By Angel Joyce C. Basa

Far Eastern University (FEU) Street Alliance placed fourth, short of a back-to-back trophy achievement, in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 Street Dance Competition earlier today, May 20, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

The green-and-gold dance team flaunted their 70s ‘Footloose’-inspired performance, garnering 43.74 artistic points and 42.64 execution points, and an overall score of 85.83. The UAAP clarified that the artistic and execution points were computed based on undisclosed percentages.

In an interview with FEU Advocate, Street Alliance team captain Joseph Romulus Torres shared the process of selecting their concept for the season.

“Naging strategic din naman kami pumili ng concept, parang know our strengths—very theatrical, and of course, we can compromise it on a street dance level,” he said.

Led by their coach Joaquin Santos, FEU took on a tight preparation timeline for the competition due to multiple events, including the FEU Dance Company concert and their latest stint in the World of Dance Philippines where they placed second.

With FEU placing fourth, the team rallied behind La Salle Dance Company - Street with 86.17 points, University of Santo Tomas (UST) Prime with 88.57 points, and the University of the Philippines Streetdance Club with the gold medal at 89.33 points.

During the same interview, Torres stated that their expectations of having another podium finish were set after being the first performers of their division.

“To be honest, after nung run, we really had expectations din kasi sobrang sarap sa feeling nung run na we know we did our best despite na being the first to perform, there's a lot of pressure from us with that,” he shared.

The team captain added that he is proud of the whole team, including the rookies, the graduating students, and their coach for all their efforts to show what they can do for the audience.

Although their hopes for back-to-back podium finishes were foiled, the Street Alliance are still on track for a big comeback as the UAAP returns for another season under UST’s care as the new host for Season 88.

(Photo by Aleena Louise Abad/FEU Advocate)