The Company of University Dancers (CUDZ) was founded by Joel Fuentes Gallarde in 2000 at The University of Auckland, New Zealand. Inspired by street dancing & by the Atenean philosophy of being men-for-others, he envisioned to share his passion of dance starting with the university student community. Not long after, the group has extended its services beyond the student community & now is one of the most well established Hip Hop dance companies in the country.In 2004, the name TRiPLe8FuNk was created to represent the CUDZ performing group starting with the Missy Elliott Get Your Freak On Hip Hop Dance Competition. Today, the TRiPLe8FuNk Dance Crew continues to express its love of dance & performance by playing an active role in the Hip Hop dance scene and by sharing its vision & passion to dancers & non-dancers alike.VISION STATEMENT"Empowerment of all people through our passion & commitment in the Performing Arts"CUDZ & the TRiPLe8FuNk Dance Crew is a non-profit student organisation based at The University of Auckland and also has its affiliation with Auckland University of Technology (AUT). Through this, the value of education & a well balanced fun lifestyle is highly promoted. The involvement of a non-student community is nonetheless very visible & welcome in its present & future operations.Their program includes dance classes & training offered at the university at a subsidised rate, dance workshops, & dance shows all year round. The group is also available for bookings to perform in a wide variety of live shows & events.The company aims for excellence and believes in teamwork, discipline, artistic innovation, & community involvement. They create a funky flavour to the latest dance styles. So from the cool old skool to the hot new skool, groovin to the freshest beats is what they do best!
