The UP Pep Squad (formed in 1998) is the defending champion of the annual UAAP Cheerdance Competition held at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. For the last five years, UP Pep has dominated the cheerleading contest four times, taking home the cash prize, the trophy and the glory for the university.
Every year, this competitive squad comes up with a unique theme. For them, it is the hardest part in making their routines. The goal is to “wow” their audience by showcasing something new and different every time. They incorporate these themes into their outfits, hairstyles, beats, stunts and dances. From 2007 to 2011, they did rock, tribal, school spirit, fiesta and Madonna-inspired themes, respectively.
In 2007, they tried rock because according to Gonzales, the year’s team captain, “We wanted something unique. Rock is something gloomy.” They aimed to turn this low-spirited concept into a happy and lively one. They used up-beat music with sounds like that of an electric guitar. Clad in a maroon and black outfit, with black pompoms, they amazed the crowd with a set of full-ups in the mounting of their pyramids, long full-twist tosses and tumbling sequences. At the end, they had a banner “UP Rocks!” written in bold print.
In the tribal-inspired routine (2008), they had tribal warrior poses and dances accompanied by a medley of sugod and tribal beats. Dressed in ethnic-themed outfits with green and maroon swirls, with boys in Mohawks and girls in pixie haircuts, they focused on the concept of fire and war. The story of the routine was about a tribe getting ready for a battle. With their imaginary weapons, notice their smooth transitions and sharp execution of the pointing skill. They had a full-impact ending, a man imitating and representing the Oblation and a banner saying “Tribu, Sugod!”
In their school spirit theme (2009), the presence of a carton-made UP ikot jeep entertained the crowd. The squad was dancing to the song State University while the ikot jeep was parading. Other songs played were the UP Centennial song, UP Ang Galing Mo and Sugarfree’s Hari ng Sablay, while featuring the famous sablay of the university. They showcased students’ day-to-day life in the campus, as the dancers wore white knee-high socks to represent the typical image of a student, along with their green and maroon (official colors of UP) outfit. The supporters were shouting “Iskolar ng Bayan” accompanied by the rally beat.
UP is known for performing Filipino heritage themes. In their fiesta theme (2010), they focused on nationalism, featuring take-offs from the country’s famous festivals like the Panagbenga, Higantes, Ati-Atihan and MassKara Festival. Coach Perena, the squad’s coach, was a former Filipiniana dancer who believed it was time to “depict a glimmer of hope” to everyone. With this idea, she suggested the fiesta motif where she included Kapayapaan (Peace) as one of the songs to be used, along with the hala-bira and fiesta beats. A lot got pepped up with the smiling dancers, dressed in colorful banderitas-inspired outfits and sunflower-like pompoms, that performed a routine with precised timing and clean tosses.
In 2011, the theme was the Queen of Pop, Madonna. According to Bautista, the year’s co-captain, “She is known to reinvent herself and the team can identify with her.” From Filipino themes, they transitioned to a foreign one to show how flexible their team can be. Madonna is an inspiration to many, so they aimed to inspire and at the same time to dazzle everyone. They opened with the song Material Girl followed by Like a Virgin and Four Minutes. Along with the vogue beat of the Pep drummers were the UP cheers that have lyrics from her songs. All the members of the team had their hair bleached blonde to match with their black outfits. They were literally shining.
All the themes of UP Pep are unique and original. Every year (since 2007), the female cheerdancers have been cutting their hair short. This has remained a trademark for UP Pep girls already. In most of the years, they are celebrating the Filipino and state university culture in their performances. Oftentimes, they play OPM soundtracks and have cheers and chants in Filipino. Unbelievably, there is always hype and a high number of attendees during this annual event. The loud cheers coming from the exuberant UP crowd boost the dancers’ energy. Every year is a challenge for UP Pep as they level-up exhibitions, tosses, drum beats and dances to stun their avid supporters. They continue to surprise the audience with new pyramids and stunts that are consistently performed well. Lastly, the presence of the Oblation and the trademark cheer “U-nibersidad ng Pilipinas!” never gets old.
This year they aim to defy a new trend. They still keep the theme a mystery but they already started training for the upcoming competition. For the other universities, execution, synchronization and a difficult routine are their basis to win. For the UP Pep Squad, creativity and personality, among others are more important. This is what makes UP Pep stand out, they dare to be different. They sure are back to fight for a 3-peat victory.
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