Just months after the 1st Benguet Open DanceSport Competition, the University of Baguio Graces DanceSport Team proved that a win was no isolated moment. The 6th Cordillera Dance Festival DanceSport Competition, held in partnership with the Province of Benguet and carrying the Philippine DanceSport Federation, Inc. (PDSFI) ranking points, is regarded as one of the biggest DanceSport events in Northern Luzon.
The squad competed across twenty (20) events over two days at the Cordillera Dance Festival 2026, bringing home a combined total of sixteen (16) gold, eight (8) silver, and three (3) bronze medals (along with six (6) placements in the 4th-to-6th range).
2026 Cordillera Dance Festival: Growth in Motion
Running from September 5 to 6, 2026, at the Benguet Sports Complex in Wangal, La Trinidad, Benguet, the event featured a wide range of divisions: Regular Events, Grassroots Events, Para DanceSport Events, Choreographic Latin Events, and Duo Events, drawing competitors from across the region. The event was coordinated with the help of Charibelle Pingawan, One North Luzon President, who handled invitations and inquiries for participating teams, and was presided over by PDSFI Chief Adjudicator Lowell “Louie” Basa Tan.
Representing the university in the interschool competition were students Rommel M. Aguado, Charlymagne A. Amangan, Samantha Mhiel M. Balionga, Maria Jillian S. Calub, Suzette Angel Lou T. Collantes, Dunhill C. Gaviran, King Matthew Gonzales, Niel Jeremiah T. Ket-eng, Jann Arieh B. Masaoy, Aizzy Marie Ongcog, Aj U. Ordanza, and Kaithleen Casidy B. Robles.
Showcasing a marked step up from their tournament debut and a clear signal that the program is only gaining momentum, the UB Graces team showcased their dedicated craft and unmatched skill during the opening, topping four categories outright before splitting results in mixed-pairing events:
- ONL Grade C Standard: Gold
- Grade E Waltz: Gold
- Grade E Tango: Gold
- ONL Grade D1 Latin: Gold
- ONL Grade D2 Latin: Gold, Silver
- ONL Grade E Rumba: Gold, Silver
- ONL Grade E Jive: Gold, Silver
- ONL Grade E Cha Cha Cha: Gold, Silver, Bronze
- ONL Grade C Latin: 2nd, 3rd, 4th
- Intercollegiate C Latin: 4th, 5th
Day 1 closed with a tally of eight (8) golds, five (5) silvers, two (2) bronzes, and three placements between 4th and 5th, already a strong showing before the team returned for a second day of competition. The squad carried their form into the second day, adding another wave of podium finishes across both Standard and Latin categories:
- Inter Collegiate Standard: Gold
- ONL Grade E Tango: Gold
- ONL Grade D1 Standard: Gold
- ONL Inter Collegiate: Gold
- ONL Grade D1 Standard: Gold
- Grade E Rumba: Gold
- Grade E Jive: Gold, Silver
- Grade E Cha Cha Cha: Gold, Silver, Bronze
- ONL Grade E Waltz: Silver
- ONL Intercollegiate C Latin: 4th, 5th, 6th
Combined across both days, the UB Graces DanceSport Team closed the Cordillera Dance Festival 2026 with sixteen (16) gold, eight (8) silver, and three (3) bronze medals, plus six additional top-six finishes, nearly doubling the medal spread of their first competitive outing just months prior.
The team competed under the direction of coaches KingGeorge Bueno and Edgar Samonte Jr., as well as troupe adviser Dean Marc Aguado. Together, these mentors have guided the Graces from their comeback debut into a rapidly expanding force on the regional DanceSport circuit. The team’s competition costumes were created and designed by Coach Bueno.
Alt Text: UB Graces representing team, glammed up and ready to show off their moves during the 2026 Cordillera Dance Festival in La Trinidad, Benguet
Along with Joanne Fatima Uraga, the university’s performing arts coordinator, the Office of Student Affairs, and the University of Baguio, whose support both on and off the dance floor keeps the program going, the team also acknowledges the unwavering support of the UB Graces Dance Troupe as a whole.
The discipline, physical conditioning, and endurance that DanceSport demands continue to shape the team into well-rounded student-athletes. As the UB Graces prepare for their next competition, this second win stands not as a peak, but as a marker of a program still building toward one.
Reflecting on the team and university’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3 and 4, through opportunities that nurture excellence beyond the classroom and expand the university’s performing arts tradition into competitive athletics, the result from the Cordillera Dance Festival 2026 is proof that the program is moving beyond its comeback story. Where the Benguet Open marked a return to competition after nearly a decade away, this outing showed a team competing across a far wider range of categories, deepening its bench, and turning a single victory into a pattern.
The jump from one pair debuting in six divisions to a full squad sweeping twenty events speaks to what steady training, mentorship, and institutional support can build in just a few months.
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Written by: Kyrene Schian Yv R. Almazan
Article enhancement by Gabriel Madriaga
