UAAP Cheerdance 2012

I was never a fan of The UAAP Cheerdance Competition, mainly because I never supported any of those university. However, I was able to watch the said competition on television this Saturday. 

Below are the highlights of the events taken from spot.com.ph:

Ateneo Blue Babble Battalion for Best Interpretation of an Anime Theme. Ateneo had a robot (which we heard was made and paid for by the cheerleaders themselves)!

As the third team to don a mohawk, we felt that at this point, it was getting old and we weren't sold on the drooping knee-high socks either. We, however, give them two thumbs up for their costume. It must have been hot under all that leather.

The Ateneo Blue Babble Battalion went for anime with their Voltes V-inspired (a reference to Ateneo de Manila's possible five-peat finish in basketball) routine complemented with traditional Japanese anime music.

The Adamson Pep Squad wore glittery tuxedo-styled costumes for their K-Pop-inspired performance.

We award the Adamson Pep Squad Best in Mohawk. The boys' floppy 'do was a fresh change from the usual stuck-up style, but it was the girls' brave attempt that won us over. The full-fringe, fish bowl cut with shaved sides? Not exactly an easy feat to pull off—especially after the competition.

Surprisingly, they were the only team to incorporate the now-infamous Gangnam Style dance move into their routine.

We had a difficult time selecting an award for the Animo Squad—from footwear to gloves to mix of prints, but in the end we had to hand it to them: they had the best-looking cheerleaders in the entire competition. Whether this was intentional or a purely gorgeous coincidence, we give them Best in View.

Apart from sporting lace-up shoes, gloves, and championship belts, the squad also made an innovative human boxing ring toward the end of their performance.

The Far Eastern University Cheering Squad took a walk on the wild side with their powerful jungle performance; the routine, embellished with FEU's famous killer stunts, bumped them up to second place.

Haunting makeup, perfect synchronization, and tribal music added effect to the entire spectacle.

The zebronkey has nothing on this yellow-and-green tamaraw-feline hybrid. We award the FEU Cheering Squad for being the Most Unusual Animal Since...the Beginning of Time.

Dazzled we were by their glittery...unmentionables, we decided to hand out two awards for this year's underdogs. In a landslide, they win Best Knickers.

Royalty was the word for the National University Cheering Squad. Channeling their inner Williams and Kates, this team went for the whole enchilada—tiaras, ruffled sleeves, tights.

Best "What is This?" Moment is also awarded to the National University. Is it a goblet, an hour glass, a drum? Are those sheet music, scrolls, a wall? Whatever is was, it was innovative enough to win them third overall.

A little superhero, a little Grecian, a little Paris Hilton, this team was the full package.

They may have finished last, but there is no stomping on their warrior spirit—just look at their war cry. Yes, without a doubt, Best Facials go to the University of the East.

The University of the East's Olympian number went well with their "warrior" moniker.

Usually at the forefront of cheerleading gimmickry, the University of the Philippines Pep Squad went for a minimalist approach for Season 75—so much so that they went as far as shaving their heads for the performance.  Their freedom-themed routine earned them their third straight win and their eighth overall. They are now tied with the UST Salinggawi Dance Troup for most number-one finishes since the cheerdance competition started in 1994.

A major topple near the end of the routine marred UP's nearly perfect performance, but sheer technical difficulty and artistic precision kept them on top.

There's no other way of putting it, UP wins Best Overall—from hair to choreography to showmanship.

University of Sto. Tomas' Salinggawi Dance Troupe wowed the audience with a flamboyant spectacle inspired by Brazil.

We haven't seen anyone rock a neck brace since Rep. Gloria Arroyo, and the Salinggawi Dance Troupe made it look good. Although it does have a slight Elizabethan collar feel to it, we still give the Salinggawi Dance Troupe Most Fashionable Neck Accessory. They weren't ashamed of their cones of shame.

Grand and colorful as they were, however, UST once again failed to make it to the top three for the second year in a row.