KABAMODERN

Kababayan crew

Kaba Modern, an Orange County-based dance crew was formed in 1992 by a group of kababayans at the University of California in Irvine during one of their Filipino cultural nights.

Originally called “The Modern Suite," the group carved a reputation in the competition as a cutting-edge hip hop crew for their synchronicity and killer isolations.

In the tense semi-final bout with Jabba on the competition’s seventh week, Kaba wowed judges N’Sync member JC Chasez, rapper Lil Mama and choreographer Shane Sparks.

Jabba however prevented Kaba from reaching the finals after winning the semi-final round and went head-to-head with Status Quo.

Despite this, Kaba still left a strong impression among the show’s fans who even agonized their sudden exit.

“Kaba Modern did some stuff with their heads and some mouth thing [popping his head from side to side], and I was like, OK, they're taking it to another level right now," Sparks said after the competition.

Following the success of the hip hop dance competition, MTV announced that it will open the show for a second season this summer. Auditions in the US will start in June.