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The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa ballroom dance team won its 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.

UH Mānoa 2026 nationals collegiate and adult team roster:

• Ravi Narayan, faculty (computer science), coach and alumnus
• Synthia Sumukti, coach and alumna
• 'Aulani Wagner, library science and American studies
• Alexander Picken, earth science
• Amanda Kanthack, psychology and japanese
• Caleb Zerbe, computer science
• Christopher Ramirez, linguistics
• Christopher Wright, electrical engineering
• Courtney Hisamoto, computer science
• D'Elle Martin, architecture
• Elijah Saloma, computer science
• Gregory Snyder, mechanical engineering
• Hannah Madiam, kinesiology
• Iris Calauan, pre-nursing
• Jonathan Bona, civil engineering
• Julietta Lopez, architecture
• Kanaru Ebi, psychology
• Karl Merritt, mechanical engineering
• Luis Hernandez, electrical and computer engineering
• Lyndsey Moku, political science
• Maya Ito, psychology
• Michaella Villanueva, computer science
• Noah Asano, computer science
• Samantha Reed, computer science
• Shaelyn Loo, computer science
• Tessa Heidkamp, journalism and political science
• Andrew Lin, computer science alumnus
• Sydney Kim, computer science alumna
• Jason Aguda, computer engineering alumnus
• Matthew Rummel, political science and business alumnus
• Ariel Ramos, cinematic arts animation alumna
• Yong-Sung Masuda, computer science alumnus
• Wilson Tran, computer science alumnus
• Florence Liu, faculty, mathematics

VIDEO LINKS:

https://youtu.be/S2yIAji3vbo: Luis Hernandez and Maya Ito dancing the American Cha-cha in the Collegiate Team Match where UH Mānoa placed 3rd. Video Courtesy of Calvin Ota

https://youtu.be/IhieL9a6Hr0: Elijah Saloma and Michaella Villanueva dancing the International Quickstep in the Collegiate Team Match where UH Mānoa placed 3rd. Video Courtesy of Calvin Ota

https://youtube.com/shorts/iRSk_VAMmIk?feature=share: 1st place winners in the Gold Latin event - Luis Hernandez and Michaella Villanueva dancing the International Jive. Video Courtesy of Ravi Narayan

https://youtu.be/WWx0p35u8gY: Coaches Ravi Narayan and Synthia Sumukti dancing the Mambo in the Senior IV American Rhythm Championship final. Video Courtesy of Ravi Sundaram

https://youtu.be/hm1YadWvSDI: Students cheering for their coaches, Ravi Narayan and Synthia Sumukti. Video Courtesy of Ravi Sundaram

VO SCRIPT:

INTRO:

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa ballroom dance team is on a winning streak.

For the third year in a row, they took first place at the national college championships in Pittsburgh.

VO:

Competing against 37 colleges, the team earned top honors for the "highest team average."

This means that the entire team performed at a consistently high level across many events.

Students danced in up to 32 events, showing off their skills in waltz, tango, cha-cha, and more.

Their coaches also competed and won several events themselves.

Team members say the experience builds confidence and pushes them to do their best.