{"id":213729,"date":"2025-04-10T10:20:57","date_gmt":"2025-04-10T20:20:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=213729"},"modified":"2025-04-10T10:20:57","modified_gmt":"2025-04-10T20:20:57","slug":"ballroom-dance-club-defends-title","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/04\/10\/ballroom-dance-club-defends-title\/","title":{"rendered":"UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa Ballroom Dance Club defends national title"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

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The Ballroom Dance Club at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa defended its national championship at the National Collegiate DanceSport Championships<\/a> (NCDC<\/abbr>), in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, March 28–30.<\/p>\n

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Michaella Villanueva and Luis Hernandez<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Competing against more than 40 colleges, UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa won first place once again for “highest point average,” as well as second place for both the overall team championship and the formation team competition, asserting its place as the ballroom dance college team to beat in the U.S. Winning top honors in the highest point average requires all members of the team to perform exceptionally well in all events.<\/p>\n

The dancers are trained and coached by Ravi Narayan and Synthia Sumukti (choreographer and instructor). Narayan and Sumukti also represented Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> in the amateur USA<\/abbr> Dance National DanceSport Championships in the senior age division.<\/p>\n

“It was an incredibly proud moment to defend our highest point average victory—it speaks volumes about our team\u2019s dedication and passion,” said Narayan, co-instructor of the UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa Ballroom Dance Club and an adjunct faculty member in the UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa Information and Computer Sciences Department<\/a>. “To finish second overall against such fierce competition is a testament to the discipline and the hundreds of hours of hard work that our students put into their training.”<\/p>\n

Two years of success<\/h2>\n
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Alexander Picken and Shaelyn Loo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This was just the second year the UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa team competed at the national competition since the formation of the club in September 2022. Last year, the students took first place for “highest team average” and finished in fourth place overall.<\/p>\n

“Nationals was one of the most challenging yet rewarding tasks I’ve ever accomplished,” UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa computer science student Shaelyn Loo said. “Being able to dance and compete with such supportive coaches and teammates helped ease the nerves of competition so I could focus on having fun and performing.”<\/p>\n

Andrew Lin, a UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa computer science student, added, “Nationals was an unforgettable experience that evoked a whirlwind of emotions—excitement, frustration, acceptance, pride and gratitude. Despite the challenges, the friendships we forged, lessons we learned and our love for ballroom dancing made it all worthwhile.”<\/p>\n

Endurance competition<\/h2>\n
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Luis Hernandez and Mayumi Watanabe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The NCDC<\/abbr> is a grueling competition with events starting at 7 a.m. every morning. It consisted of multiple events based on proficiency (bronze, silver, gold, etc.) and age level (youth, collegiate, adult, senior, etc.). Each student danced in approximately 15 to 32 different events in both the collegiate and adult age categories at the bronze and silver skill levels. They competed in all four styles of ballroom dance including International Standard (waltz, foxtrot, tango and quickstep), American Smooth (waltz, tango, foxtrot and viennese waltz), American Rhythm (chacha, rumba, swing and bolero) and International Latin (samba, chacha, rumba and jive). Several students took individual first place awards in their respective divisions defeating up to 70 other competitors in some competitions. The NCDC<\/abbr> trip was designed to give the team exposure to a collegiate competition, as Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> has no statewide collegiate ballroom competitions.<\/p>\n

An audience member and parent of a high school junior said, “Thanks to your team, my daughter (who has never done ballroom dance before) wants to join your team and is now seriously considering the University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> as an option for her undergraduate studies.”<\/p>\n

More about the Ballroom Dance Club<\/h2>\n
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Coaches Ravi Narayan and Synthia Sumukti<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Ballroom Dance Club offers beginner classes to all UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa students, faculty and staff in studio 2 in the athletics department from 6–7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays. No dance experience is required. For more information, visit the website<\/a> or visit their Instagram page @bdcuhm.<\/p>\n

The team would like to thank the Department of Information and Computer Sciences, UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa athletics department, Student Activity and Program Fee Board, Associated Students of the University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> and USA<\/abbr> Dance, Inc<\/abbr>. for facility and financial support.<\/p>\n

UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa 2025 nationals team roster:<\/p>\n