Santa Clara University Ballroom Dance Association

On Saturday, April 6, 2024, Santa Clara University, Stanford University, and UC Berkeley tri-hosted the 2024 Ballroom Dance (DanceSport) Competition: the Bay Area Super Ball. With over 1600 entries, 250+ competitors, and 200 spectators traveling to attend, the event was a huge SUCCESS, thus, placing Santa Clara University on the map for DanceSport. Dancers competed in various styles including International Standard (Waltz, Tango, Viennese Waltz, Foxtrot, Quickstep), American Smooth (Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, Viennese Waltz), International Latin (Cha Cha, Rhumba, Samba, Jive, Paso Doble), American Rhythm (Cha Cha, Rhumba, East Coast Swing, Bolero, Mambo), and Nightclub dances (Salsa, Bachata, NightClub 2 Step, West Coast Swing, Polka, Argentine Tango, Hustle, and more!).

Since 2022, the Santa Clara Ballroom Dance Association has offered SCU students free ballroom lessons taught by professional ballroom coaches. Our mission is to not only to offer students an opportunity to learn various ballroom dance styles, but also provide students a safe space to relax from academic stress, make new friends, get a workout, and just have fun. "Over 150 students this year alone have taken lessons with us," reports Carter Strauss '24, Finance Major in the Leavey School of Business (LSB) and Captain of the Santa Clara Ballroom Dance Association, and the quarter is not even over.

This year, SCU's DanceSport team has travelled all over California, representing SCU in numerous competitions at Claremont, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, Cal Poly SLO, UC Berkeley, and more! Caitlin Gorin '25, Marketing Major in LSB and President and Founder of the Santa Clara Ballroom Dance Association states, "I am very grateful to SCU for supporting the Santa Clara Ballroom Association, enabling us to build a dance community on campus. It is truly remarkable to see how ballroom dance has improved the lives of so many students as they develop confidence, social skills, and dance techniques. I have seen how ballroom dancing transforms students into socially friendly, confident individuals."

Special Thanks to our coaches for teaching us all how to dance and for all their support. Many Thanks to everyone who made this event possible: our sponsors (particularly Santa Clara University College of Arts & Sciences and Santa Clara University School of Law), judges, DJ, MC, scrutineer, photographers, dancers, teammates, supporters, and countless volunteers -- we could not have done this without you!!

Congrats to everyone who competed and helped make this event a success!! Next year, Nationals here we come!"

SCU DanceSport Highlighted Victories at the Bay Area Super Ball:

3rd Place to SCU and Stanford DanceSport for Team Match

Justin Hurcombe & Raquel Bryant
- 2nd Place in Pre-Champ Latin (Cha Cha, Rhumba, Samba, Jive)
- 3rd Place in Championship Latin (Cha Cha, Rhumba, Samba, Jive, Paso Doble)

Caitlin Gorin & Carleton Imbens
- 1st Place in Rookie Vet American Smooth Waltz
- 1st Place in Rookie Vet American Smooth Tango
- 1st Place in Rookie Vet American Smooth Foxtrot
- 1st Place in Rookie Vet American Smooth Viennese Waltz

Khushi Thanki & Isabelle Hu
- 3rd Place in Newcomer Rhythm Cha Cha
- 4th Place in Newcomer Rhythm Rhumba
- 4th Place in Newcomer Rhythm East Coast Swing
- 4th Place in Newcomer International Standard Quickstep
- Finalist in Newcomer International Standard Waltz
- Finalist in Newcomer International Standard Tango
- Finalist in Newcomer American Smooth Waltz
- Finalist in Newcomer American Smooth Tango
- Finalist in Newcomer American Smooth Foxtrot
- Semifinalist in Newcomer Latin Cha Cha
- Semifinalist in Newcomer Latin Rhumba
- Semifinalist in Newcomer Latin Samba
- Semifinalist in Bronze American Smooth Tango

Sienna Pierson & Araceli Franco
- 4th Place in Newcomer Rhythm Bolero
- 4th Place in Beginner Argentine Tango
- Finalist in Newcomer Rhythm Cha Cha
- Finalist in Newcomer Rhythm Rhumba
- Finalist in Newcomer Rhythm Mambo
- Finalist in Newcomer Rhythm East Coast Swing
- Finalist in Newcomer Latin Paso Doble
- Finalist in Beginner Blues
- Finalist in Beginner Polka
- Semifinalist in Beginner NightClub 2 Step

David Zhou & Caitlin Gorin
- 1st Place in Beginner Argentine Tango

Araceli Franco & Sean Tsang
- Finalist in Newcomer American Smooth Foxtrot

Esmeralda Heredia & Marcos Fuerte
- SemiFinalist in Beginner Salsa

Marcos Fuerte & Araceli Franco
- SemiFinalist in Beginner Bachata

Tyler Costello & Khushboo Gupta
- Semifinalist in Beginner Bachata

Kiana Abrigana & Austin Trinh
- Semifinalist in Beginner Merengue
- Semifinalist in Beginner Nightclub 2 step

Romeo Valentin & Caitlin Gorin
- Semifinalist in Advanced Hustle

For more updates from Santa Clara Ballroom Dance Association, check out our instagram page @scu.ballroom.dance

Apr 23, 2024

2023-24

Santa Clara University Ballroom Dance Association