What happened to the UST Salinggawi?

After reading my friend Jason's blog on the 2012 UAAP Cheerdance Competition, I was reminded of my own reactions to the competition last Saturday. Like him, I was a fan of FEU (next to UP, of course), and have always taken note of their routines year after year. I think they're good and they always manage to deliver a cohesive performance, including the theme, music and attire.

This year, I actually believed they had a great advantage. They could have beaten the UP PEP Squad if the latter's performance was anything short of what it did last year. I love their routine. It seemed fairly difficult and smooth and I didn't spot any errors with my untrained amateur eye. I like the tamaraw movements as well and how these gel with the costume and music. The spin landings were solid and the pyramids stable. After the fall of one UP Pep Squad member at the end of the performance, I feared that the Tamaraws will go home with the grand prize.

Needless to say, am happy they didn't. But had they bagged it, I wouldn't be surprised.

What disappointed me most was the performance of the UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe. As my friend Jason said, they had eight championships in their cap before they started their downhill roll, failing to make it to top three in the past few years. Cheerdance squads used to look up to them. What happened?

This year, among all the squads in the competition, their theme was the most potent for creativity. Brazil. Vibrant nation, colorful culture, exciting people. And none of these surfaced in UST's routine. No excitement in the choreography, very segmented flow, delayed introduction of theme highlights. It doesn't even feel like Mardi Gras. The presence of the dark-skinned pretty new dancer did not serve to bring out the best of Brazil. It was a total letdown -- from start to finish, from costume to music to formation.

My son, who is a Judo athlete in UST, earlier said he heard they got a new choreographer, and he was excited to see the group rise to top three at least or win the competition. But he also noted that each time he sees the UST Salinggawi group, they are eating or resting. He rarely sees them rehearsing in full. So when the performance ended, Jules stared wide-eyed at the TV and said, "Yun na yon?"

UST Salinggawi should seriously assess where they're missing out. For a squad that has carried the championship title eight times, there's no fire in them this year.

National University was burning brighter, with their fairy tale royalty theme. They had nice costumes and a cool audio mix. Many other teams had good routines but the errors probably held them down.

Adamson, for one, should find a new set of group stunt participants next year. If I had a heart ailment, I'd probably have an attack just watching that group struggle through their unstable pyramids and lousy catches (at one point they caught the top girl in such a precarious moment that they carried her like an upside down lechon in split position). I was pretty sure someone's gonna land head-on on the floor. Luckily, the group survived.

As usual, Ateneo is a hodge podge of ideas put together that the result is confusing. Is it about the 80s era or just the Voltes V period? And why build a Voltes V prop at the back if there is nothing in the routine that shows "volting in"? The performance was a dart that lacked speed and didn't make it to the board.

DLSU? Still pa-safe and pa-cute. UE had fuel and a chance, but was overshadowed by NU.

Next year will be another exciting competition. I wonder what UP will be up to next. Last year, they had golden crowns, now they are shaven. Next year, would they be entering the arena headless? Let's wait and see.