Christopher Ellwood

Ballroom · Latin · West Coast Swing

The art of partnership

Competitor, coach, choreographer and scrutineer, trained in every ballroom style. For more than two decades I've helped build the dance community on California's Central Coast, from national finals on the competition floor to the charity gala stage.

23
Years coaching Cal Poly
18
Years directing Mustang Ball
2×
National finalist
$400K+
Raised for charity
01

Milestones

  1. Now

    West Coast Swing

    WSDC Advanced competitor

    Bringing two decades of ballroom technique to West Coast Swing, competing at the WSDC Advanced level.

  2. 2026

    Lumina Nights

    Dance Champions

    Won with celebrity partner Jeanette Trompeter at a gala that raised more than $400,000 for Lumina Alliance.

  3. 2013

    Dancing with Our Stars – Central Coast

    People's Choice & Encore Champion

    Won both awards with my celebrity partner, and have been a regular performer and choreographer for the show.

  4. 2010 & 2011

    USA Dance National Championships

    Top-four finalist, Championship Nine-Dance

    Back-to-back national finals in one of DanceSport's most demanding events, with nine dances across two styles judged in a single competition.

  5. 2003

    Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo

    Founded the Cal Poly Ballroom Dance Team

    Started the team as a student, and have coached it ever since.

02

Cal Poly Ballroom

Founder & Head Coach · Since 2003

I founded the Cal Poly Ballroom Dance Team as a student, and have been its head coach and primary mentor ever since. Generations of Mustangs have learned to dance, compete and lead on this team.

Curriculum & instruction

Designed a multi-level curriculum with evaluation criteria to track progress, and teach weekly classes and competitive training for up to 80 students.

Choreography

Create individual and group choreography for the team's competitions and performances.

Mentorship

Advise team members and officers on leadership, strategic planning and conflict resolution, and guide club operations year round.

Event Director

Mustang Ball DanceSport Competition

I created Cal Poly's annual Mustang Ball and have directed it for eighteen years. It is a full-day competition that draws schools and teams from across the West Coast, averaging 250 competitors and more than 400 spectators, and recently topping 2,000 entries.

Competitors
250
Spectators
400+
Entries
2,000+
03

Scrutineering

Scrutineer · 50+ competitions

Where the dance floor meets software

Behind the scenes, I've been the scrutineer for more than 50 DanceSport competitions: the official who runs registration and turns every judge's marks into results. I run all of the technology behind it too, so judges score each round on tablets and results are ready the moment the marks are in.

Competitions
50+
Judges' marks
Digital
Results
Instant
04

Styles