ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Lifestyle devider Schools and Universities devider Chosen Ground 19 electrifies Henry Lee Irwin Theatre; Exude Dancers defend title

Chosen Ground 19 electrifies Henry Lee Irwin Theatre; Exude Dancers defend title

Published Jan 26, 2026 05:42 pm  |  Updated Feb 19, 2026 05:11 pm
The Henry Lee Irwin Theatre lit up on Nov. 30, 2025, as nearly 2,500 dancers, fans, and supporters filled the venue for Chosen Ground 19. Now in its 19th run, the UP Streetdance Club’s annual competition once again proved why it remains one of the most anticipated streetdance events in the country.
For almost two decades, Chosen Ground has built a space where young talents, student teams, and seasoned crews share the same stage.This year featured over 48 teams from across the Philippines, comprising 16 High School teams, 14 College teams, and 19 Open teams. The event also featured special performances from Team Package Makers (TPM), The Crew, and the UP Streetdance Club (UPSDC). The crowd was star-studded, with members of P-pop girl groups Bini and Dna spotted enjoying the Open Division show.
The night brought together a strong roster of competitors judged by industry heavyweights: Vimi Rivera, MJ Arda, Von Asilo, Adam Alonzo, and Chips Beltran. Each division delivered its own flavor, creating a high-energy program that showcased the versatility of the Filipino dance scene—from hard-hitting hip-hop to fluid contemporary pieces.
The College Division saw a familiar historic moment as Artist Connection – Exude Dancers claimed the top spot for the second straight year, earning thunderous reactions from the crowd. Meanwhile, the High School and Open Divisions delivered tight races, with teams displaying sharp technique and confident staging throughout their sets.
The official list of winners is as follows:
High School Division
● Champion: Sayawatha Dance Troupe
● 1st Runner-up: Indak Lasalyano Dance Company
● 2nd Runner-up: ADHIKA
College Division
● Champion: Artist Connection – Exude Dancers
● 1st Runner-up: Nexus Cardinals
● 2nd Runner-up: La Salle Dance Company – Street
Open Division
● Champion: Nocturnal Dance Company
● 1st Runner-up: Oxycrew
● 2nd Runner-up: Nomads
Dancing for a Cause Beyond the competition, the event continued its commitment to social responsibility. A portion of the ticket proceeds will benefit Tulong sa Kapwa Kapatid (2KK), a youth-centered organization focused on education and community support.
Chosen Ground 19 was organized by the UP Streetdance Club together with the Career Executive Service Board, Total Exhibit and Expo Solutions Inc., Enervon Z+, UNILAB, Res | Toe | Run x Tretorn, and Black Mamba Energy Drink.
The event was made possible through the cooperation of Jollibee, KFC, Art Circle Cafe, Better Blend, Tinyay’s Shawarma, Sam Water PH, More Than Just Hoops Academy, Kerygma Security Services Inc., Cantos Pajila Review Center, Smart, Coffee Cow, Orange Segment, Sinaya Cup, and Streetshop.
Further support was provided by Audiotronix, Dairy Queen, Flavors & Staples, Dana’s Kitchen, UNO Cafe, New You Collagen Drink, Maginhawa Eco-Store, Memo: Receipts,
Sosoy’s Lechon, Big Boss Diner, KM8 Enterprises, UP LIRIKA, UP Kalinaw, UP Dancesport Society, CK Student Council UP Diliman, and the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy FST Council.
Media partners included Magic 89.9, When In Manila, PH News Agency, You.PH, Maroon FM, UP Optics, and Manila Bulletin.
As the night wrapped up, dancers and supporters left the theater buzzing with excitement, already looking forward to what comes next. With its growing audience and consistent showcase of talent, Chosen Ground shows no signs of slowing down.
Choose your ground. Stand your ground. Coming stronger in November 2026.

Related Tags

UP
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.