DANCESPORT
President PERSEPHONE BALLATORE | pballatore@ucsd.edu
Treasurer ALEXANDER TAHAN | atahan@ucsd.edu
Vice President CATALINA LARSEN | cilarsen@ucsd.edu
The UC San Diego Dancesport Team is a competitive Ballroom and Latin Dance Team. Our mission is to provide an inclusive and welcoming community that provides opportunities to gain technical, social, and competitive Ballroom and Latin dance skills. All UCSD students are welcome to join at any practice throughout the year! The team welcomes members of any experience level, and you do not need a partner to join. In fact, most members start with no partner and little to no dance experience. We seek to provide these opportunities with as little student financial contribution as possible, so don’t be scared to come out and dance!
Our team focuses on learning International Style Ballroom dancing. Latin dances include Cha Cha, Samba, Rumba, Paso Doble, and Jive. Standard dances include Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, Quickstep, and Viennese Waltz. Additionally, we learn Social or “Nightclub” dances such as Salsa, Bachata, West Coast Swing, Hustle, and more! There is also an opportunity for additional practice in other styles of dance such as American Smooth and Rhythm.
Our International Latin dances are taught by Marcus Johnson, a professional dancer who offers 20+ years of coaching experience and is an Ohio Star Ball Rising Star Latin Champion. The International Standard dances are taught by Selena Johnson, a professional coach, choreographer, and competitor holding championship titles like the World Masters Rising Star Smooth Champion. Additionally, our more experienced members form the Command Staff and lead weekly practices to better support our new members. We work to ensure that members of all levels have a meaningful and rewarding dance experience.
Every March, we host our own competition at UCSD called Dance by the Shores. In addition, we travel throughout the year to various other collegiate competitions, including those held by Cal Poly SLO, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Berkeley. These competitions are a unique opportunity to test your newfound skills against other pairs on the dancefloor. On top of showcasing your technical skills and style, you also form meaningful bonds with your fellow danceport members as you explore the world of dance in different cities. See upcoming competitions on the Collegiate Dancesport Association website: http://www.collegiatedancesport.org/.
We meet Monday - Thursday evenings in RIMAC Rooms 1-2, starting the Monday of Week 2 in the fall quarter. Email our 2023 - 2024 President, Aparajita Pranjal, or connect with us on our socials down below! We look forward to seeing you on the dancefloor!
Follow us on Instagram at @ucsddancesport and email us at ucsddancesport.team@gmail.com if you have any other questions.
NEWS AND RESULTS
5/2/25 - Dancing with force in Berkeley Classic 2025
On May 3, a small force of our dancers cha cha’d into the Berkeley Classic competition. They waltzed, samba’d and salsa’d right into the leaderboards of almost every dance they competed in! Read More>>
3/15/25 - US National Championships
This past weekend, members of our ballroom and Latin dancesport team traveled to Provo, Utah to compete at one of the most prestigious competitions of the year: Nationals at Brigham Young University... Read More>>
3/11/25 - US National Championships
This past weekend, members of our ballroom and Latin dancesport team traveled to Provo, Utah to compete at one of the most prestigious competitions of the year: Nationals at Brigham Young University. Read More>>
3/1/25 - Dance by the Shores! A Historical Home Competition!
This past weekend, the UCSD Dancesport team hosted the biggest collegiate ballroom competition on the West Coast. With almost 2400 entries, the competition was a grand spectacle of grace and rhythm. Read More>>
2/1/25 - Cal Poly Mustang Ball
With the winter quarter well underway, our dancers visited Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo for their annual Mustang Ball competition. In the first competition of the new year, our dancers made a great showing at all levels! Read More>>
11/17/24 - Vegas Scarlet Signature
UCSD Dancesport had an extremely strong showing at the 2024 Vegas Scarlett Showcase hosted by the University of Las Vegas. In the third competition of the year, UCSD dancers came out strong in all four syllabus styles as well as Nightclub, as well as introducing many new dancers to the floor... Read More>>
11/02/24 - UCSD Dancesport Team Shines at 2024 CCBDC Intercollegiate Showdown!
This past weekend, the UCSD Dancesport Team brought their energy and talent to The Claremont Colleges Ballroom Dance Company (CCBDC) Intercollegiate Showdown! From first-timers stepping onto the competition floor to seasoned dancers representing UCSD at advanced levels, it was a day packed with excitement, impressive performances, and fantastic results. Here’s a breakdown of the action and our team’s achievements: Read More>>
10/26/24 - ASU Solar Flare 2024: The Little Ones that Could
In UCSD Dancesport’s first competition of the year, a small group of students attended the Solar Flare Dancesport Competition hosted by Arizona State University. For the first time the team has shown at Solar Flare, they made quite an impression at the American-focused competition. Read More>>
4/27/24 - UC San Diego Ballroom Team Shines at SJSU Spartan Invitational
In the dynamic world of ballroom dancing, the UC San Diego Ballroom Team made quite the impression at the San Jose State University Spartan Invitational, demonstrating their expertise with the finesse of seasoned performers. Read More>>
4/6/24 - UCSD Rocks the Bay Area Super Ball
The UC San Diego Ballroom Team recently made their debut at the inaugural Stanford Super Ball, marking their first venture to the Bay Area. With high spirits and competitive energy, they took to the city and the dance floor with gusto, showcasing their talent and dedication in various categories. Read More>>
3/2/24 - UCSD's Dance by the Shores 2024!!
UCSD DanceSport culminated the spring quarter with a spectacular showcase: Dance By The Shores. Months of dedicated practice were poured into perfecting every step, ensuring that each performance demonstrated the hard work each dancer put in. Read More>>
2/3/24 - UCSD at Cal Poly SLO Mustang Ball
The UCSD Dancesport Team’s first competition of the winter quarter was successful and full of fun as dancers poured their hearts out at the 16th Mustang Ball in Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Our team celebrated many accomplishments at the competition. Read More>>
11/4/23 - Vegas Ballroom Dance Showcase: Spotlight on Rising Stars
We're still buzzing with the energy from the recent Scarlet Signature DanceSport Competition in the vibrant city of Las Vegas, hosted by the Rebel DanceSport Team. It was a night of glitz, glamor, and show-stopping moves, and we're excited to share our fantastic journey with you! Read More>>
10/21/23 - Jump Start the Season at Claremont
The UCSD Dancesport team nailed our first competition of the year after only 10 days of practice! Read More>>
4/8/23 - UCSD Faces Strong Competition at Berkeley Classic
UCSD Dancesport started the spring quarter with many achievements at the 22nd Berkeley Classic hosted by University of California, Berkeley. Facing stiff competition, our dancers gave high quality performances in all dance styles and levels throughout the day. Read More>>
3/4/23 - UCSD Sweeps Competition at 26th Annual Dance by the Shores
The UCSD Dancesport Team found much success at our 26th annual Dance by the Shores, one of the largest dancesport competitions on the West Coast. With our DBTS coordinators Alise Bruevich and Lara Derderian taking the lead in organizing our home competition and our team’s support and hard work, UCSD Dancesport welcomed collegiate ballroom teams from all over California, as well as Nevada and Arizona. Read More>>
2/25/23 - UCSD Rides the Wave of Success at UCSB Beach Ball
UCSD Dancesport continued riding the wave of success at the Beach Ball competition hosted at University of California, Santa Barbara. Both returning and first-year members continued honing their dancing skills following Cal Poly SLO’s Mustang Ball, and their efforts have paid off at our second competition of winter quarter. Read More>>
2/11/23 - UCSD at Cal Poly SLO Mustang Ball
The UCSD Dancesport Team’s second competition of the 2022-2023 competitive season was successful and full of fun as dancers poured their hearts out at the 15th Mustang Ball in Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Our team found much success and made it to many finals at our first competition of winter quarter. Read More>>
11/19/22 - UCSD at Claremont Colleges Showdown
The UCSD Dancesport Team began its 2022-2023 competitive season with a strong start at the Claremont Colleges Intercollegiate Showdown held at Pomona College. After putting in many hours of practice to ensure their dances are performance-ready, new members and returning dancers competed against collegiate teams from across California and Nevada and came out of the competition with many wins. Read More>>
5/27/22 - Banquet and Alumni Night
The final event of the year was the annual UCSD Dancesport Banquet, followed by an Alumni Night for all our graduated team members. The banquet was hosted at the Infinity Dancesport Center per the generous donation of the studio owner, and the wonderfully decorated dance studio perfectly set the scene for a night of memories, laughs, and of course, dancing. Read More>>
5/14/22 - Mini Beach Bell Competition
UCSD Dancesport finished off this year’s competition season with a fabulous set of performances at the Mini Beach Ball Competition in Santa Barbara, CA. The team cumulatively brought home over 100 awards, with 19 of them being 1st place awards, 20 being 2nd place awards, and 24 being 3rd place awards. Read More>>
3/19/22 - 21st Annual Berkeley Classic
The UCSD Dancesport team finished the winter quarter off strong by competing in the Berkeley Classic, which was hosted at the University of California, Berkeley. Read More>>
3/5/22 - 25th Annual Dance by the Shores
The UCSD Dancesport team is happy to once again host the 25th annual Dance by the Shores, one of the largest competitions on the West Coast. Our DBTS coordinators Alise Bruevich and Lara Derderian led the efforts to organize this event and, with the support of our team's members, made it the huge success that it was. This year, we welcomed collegiate teams from across California, as well as Oregon and Arizona. Read More>>
2/12/22 - UCSD at Mustang Ball: We're Back!
After two years away from the collegiate competition scene due to the COVID pandemic, the UCSD Dancesport Team is back, bigger and better than ever! Newcomer members and experienced dancers alike came into Mustang Ball at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo equipped with hours of practice and ready to compete against dancers from UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, UC Santa Cruz, Claremont, and, of course, Cal Poly SLO. Read More>>
3/7/20 - UCSD Dancesport Dances by the Shores
The UCSD Dancesport Team’s home competition, the 24th Annual Dance by the Shores, was a remarkable success on many levels. Read More>>
2/15/20 - UCSD at UCLA’s Sunset Classic
The UCSD Dancesport Team showed their support for the Bruins by competing at UCLA’s inaugural competition, the Sunset Classic, hosted as a joint effort between UCLA and USC. Read More>>
1/31/20 - UCSD at Mustang Ball
The UCSD Dancesport Team started off 2020 strong at Cal Poly SLO’s annual competition, the Mustang Ball. Despite being one of the largest competitions of the year, the Tritons did extremely well. Notable results include Matthew Panelo and Emily Liu, who swept the Bronze Standard division, placing 1st in Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, and Quickstep, as well as 3rd in the Silver Waltz. New members showed their prowess as well, with Thunder Read More>>
Having a Ball at the UCSB Beach Ball
For their second competition of the year, the UCSD Dancesport team took to UC Santa Barbra to attend their annual Beach Ball. Read More>
Waltzing Into a New Season
The UCSD Dancesport started the year off with a very successful competition. New and returning members showed up to compete and to support their fellow teammates. Read More>
Team Banquet and AlumNight Dance
Our team’s final event of the season was our team banquet and alumni night hosted at Infinity Dancesport Center which was generously donated to us for the evening. We invited all members who had participated at some point throughout the year to our team’s annual banquet and began the night eating catered food from L&L Hawaiian Barbeque. Read More>
UNLV Desert Challenge
UC San Diego Dancesport went to UNLV’s Desert Challenge competition April 26-28th. In the International Syllabus Ballroom, Matthew Panelo and Emily Liu won 1st in Newcomer Waltz, 2nd in newcomer Tango, and 2nd in newcomer Quickstep. Read More>
UCR Orange Blossom Ball
On April 13th, the UCSD Dancesport Team took on the Orange Blossom Ball dance competition hosted by UC Riverside. Unlike other competitions, we drove to the venue on the day of the competition, and had to get up very early to be on time. In order to keep up our energy for the competition, we tried to keep the ride as ebullient as possible. Read More>
UCSD Dance by the Shores
The time has come. We, UCSD Dancesport Team, finally hosted our dance competition. While the idea of hosting one of the largest collegiate competitions in the area may sound as exhausting, frustrating, and stressful to you, the reality is quite the opposite. Read More>
Cal Poly SLO Mustang Ball
On February 8th, UCSD Dancesport Team set on a journey to their most successful competition for this year. The journey started with the drive to Cal Poly SLO, the host of the competition. Read More>
UCSB Beach Ball
Our team’s second event of the season was the UCSB Beach Ball on November 10th. Hosted by the UCSB Cotillion Dance Club, this was the first intercollegiate dancesport competition we attended that offered all amateur dance levels and events. Read More>
Caltech Rosebud Ball
On October 27th, the UCSD Dancesport team went to our first competition of the 2018-2019 season! Hosted by Caltech Ballroom, Rosebud Ball was designed for new dancers to become familiar with competitions through its beginner-level events and intimate atmosphere. Read More>
