All About Ballroom Dance Competitions

Dancesport Competitions Competitive ballroom dancers invest just as much
time as they do money in honing their artistic craft. Dancers can spend
endless hours practicing before ever stepping foot onto the dance floors
of some of the most prestigious competitions throughout the world.
Competitions are organized in such a way that each couple is given the
chance to showcase all of their hard work at the appropriate competitive
level.

Competitions in the United States divide couples into various categories
based on age and level of experience. They also organize couples in
individual events into rounds depending on the total number of entries.
These categorizations allow all couples the opportunity to be judged
more fairly and to be placed accordingly within their field.

Categorization based on age systematizes couples based on their year of
birth. It not only allows them to compete amongst other couples of the
same age group, but also of the same maturity level. Because dancing is
growing in interest and popularity amongst dancers of all ages, numerous
age groups have been formed throughout the years. The categories are as
follows: Juvenile I (ages 6-9), Juvenile II (ages 9-11), Junior I (ages
12-13), Junior II (13-14), Junior III (ages 14-15), Youth (ages 16-18),
Adult (ages 19-35), Senior I (ages 36+), Senior II (ages 46+) and Senior
III (ages 56+). Although couples are not permitted to compete in age
categories lower than their own, they are able to compete in one age
category higher to challenge themselves amongst older competitors.

Couples are further classified based on their current level of dancing.
In order to develop necessary technical skills, dancers must learn
various fundamental principals before learning more advanced figures.
Dancesport therefore follows a syllabus that not only provides a
guideline for the improvement of dancers, but is used as a way in which
to determine proficiency levels at competitions. The syllabus is
composed of four main levels.

The first level is Pre-Bronze, followed by Bronze, Silver and Gold.
Pre-Bronze is made up of the basic figures of every dance, whereas
higher levels introduce more advanced figures. Following the Gold level
are open categories, which consist of Pre-Championship, Championship and
Professional. The dances within these three groups are composed of
non-syllabus routines, allowing dancers to express themselves through a
variety of open figures.

Within a competition, there may be up to hundreds of couples competing
within one single division. Because the dancers need a certain amount of
time to showcase themselves to the judges, they need to go through a
series of rounds. Each round divides couples into a few heats, again
depending on the number of entries, so that they have enough time to be
observed by the judges. The selection process also benefits the dancers
as only a few couples dance at once, thus giving them just enough space
on the floor to perform their choreography. The judges then recall
couples they would like to see once again; those with the most recalls
proceed to the next round in the competition and thus make it one step
closer to the final. Following the Quarterfinal and Semifinal rounds is
the Final which only has room for six couples. Here the judges place the
couples from first through sixth place based on their opinion of their
performance. A scrutineer then calculates all of the adjudicators marks
and the couples are awarded with their placement.

It can be an anxious process for couples as they dance each round and
wait to see whether they were interesting enough to catch the judges
eye; with each of the five dances lasting approximately two minutes,
couples give their all so as to be recognized. At some prestigious
International competitions, in which hundreds of couples take to the
floor, making a few rounds alone can be a great achievement in itself.
Of course, those eventually reaching the finals are then the role
models, and demonstrate a level that other aspiring dancers try to match
themselves.

Therefore, with all of the effort and dedication that dancers invest in
their art, the organization of dancesport competitions is a very
important factor. The classification of couples based on age and level
of experience, as well as the organization within a particular division,
allows couples to be judged more fairly and to be placed accordingly
within their field.