UH ballroom dance team wins third consecutive national championship
Alexander Picken and D’Elle Martin in the American Smooth style. (Photo credit: Gregory Snyder)
The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa ballroom dance team, including Earth Sciences undergraduate student Alexander Picken, won their third consecutive national title at the National Collegiate DanceSport Championships (NCDC), in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, March 27–29.
Competing against 37 colleges, UH Mānoa once again took first place for “highest point average,” as well as a close second place for the overall team championship, asserting its place among the nation’s top ballroom dance college teams. Winning top honors in the highest point average requires most team members to perform exceptionally well in all events.
The dancers of the Ballroom Dance Club @UHM—a registered independent organization at UH Mānoa—are trained and coached by Ravi Narayan and Synthia Sumukti. Narayan and Sumukti also represented Hawaiʻi in the senior age division placing 1st in several events.
“We are no longer the underdogs, so all the other colleges are looking at us as the team to beat,” said Narayan, who is also an adjunct faculty member in the UH Mānoa Department of Information and Computer Sciences. “The bar is getting raised higher and higher each year, but we prevailed once again. We are incredibly proud of the dedication of our dancers who put in many hours to prepare for this competition. We are grateful for the incredible support we have received from the entire ballroom community in the state of Hawaiʻi.”
The Ballroom Dance Club @UHM was formed in September 2022, and the team took first place for “highest team average” in 2024 and 2025.
“Nationals was an amazing and eye-opening experience for me,” said Caleb Zerbe, who competed in the nationals for the first time. “Getting to see so many people dance and enjoy themselves on the floor made me realize how fun dancing can be, even at the highest stages. It was a moment that helped me build a lot of confidence, and one that I will never forget.”
Christopher Ramirez, who competed on all three victorious UH Mānoa teams, added, “Given the opportunity to compete at my third nationals, there is always something new to learn. Winning for the third year in a row has reminded me just how incredible it is to be a part of this team.”
Tough competition
NCDC 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.). Each student danced in up to 32 different events at the bronze and silver skill levels. They competed in all four styles of ballroom dance including International Standard (waltz, tango, viennese waltz, foxtrot and quickstep), American Smooth (waltz, tango, foxtrot and viennese waltz), American Rhythm (chacha, rumba, swing, bolero and mambo) and International Latin (samba, chacha, rumba, paso doble and jive).
Several students took individual first place awards in their respective divisions defeating up to 70 other competitors in some events. This trip was designed to give the team exposure to a collegiate competition, as Hawaiʻi has no statewide collegiate ballroom competitions.
More about the Ballroom Dance Club
The Ballroom Dance Club offers beginner classes to all UH Mānoa 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 or visit their Instagram page @bdcuhm.
The team would like to thank the Department of Information and Computer Sciences, UH Mānoa Department of Athletics, Student Activity and Program Fee Board, Associated Students of the University of Hawaiʻi, USA Dance Honolulu and the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation for facility and financial support.
For a complete UH Mānoa 2026 nationals collegiate and adult team roster read the UH News story.