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. 

During the expressive American Smooth events, Alex Tahan and Elizabeth Peng placed 2nd in Bronze Waltz and Viennese Waltz, while Danny Torres and Kokila Shankar placed 1st in Silver Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, and Viennese Waltz. UCSD Dancesport had a strong showing in the Gold Smooth finals, with Willard Ford and Blanca Martin taking 1st, Danny and Kokila taking 2nd, and Thunder Bird and Alise Bruevich taking 4th in Gold Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, and Viennese Waltz. 

In International Standard, Lorraine Lian and Julie Ngan placed 3rd in Newcomer Quickstep and Bronze Tango, while Alex and Elizabeth placed 4th in Bronze Viennese Waltz. Thunder and Alise placed 3rd in Silver Waltz and Quickstep and 4th in Gold Viennese Waltz and Silver Tango, Foxtrot, and Viennese Waltz. Also in Gold Standard, Matthew Panelo and Kokila placed 1st and Willard and Blanca placed 2nd in Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, Quickstep, and Viennese Waltz. In the Rookie Follower category, Lorraine placed 1st in Waltz, Tango, and Quickstep with Willard, while Julie placed 3rd in Tango with Thunder. 

In American Rhythm, Lorraine and Julie placed 2nd in Newcomer Cha Cha and 3rd in Newcomer Rumba. Danny and Blanca continued dominating in American Rhythm Cha Cha, Rumba, Swing, and Bolero by placing 1st in Silver and 2nd in Gold. 

As for International Latin, Lorraine and Julie placed 4th in Newcomer Samba, while Alex and Elizabeth placed 2nd in Bronze Paso Doble. Thunder and Alise took 1st in Silver Cha Cha, Rumba, and Paso Doble and 4th in Gold Paso Doble. Also in Gold Latin, Willard and Blanca placed 1st in Paso Doble, while Danny and Lili Olah placed 2nd in Cha Cha, Samba, Rumba, and Jive. In the Rookie Follower category, Lorraine placed 3rd in Cha Cha, Samba, and Rumba with Thunder, and Julie placed 4th in Rumba with Willard. For the Rookie Leaders, Sirisha Munukutla placed 3rd in Cha Cha and 4th in Rumba with Alexis Wascher. 

During the evening, our dancers showcased impressive spins and dips in the Nightclub dances. Willard and Apru Pranjal swept away their competition in Beginner Nightclub, placing 1st in Salsa, Nightclub Two-Step, Merengue, Hustle, Lindy Hop, and West Coast Swing and 2nd in Bachata. Alex and Elizabeth placed 3rd in Hustle and 4th in Nightclub Two-Step, Merengue, and West Coast Swing. In Advanced Nightclub, Danny and Blanca placed 1st in Bachata and 3rd in Salsa, while Thunder and Lili placed 1st in Hustle, 2nd in Bachata and Merengue, and 4th in West Coast Swing and Salsa. 

We wrapped up our evening by watching and cheering on our teammates who gave impressive performances at the Open level and watching an exciting Hustle performance complete with stunts and lifts. In Novice Standard, Matthew and Kokila danced with such poise and placed 4th in Viennese Waltz. In Novice Latin, Willard and Blanca brimmed with energy and confidence and placed 5th in Cha Cha, Samba, and Rumba. To finish off the night, we tackled the dance challenges head on and took 2nd in the team match! 

Congratulations to all of our dancers for not only their success but also their effort, hard work, and commitment to keep improving. It is inspiring to see how much everyone has worked to become better dancers while still having fun, and we are excited to hit the dance floor at our next competition!