Comeback of DanceSport at OSU

This year at the USA Dance National Ballroom DanceSport Championships, the Ohio State University DanceSport Team put on an impressive performance and took home first place in the 2025 Collegiate Team Championship. 

OSU dancers joined dancers from over 40 universities nationwide to compete at this prestigious event, held from March 28-30 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  Dancers competed in individual events, formation team events, and the most attended and exciting event of the entire weekend – the Collegiate Team Championship.  This year, OSU, under the coaching of Dana Edwards, secured that top spot.

The team is cohesive, hardworking, and a lot of fun to watch.  Coach Edwards is a driving force behind the team; however, she admits that her dancers have inspired her just as much as she has inspired them. 

“I started judging for the Ohio State University team in 1997, and then coached from 2008 – 2012,” she remarked. “I remember all of them and became friends with several.”

“Sadly, I went through a period of loss in my personal life in 2012…I had to make the hard decision to leave coaching to keep my dance studio successful,” she remembers. “I continued to work with the team as the chairperson for their competition and advisor for many years.”

But her Coaching years were not done, and it took a little reminding during a chance meeting to bring her back to what she loved.

She was sitting on a plane in February 2020, ready to go home after a weekend of World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) training and the Southeastern DanceSport Championships when she received an unexpected nudge. “It was the first international WDSF Smooth event, and a very exciting weekend,” she remembered. “A young lady asked to sit with me, and it was one of the competitors from DanceSport at OSU. We had a lovely conversation about the team, questions about improvements, and ideas.

But February 2020 wasn’t the time to get started.  In 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic struck the world, closing businesses and institutions, impacting individuals of all ages, and isolating many.  By March 2020, universities and schools were closing or announcing remote instruction.  This affected students who were not only trying to get an education, but who were also learning about life.  College athletics were cancelled, and there was a rude introduction to a world of masks and gloves.  Ballroom dancing was not even a thought

“2020 devastated the world and crippled the team,” remembered Edwards.  However, there were 10 dedicated athletes who kept it alive. “They were able to hold interviews through Zoom for a new coach, and I was kindly invited to interview. Boom! I was back!”

Edwards’ love for the sport and the team brought her full circle.  Together with the team’s determination and resilience, the Ohio State University DanceSport Team once again began to “Jive.”

“Honestly, I love coaching all age groups, but the ‘Team’ part of a college team is inspiring and rejuvenates my love for dance in every class. They make me remember how I felt so long ago when I watched them compete,” she said. “I started teaching a couple of athletes in my studio in masks and on video so the team could practice at home…When we finally had lessons in person, we had to wear masks and were not supposed to touch each other.  Plus, we were in a tent outside of the Student Union, with a plastic dance floor in winter…We made the best of it, and the team grew.”

Fast-forward to now. DanceSport at the OSU Classic became a USA Dance Challenge and was held January 17-19. The team has 40 members, and they won the 2025 National Team match and the USA Dance National Ballroom DanceSport Championships.

“Side note: I think the Team Match may be ill-conceived as just a FUN event,” mentioned Edward.  She noted that it is great, exhilarating, entertaining, and the true feeling of collegiate dancing. However…“The teams are strategically positioned to put the Best of the Best in their levels to represent the college. No different than the Olympic events.

“Our program has a coach, eight alumni mentors, and six student teachers; they all mentor each other. We bring in guest teachers and workshops, too. Our team is so grateful to the many people who have found it in their hearts to donate to the team. We have received so many things that help our team and the other teams, which have created so many amazing memories…We are a medium-sized team as of now, but we hope to keep growing.”

Some University Ballroom Teams struggle to find a Professional or seasoned Amateur coach, and some are still struggling to get started. Also, teams always need shoes, practice wear to compete in lower levels, gowns, Latin dresses, and even financial donations for lessons and competition expenses.

Edwards suggests that USA Dance members consider exploring a college team they could support in achieving success. Here’s the list of universities within the USA Dance College Network:

• Arizona State University
• Badger Ballroom Dance Team University of Madison, Wisconsin
• Ballroom Knights Brigham Young
• Carnegie Mellon University of Claremont
• Duke Ballroom Dance Club
• Duquesne University
• Emory University
• George Town
• Georgia Tech
• High Point University
• Indiana University
• University of Oakland
• Oakland University
• The Ohio State University
• Penn State University
• Point Park University
• Purdue University
• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• Rochester Dancesport
• Jose State University
• St Louis University
• Stanford DanceSport
• Stanford University
• University of California, Santa Cruz
• University of Alabama
• University of Hawaii
• University of Houston
• University of Maryland
• University of Michigan – Ann Arbor
• University of Minnesota
• University of Minnesota – Duluth
• University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
• University of Pittsburgh
• University of South Carolina

Edwards enjoys seeing the alumni continue to compete and notes that many Ballroom Dance Professionals today are Collegiate DanceSport team alumni. “Unfortunately, the struggle of young alumni finding a place to fit in and still compete is real. They are graduates, but financially challenged. It’s a big jump from college prices to adult expenses. Some competitions will honor an alumni rate for a certain number of years after graduation if asked…Thank you to those competition organizers! I hope more will follow.”

The Ohio State University Buckeyes are looking good and are in good hands.  As Coach Edwards says, “Keep them dancing through life!”