention Center in California from July 28 to 31.
WOODROSE Dance Crew
The ladies of WOODROSE Dance Crew placed third out of 48 teams in the International Junior Team Division of the World of Dance Summit. They brought a refreshing routine to Jason Mraz’s “Make it Mine,” with smooth movements perfectly attuned to the beat.
Their contagious steps also landed them the overall eighth place in the WOD Finals where all finalists, regardless of division, compete.
AdHIKa
AdHIKa, a dance crew from St. Scholastica’s Academy of Marikina, ranked sixth in the Junior Team Division as they danced to “My Thang (Go Getta II)” by O SIDE MAFIA Prod. by 808CASH.
Their set also included the famous “Too Bad” challenge by director Edi Jocson and member Danielle Bulot which has made rounds on TikTok.
The group went viral ever since their performance in WOD Philippines last March, garnering 2.3 million views on YouTube.
The local dance scene has definitely brought pride to the country. These are only the teams that placed in this set of international dance competitions, but the list of dance collectives that have made the country proud this year is far longer and louder.
What local dance crew are you most excited to see next year? – Rappler.com
Felise Calza is a Digital Communications volunteer at Rappler. She is a Communication Arts student at the University of the Philippines – Los Baños.
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