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Ballroom Dance Resource - Articles on Dancing Everything you ever wanted to know about competition...~ Reprinted From: Spectator’s Guide, 2005 USA DanceSport National Championships Crash Course on Competition A Guide to Competitive Ballroom Dancing If you are new to DanceSport competitions, welcome to the energetic world of DanceSport! We're thrilled to see you here! The following brief explanation can help you distinguish among the events you are watching. A dance competition allows dancers to demonstrate their skills and compare themselves with other dancers. A typical ballroom competition consists of events in various dance styles, age groups and skill levels. DANCE STYLES The following dance styles are featured at the USA Dance National DanceSport Championships: INTERNATIONAL STANDARD Waltz, Tango, Viennese Waltz, Foxtrot, Quickstep INTERNATIONAL LATIN I Cha Cha, Samba, Rumba, Paso Doble, Jive AMERICAN SMOOTH Waltz, Tango, Viennese Waltz; Foxtrot, Quickstep AMERICAN RHYTHM I Cha Cha, Samba, Rumba, Paso Doble, Jive INTERNATIONAL 10-DANCE Dancers perform the 5 Standard dances plus the 5 Latin dances. AMERICAN 9-DANCE Dancers perform the 4 Smooth dances plus the 5 Rhythm dances. THEATER ARTS: A group competitive event where two or more couples dance simultaneously in competition with each other to a piece of music selected annually by USA DanceSport. Each couple is judged and ranked in comparison to the other couples. At least fifty percent of the routine must consist of recognizable dance figures. Lifts are required and no props may be used. CABARET: A solo competitive event in which only one couple dances on the floor at a time, with an interpretive routine choreographed to music which they supply. Couples are judged and ranked in comparison with other couples in the same competitive category. Lifts are required and props may be used. International Standard and American Smooth share many technical principles, and many couples compete in both styles. In Standard, the couple remains in closed dance position throughout each dance. In Smooth, they dance in open positions (side by side, shadow, etc) as well as in closed position. Although International Latin and American Rhythm both include Cha Cha and Rumba, each dance style uses a unique tempo and method of body motion. AGE GROUPS USA Dance competitions offer eight age categories: Pre Teen I: 9 or younger Pre Teen II: 10-11 Junior I: 12-13 Junior II: 14-15 Youth: 16-18 Adult: 19-34 Senior I: 35-49 Senior II: 50 or older Senior III: 60 or older Couples competing in the Senior I Category may also enter the Adult category. Couples competing in Senior II are also permitted to enter Adult and Senior I. Couples competing in Senior III are also permitted to enter Senior II. SKILL LEVELS In ballroom parlance, the term proficiency level is used to describe the expertise with which a given couple performs a combination of their training, competition experience, and natural talent. In each dance style, couples generally begin at the Bronze Syllabus level and work their way up through Silver and Gold. Each Syllabus is a list of clearly defined dance steps, or figures. Couples competing in a given Syllabus are not allowed to perform figures of a higher proficiency level, although couples competing in Silver or Gold usually include certain Bronze figures into their routines. Beyond Syllabus, there are three Open Levels: Novice, Pre- Championship, and Championship. At the Open Levels, couples are not restricted to Syllabus figures, and generally combine Syllabus figures with original, non-Syllabus choreography. Couples move upward from one level to the next as their proficiency and experience enable them to compare favorably With more advanced dancers. USA Dance rules permit couples competing in Bronze, Silver and/ or Gold to enter\Novice events as well. AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION Many people attending their first ballroom competition expect to find the audience sitting in serene dignity, delicately applauding at the competition of each dance. Instead, the spectators are yelling, cheering, jumping up and down, and generally carrying on the way they would at any other spectator sport. JUDGING The judges, or adjudicators, at the USA Dance National DanceSport Championships are certified by various licensing agencies. They are also experienced competitors and instructors. Judging is both an objective and subjective process. Couples are judged on their technical skill, their interpretation of each dance, and their showmanship. In addition, each adjudicator has his or her own personal standards. For this reason, several adjudicators will judge each event to ensure fairness. At the USA Dance National DanceSport Championships, at least five adjudicators are employed for the Syllabus events. Seven or more adjudicators will judge the Open Level events. Ballroom dancers thrive on audience appreciation. Even if you don't know the first thing about ballroom, you still have an important role to play at a competition. Audience participation is not only allowed, it is encouraged and welcomed. If the audience is too quiet, the emcee will instruct them to shout out the numbers of their favorite couples. Remember: the more you cheer, the better they dance! Depending on the number of entries, competitors may be required to compete in a series of elimination rounds (early rounds, quarter- and semi-finals) until six couples are recalled for the final round by the judges. These six couples will be ranked First through Sixth. If this is your first ballroom competition, you may wonder what the appropriate ways are to show your support for the dancers as they compete on the floor. BE LOUD! The dance floor is big (48 x 80 feet) and the music is heavily amplified. For your expressions of encouragement to overcome such distance and din, you will need to make a lot of noise. Shouting, whistling and foot stomping are great ways to show your support! BE SPECIFIC! Let your favorite dancers know you are cheering them on! If you know their names, shout them out. Better still, shout out their number (displayed on the gentleman's back). They may not acknowledge your call, but they will hear it and it will inspire them - especially near the end of their Heat when they are exhausted! BE GENEROUS! Remember that everyone out there is giving it everything they've got. Don't limit your support to the hottest dancers or the ones you may know. Root for all the dancers who are giving it their best, whether you know them or not; Enjoy seeing their faces light up with surprise when they get a cheer from you that they weren’t expecting. Competition ballroom is a performance art, and the dancers need to impress the judges. But they are also keenly aware of the audience, and often go out of their way to impress you, too. Much of their choreography is performed at the edge of the floor for the specific purpose of capturing your attention. So don't be bashful! Hoot, holler, whistle and scream! The more you give, the more they give. Congratulations! Like millions of DanceSport spectators around the world, you’re now "in the know" about how to show your support and add to the excitement of this unique and artistic sporting event! Reprinted From: Spectator’s Guide, 2005 USA DanceSport Nationals Championships (Edited in 2006: Senior III Category added) |
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