Getting Hyper
Jason Ulep (left) of Waipahu’s Hypersquad dance studio, is proud of brother Josh, whose team is competing on MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew.
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Del.icio.usforming crews with his friends back in high school and choreographing his own routines.
“I started Hypersquad with four girls in a garage, and within a year it grew to more than 150 students. I took a spot in the Town Center of Mililani and it blew up from there - we ended up outgrowing our spot,” he says.
Relocating to Waipio and with an enrollment of 400 students at the time, Jason says his company was at its peak.
“We basically took over the whole parking lot of the other place that we were at. Management didn’t want to renew my lease, so we were forced to move and we were actually homeless for close to a year. There was no place available,” the entrepreneur adds, saying that enrollment went from 400 to 100 students in less than a year. “It hurt, we lost a lot of kids, but I think what it really did for Hypersquad was that the people who stuck with it really became the backbone for the group. It set the pace for all the dancers we have now. A lot of people are going to watch ABDC and say that Hype 5-0 is on top of the world and think it’s so amazing and sugar-coated, and think it’s great - but they don’t really realize the struggles that we went through. We almost lost our studio completely because we couldn’t afford the rent.”
Hypersquad is now home to an average of 200 dancers and growing, thanks to Hype 5-0 and ABDC. But Jason has plans to move to L.A. in March to pursue a job opportunity there, and will then turn over the studio to Josh. He has confidence in his core group of choreographers, as they are an extension of his family.
“More than anything, Hypersquad really focuses on the family atmosphere, and that’s why I think we’re so strong. It’s not cutthroat - it’s competitive, but in a good way,” Jason says. “The kids here compete with each other to get better as a group. They try to push each other to the next level, and I think that’s why Hype 5-0 has finally made it to ABDC - it’s that continual pushing to be the best together.”
As for the members of Hype 5-0, their passion and motivation are brought about by the younger members of Hypersquad. According to Jason, Hype 5-0 is doing its best to make Hawaii and Hypersquad proud.
“There are so many people who pump them up saying, ‘You should do this, you should do that,‘and they feel like they have everyone from Hawaii and all the kids from the studio idolizing and looking to them for direction. They’re carrying this weight on their shoulders and it keeps them going,” says Jason. “They have a huge following by the younger kids of Hypersquad - they’re rock stars in their own way.”
Each week one crew will be bumped off the show, and Hype 5-0 will continue to battle it out on the dance floor vying to be named America’s Best Dance Crew, along with Southern regional crews (Jungle Boogie and Royal Flush), East regional crews (Blueprint Cru, Static Noyze and Saltare) and West regional crews (Poreotix and Heavy Impact).
“This year, the talent on ABDC is really good, so it’s going to be stiff competition,” Jason says. “It’s exciting; it shows you what the mainstream media is really focusing on now, and I think dance is a huge part of it.
“Hip-hop is on TV, and everywhere you turn you see hip-hop. I think what makes it so fun is that hiphop is just a form of personal expression - the rules aren’t that strict,” he adds.
Fortunately for Hype 5-0, they’ve had the opportunity to learn from past crews that have been on the show, and have networked with crews like JabbaWockeeZ, Quest Crew and others.
“They’ve (Hype 5-0) seen how personalities can kill it for a crew. America can turn on you in a second,” Jason explains. “I think they’ve learned from the strengths of all the crews, and they’ve gained a lot from performing with them and having these crews motivate them and tell them that they can do it.
“I don’t think there’s anything more they can do really to prepare themselves for the show. They just have to remember to remain humble and remember where they came from. It’s important that they keep a positive outlook on everything, but as far as dancing goes, they’ve already prepared as much as they could ever prepare.”
Perseverance has paid off for Hype 5-0, and they are showing the world everything that Hawaii has to offer. Jason is hoping that the crew’s dancing ability and intensity will speak for itself, and that this dance crew who once started from humble beginnings will win their way into America’s hearts.
“Going into this competition, I think they were so concerned about doing it for Hawaii and the Hypersquad kids, and everything,” Jason says. “I basically told them, by what they’ve already accomplished, they’ve already done it for Hawaii. Just being on the show is incredible, and now it’s time for them to do it for themselves - take it further, dig deep and just go for it.”
For more information on Hype 5-0 or to vote for them, visit
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