39 registered groups at UCLA list dance as one of their categories, and more dance inside culture nights, music ensembles and service programs. They split into three rough kinds. Competitive and audition teams pick a roster each year and practice several nights a week. Project teams and companies take newer dancers, often with a lighter selection step. Open classes and social dance clubs want you to walk in and try. Knowing which kind a group is matters more than its style, because it decides when you have to act.
Competitive and audition teams
These teams choose members, and most of them audition at the start of fall. Samahang Modern calls itself UCLA's first competitive dance team; it was founded in 1986 for Samahang Pilipino's cultural night and now competes with student-choreographed open style and hip-hop sets. ACA All Day, which started in 1993 as ACA Hip-Hop, takes dancers through a fall audition application. NSU Modern competes at events such as Vibe and Ultimate Brawl, and its site lists Battle Royale wins in 2014, 2016 and 2023. Expect long nights: a 2024 Daily Bruin profile followed Samahang Modern through a practice that ran from 7:30 pm to 1 am.
K-pop has its own audition teams. KBM Dance and Koreos both film covers and hold fall auditions through a form, and SEOULA describes itself as friendly to intermediate dancers, with a separate form for videographers. For contemporary work, Synthesis Dance Theater held its fall 2026 auditions on October 11, the same morning its application closed; its interest form is how you hear about the next round.
The South Asian competition circuit has several UCLA teams. Bruin Bhangra performs Punjabi folk dance at competitions across the country, Nashaa does Bollywood fusion, and the Raas Garba Team, also called Bataaka Nu Shaak, dates to 2002. Taara combines Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kuchipudi and Odissi, and asks interested dancers to fill out its 2026-27 interest form.
The UCLA Spirit Squad dance team runs on a different calendar. It auditions in spring for the following year: the 2026-27 squad was chosen on May 17, 2026. You need proof of admission, and current students need a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher. Returning members audition again every year. The squad says 60 to 100 people usually try out for the dance team, and the audition material is released by video the week before.
Project teams for newer dancers
If you have some training but no competition résumé, look at the teams built for that gap. Foundations Choreography was founded in 2014 because its founders felt competitive teams left little room for beginner and intermediate dancers. It places dancers on teams through a fall application, and choreographers can apply to teach workshops. ROOT{D Dance Co. is a South Asian project team mixing styles like kuthu and hip-hop, and says it focuses on growth rather than competition. Giddhe Diyan Raniyan teaches Punjabi giddha to amateur dancers.
LA Bruins Dance takes members of all levels through a general membership form, and Ritmo Vivo, the Latin dance performance team, aims to bring dancers of any level up to performance level; its GroupMe has team news. PROJECTED, a project team of UCLA dance alumni from competition teams and freestyle spaces, is meant for intermediate and advanced dancers and announces open practices through an interest form. Ballet Company at UCLA welcomes any skill level but casts its Nutcracker through an application.
Open classes and social dance
These groups want beginners, and most do not need a partner or a sign-up. VibeCheck teaches a new combo each Tuesday from 9 to 10 pm at the John Wooden Center, mostly hip-hop, with no auditions and little commitment. Line Dancing @ UCLA started in winter 2026 and holds free drop-in lessons every other Thursday in Parking Structure 7; the Daily Bruin reported that it charges no dues and has no application. Offbeat Sessions is a street dance club with open sessions from 7 to 9 pm on Fridays at the CTO, the Central Ticket Office.
Partner dancing has a long history here. Salsa Society dances salsa and bachata on Wednesday nights in Bruin Plaza. Dancesport Club teaches the ten international ballroom and Latin dances, and its newcomer group classes need no registration, experience or partner. Ballroom shoes can wait; the club organizes a shoe fitting around week 4 or 5. BDCIFDC and its sister club Global Dance Club cover social ballroom, swing and folk dances from many countries, and Historical Ballroom Dance Club holds free Saturday night themed dances that start with a beginner lesson.
Some cultural groups work the same way. Grupo Folklórico de UCLA, founded in 1966, performs regional Mexican dance and says no experience is necessary; you start by joining its GroupMe. Bruin Irish Dance practices Mondays from 5 to 6 pm and takes new members through an interest form. Chinese Cultural Dance Club teaches classes toward its yearly Lotus Steps show at Schoenberg Hall. Its 2026-27 program lists eight pieces, from beginner to advanced, and you begin by registering for its open house.
Culture nights, ensembles and other routes
Many students dance once a year in a culture night rather than on a team. VSU casts traditional and "moditional" dance pieces for its Vietnamese Culture Night at Royce Hall on January 17, 2027, through separate applications. The Nigerian Students Association runs tryouts for its dance team through a GroupMe, and Hui O 'Imiloa has an interest form for its fall hula workshop. The cultural organizations guide covers how these productions recruit.
Two School of Music ensembles teach dance as part of a course. You join the Music and Dance of Ghana Ensemble by enrolling in ETHNMUS 91E or 161E, and the Music of Bali Ensemble includes costumed dancers alongside its gamelan. The music ensembles guide explains how enrollment works.
A few groups use dance for something else. Expressive Movement Initiative volunteers teach weekly creative movement classes to children with developmental disabilities, and take volunteers by application. The Bruinettes perform HBCU-style danceline at football and basketball games.
Costs and time
Few dance groups post their costs. Where they do, the open clubs are cheap. Line Dancing is free. Dancesport's site lists no class fee, though dancers from outside UCLA need a $35 quarterly Dance Pass to get into the gym. Teams that travel to competitions rarely publish what a season costs, and practices often run late, so ask about both at the audition info session before you commit.
How to choose
- Decide whether you want to compete, perform once or twice a year, or just dance. That choice narrows the list more than style does.
- In week 0 and week 1, follow the teams you like on Instagram. Audition forms appear there first and often close within days.
- Take an open class in the same style first. VibeCheck, Offbeat Sessions or Dancesport's newcomer classes let you see the dance scene before an audition.
- If you miss fall auditions, fill out the team's interest form. Some teams hold a second round in winter; the Daily Bruin's 2024 Samahang Modern profile opens just after its winter auditions.
- Keep one open club in your week whatever happens, so a missed cut does not mean no dancing.
Every club page here has a How to join note with its latest form. Search dance in the directory for the full list, or browse Arts & Performance. For other groups that take anyone, see clubs without an application.