I always imagined ascendance form as a half-way point between the physical world and the spirit/elemental world. Instead of turning into an ascendant, we temporarily borrow some of their powers and modify our physical form, but still remain a Dwarf/Orc or whatever race in appearance.
Modify it sure, but keep it so I look like a dwarf, but one that’s channelling power from another “world”. So I might get slightly larger, get a glow depending on spec or glyph, and get an animation that is subtle but defined. Drenched in flame, surrounded by a tornado, lightning bolts connecting you to the ground while slightly hovering (think thor when hes coming to fight thanos in wakanda), and running around in your own personal tsunami or you become a spirit like your ancestor model, but more defined.
Let enhancement and elemental choose between the fire/wind/lighting visuals with a glyph, and then resto between the tsunami and the ancestor form. Also add a glyph that removes the animation completely and maybe just modifys your size and colour slightly.
I think thats a far better option than any of the current ones.