Student Organization Spotlight: Point Park Ballroom DanceSport Club

"It has been so rewarding having another outlet outside of my major to connect with people from all different backgrounds."

Elizabeth Woodberry, president

The Point Park Ballroom DanceSport Club has only been around for a year, but it's already making a name for itself. At a collegiate competition in November, the club's competitive team became one of the highest-scoring universities in the country — not bad for their first national appearance.

The club isn't all about competition, however. There's also a weekly instructive meeting that anyone is welcome to attend, no matter what their major or level of experience. The point is simply to gather with others who want to learn or improve ballroom technique and have fun.

Rozana Sweeney is the club's coach and advisor. Sweeney has over 25 years experience dancing, choreographing, teaching and judging ballroom dance. She's been an adjunct professor of ballroom and Latin dance at Point Park for 12 years and says her ballroom dance class has been growing in popularity in recent years. She's added another section, but there still may be students who can't get into the class. The club offers another opportunity to learn the dances.

Sweeney says she's wanted to see a club form for years, but before President Elizabeth Woodberry came along, there hadn't been a student who was willing to take the lead in creating a new club. "She had the determination and she wanted to do it," Sweeney says of Woodberry.

Thanks to that determination, Point Park students have another opportunity to learn and grow in dance.

Read the Q&A with Woodberry, who shares more about the club, and check out our video of a recent meeting.

Meet Elizabeth Woodberry '26

Major/Program

Dance with Jazz Concentration

Hometown

Darien, Conn.

High School

King School, Stamford, Conn.

Dream Jobs

Choreographer, professional dancer, dance educator and "Dancing with the Stars" pro

Hobbies/Interests

Choreographing dances, spending time outdoors, hiking, skiing, rock-climbing, spending time with family and friends, baking and playing with dogs!

How did the club get started?

Rozana gave me the idea to start the club in the fall of 2023. This has been something she has wanted a student to start throughout her decade working at Point Park, as she judges for many collegiate competitions. I thought this was an amazing idea as I have always been passionate about ballroom and have always wanted to compete in ballroom competitions, and what better way to start than to create a college team? I started the club through Student Activities, Involvement and Leadership (SAIL), where I needed to get a certain number of signatures from people who wanted to join. I also needed to create a constitution. From there, we began our weekly classes, which started with just once-a-week classes on Sunday. I was fortunate to find my partner Lincoln Kosyla through our club, who also had some ballroom experience. We competed at our first competition in Philadelphia with less than two weeks of preparation last April!

What do you do at your meetings?

We begin each class with basic drills in the style of dance we are doing that day (such as the Cha Cha basic step) and break down the depth of the technique of that dance before we dive into a combo or partner work. Then we learn some fun choreography, break down the technique even further, and dance it to music! Sometimes, this choreography becomes a couple's competition routine.

How have you benefited from your participation in the club?

I have benefited immensely from participating in this club as a dancer, educator, leader and person. I've met so many amazing people with similar interests who are passionate about learning this art form, and I've been able to spread my love of dance to them.

I've learned how to manage an organization and large groups of people and how to plan things in advance. My understanding of the technique of ballroom and Latin dance has grown so much through my experience teaching these dances to beginners, which will be extremely helpful for my professional career.

Additionally, through my experience with competitions, I've learned how to perform under pressure and how to stand out when being judged against other dancers, something else that will help my career. It has been so rewarding having another outlet outside of my major to connect with people from all different backgrounds.

What has been a highlight so far?

A highlight of the club was definitely attending the Ohio Star Ball in Columbus. Traveling as a team, getting ready together and competing against schools from all over the country was so cool. Not to mention watching the Pro show and all the amazing professional ballroom dancers. The cherry on top was winning my division with Lincoln Kosyla in silver and gold Latin, and Point Park became one of the highest-scoring teams in the country!

Do you have to be a dance major to join?

No! While we encourage dance majors to join because it's so much fun to learn a new style of dance and the skillset can be easily transferred (plus we do our best to work around the performance schedule), we welcome anyone to take our beginner classes and try out for our comp team. We encourage anyone who wants to learn to come try something new.

Why should a student consider joining Ballroom DanceSport?

You should join Ballroom DanceSport because it is an amazing opportunity to learn a new style of dance that has become immensely popular in the dance and theater industry and a very important skill to know for dance and musical theatre majors. Not only that, but it's an amazing life skill to learn how to partner dance. Additionally, the community we have formed is so welcoming to everyone of all backgrounds and levels, and our comp team is truly like a family. We would love to have you!

What is the current club meeting schedule?

Weekly classes open to everyone are Mondays at 5 p.m. (beginner/intermediate level) and Sundays at 2:15 p.m. (a commercialized combo class geared towards experienced dancers, but open to all levels). Competition team rehearsals are scheduled as needed throughout the week. This includes leveled group instruction to learn the routines, private lessons with me and a couple to clean the routine, and rounds with the full team to run all of our dances back-to-back. These are typically on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

All meetings are featured on both PointSync and the University Events Calendar. Check these for the most current dates. Follow them @pointparkballroom on Instagram.