Ballroom Competitions!

Anyone can compete--it's the best way to practice a lot, improve quickly, and see amazing couples on the floor. You'll drive with us to the competition, possibly spend the night in a hotel or be hosted by local dancers, and spend a day or two dancing rounds, watching Champ-level dancers and shows by professionals, and getting callbacks & winning. There are divisions by skill level, including Newcomer for people who've danced for less than one semester. If you don't have a partner, we can help you find one.

Specific Info

Levels and Dance Styles

Newcomer, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Novice, Pre-championship, Championship. Newcomer is exclusively for dancers with less than 6 months of experience; after that, you must move up to Bronze, and you'll progress up through the levels as you get better. For each level, there are 4 styles to choose from: International Standard (Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, Viennese Waltz, Quickstep), International Latin (Cha-Cha, Rumba, Samba, Paso Doble, Jive), American Smooth (Foxtrot, Waltz, Tango, Viennese Waltz), and American Rhythm (Rumba, Cha-Cha, Mambo, East Coast Swing, Bolero). You can typically do any or all of these 19 dances at a competition.

How they work

Typically, each event (dance) will have 3 or 4 rounds, each being 1 1/2 minutes long with about 20 couples on the floor. About five judges walk around the perimeter of the floor; in Newcomer, they mainly look to see if you're on time, doing the right steps, and looking confident, and in higher levels, they look for technique and style. If enough judges mark you down, you'll be called back to the next round for that dance.

What to wear

Shoes: When competing it is essential to have good shoes--they should slide on the floor, look nice, and fit tightly. Ballroom shoes are typically between $90 and $130, but you can find lower priced shoes online. If you are interested in buying shoes, you should ask some comp team members about getting cheap deals online and about choosing the right size & style. Some common brands are: Capezio, Bloch, Very Fine, Freed, Supadance, and Stephanie.
- For guys: Dress shoes with leather soles or jazz shoes often work, but ballroom shoes with suede soles are ideal.
- For girls: Character shoes may work, but ballroom shoes are much better, especially for Latin.
Clothing:
- For guys: Wear black dress pants and black socks. Wear a long-sleeved white dress shirt for Standard and a black shirt for Latin. Make sure the shirts don't bunch up at the shoulders when you raise your arms, and try to have the Latin shirt be fairly close-fitting.
- For girls: For Standard, wear a long-sleeved fitted top and a long skirt (mid-calf to ankle length). For Latin, wear a short skirt (mid thigh or shorter) with shorts underneath and a tight-fitting top. Asymmetrical skirts tend to look good on the floor. It is also best to either wear skin colored tights or put makeup on your legs for Latin. For both Standard and Latin, hair should be neatly pulled back. Longer hair should be put in a bun. Make-up should be done to the extent of stage make-up (but not clown make-up : ) ), including foundation.

Traveling to comps

There are 2-3 local comps per school year. Others are 2-6 hours away, so we drive together.

Nearby competitions

February 2, 2008 -- Yale Dancing Competition
February 9, 2008 -- 8th Annual Univ. of Michigan Ballroom Dance Competition
- 4 1/2 hours drive
February 22-23, 2008 -- (Binghamton) Inter-Collegiate DanceSport Competition
- "Ballroom Dance Revolution"
February 23, 2008 -- (U Penn) Clover-Star Classic
- 5 hours drive
February 24, 2008 -- 2nd annual Stony Brook Ballroom Dance Competition
March 8-9, 2008 -- Iowa State University Cyclone Ballroom Classic
March 29, 2008 -- (Penn State) Keystone Classic
- 3 1/2 hours drive
April 13, 2008 -- 18th Annual Ohio State University Ballroom Dancesport Classic
- 3 hours drive
April 26, 2008 -- 3rd Annual USA Dance Pittsburgh Amateur DanceSport Championships

Finding partners

When you're looking for a partner, think about: 1) what kinds of dances you want to do (Standard, Latin, both), 2) how much you want to practice and compete and how far you're willing to travel to compete, and 3) practical things like relative height. If you'd like help finding a partner, email ballroom or ask one of our officers at a lesson.

Preparing and practicing for comps

You have to be able to survive on the dance floor for 1 1/2 minutes; you have to get the judges' attention; and you have to look good. For surviving for 1 1/2 minutes, learn to recognize the beat of the music right away, and practice remaining composed even when people bump into you or get in your way. Also, make sure you know how to string steps together and what direction each step should face. For getting the judges' attention, you must project: hold yourself up straight, make your movements big, and have lots of energy (even in slow dances like Rumba). For looking good, you should make sure your frame with your partner is correct, make sure you're on time with the music, and look confident. We'll do rounds in our Intermediate and Advanced lessons specifically to practice these, but you should always think about them in any lesson or practice you go to.