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Essentials for Ballroom Dance Competitions

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Essentials for Ballroom
Dance Competitions
by Aria Nosratinia
Although dance competitions can be exciting and fun, overlooked details can ruin your day. The following is based on my experiences, and those of other college dance competitors, written for a group of novices.
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Enjoy Yourself: You're there to have fun! Don't get too wrapped up in how many dances you placed or how many medals, ribbons, or trophies you won. You might not take any home but, with the right outlook, you'll award yourself with memories to share with your great-grandchildren.
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Arrival: Give yourself ample time to register, get your competition number, find a dressing room, stretch, warm up, calm down, and find your partner(s) before your first dance. In the program, mark the dances in which you're participating.
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Goodies: Take your clothes, shoes, consumables, and other stuff in a bag that, when full, will fit under a chair in the ballroom. I recommend
mmmTwo pairs of shoes and two dance outfits (to change when soaked with sweat);
mmmSafety pins to attach number or make quick fixes to clothing;
mmmThread and needle for not-so-quick fixes;
mmmTowel;
mmmPain reliever/muscle relaxant;
mmmWriting utensils;
mmmGrooming tools such as comb, makeup, hair spray, razor, etc.
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Food/water: Competitions are usually day-long affairs. You'll need to eat and drink. Water, other beverages, and food might be hard to find in or near the ballroom. Take foods high in carbohydrates such as breakfast bars, power bars, bagels, peanut butter sandwiches, and bananas. They provide instant energy and don't take up much space. If food and drink are conveniently available, please patronize the vendors to ensure that your competition is profitable enough to return to the venue.
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Warmup: If you are participating with multiple partners, try to warm up with each of them dancing each of your dances. Cover all of the floor to get a feel for its quality, speed, consistency, and to find its flaws. If it's too fast, brush your shoes' soles gently a few times. If too slow (not often the case), go to the corners of the room where there is usually a small residue of dust on the floor; rub the soles of your shoes in that dust a few times. You should have talcum powder to apply a tiny quantity to the soles of your shoes.
mmmSometimes the competition floor is neither designed nor maintained for dancing. It might be unevenly waxed, slippery or sticky in some spots; there might be electrical outlets, seams, or other hazards on the floor. Try to find, and remember, all such hazards to avoid them during competition.
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Multiple partners: Write your partners' names on your program. Arrange to meet them near the floor to avoid delay when your dance is announced. If your partner dances the dance before yours, meet as your partner leaves the floor.
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Entrance and Exit: Very Important!
mmmAt a well-organized competition, the sequences of dances are known in advance. Before a dance starts, be ready to get on the floor with your partner. The emcee will announce: “. . . the next dance is . . ; Beginner level; first heat”. The Leader will offer an arm to the Follower to go to the floor as a couple. Don't forget to smile.
mmmWhere on the floor should you go? For Latin, it doesn't matter much. Personally, I feel better if I'm in the periphery of the floor, as opposed to the center, because I feel I'm better seen by the judges. In standard/smooth, however, positioning is more important. The “premium spots” are the two corners that are at the beginnings of the floor's long sides. Thus you have the length of the room to complete your initial pattern. Second best spots are the two other corners.
mmmOnce in position, separate from your partner. The Leader should stand with back to the judges so they can see the number. After judges have noted the couples, the emcee will say something like: “. . . This is the first/second/semifinal heat, judges bring back n couples”, or “. . . this is the final heat, judges place all couples”. This is your cue. The emcee will then say “Music please” and the music will play.
mmmAt this point, the Follower goes to the Leader and gets into closed dance position. In Latin dances, one might want to do an intro, but I'm assuming that you are beginners and don't want to bother with such stuff.
mmmWhen you are together and in dance position, take your time to make sure you are on the correct count before starting to dance. It is important not to rush. Judges might forgive many things, but they will never forgive the wrong tempo or being on the wrong count. But you don't want to wait too long either, especially in smooth/standard dances: the couple behind you is waiting for you to get out of the way.
mmmAt the end of the dance, the Leader spins the Follower out and they bow to the audience. They then come together and leave the floor arm in arm. Or, especially in Latin, the Follower Leads the way off the floor and the Leader Follows. Don't forget to smile!
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Attitude: Remember, you are being judged from the instant you walk on to the dance floor. Attitude is key! Even if you haven't a clue as to what you are doing, pretend you are the greatest dancer the world's ever seen: walk erect, smile at the audience and judges, and look up as you take your stance. Do the same as you walk off, even though you might have screwed up. The judges will get to know you as the day goes on; do your best early on, and it will help you later. In my experience, if the judges like you early on, you could get a break later if you make a little mistake. Making a good first impression is important. You can acknowledge a judge with a smile as you dance past. But don't go overboard on this.
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For Women: Courtesy of Kim-Anh Nguyen of the University of Pennsylvania.
mmmClothes: Costumes are usually not allowed in college competitions. Wear a longer full skirt or dress for Smooth. It's best not to wear black because the man will take away from your line if he's wearing black. If you trip on your long skirt going backward in one of the smooth dances, don't panic. Make a little hop, get it out of your way, and keep on dancing. It helps to step backward with good technique, keeping your weight forward, so that you know you've stepped on your dress without tripping and falling. For Latin/Rhythm, wear either a short, flippy dress/skirt, or a long, slender dress with a high side slit. The slit MUST be high enough for you to move your left leg freely. You might alter the dress to get the slit high enough. Bright colors are preferable since you will be more visible, but you may also wear black. Your arms should be bare or the sleeves should be short so that your wrists and hands show as you do your arm movements and extensions. If your dress has thin straps, you might tape or tie them together with rubber bands so they will not fall off of your shoulder as you dance. Always take several dresses in case you have a tear in one. Always take safety pins, needle and thread, and scissors in case of emergencies.
mmmHose/underwear: Wear flesh-colored stockings, dance tights if possible. The tights should be sandal foot and “sheer to waist” because showing the stocking panty when you swirl looks bad! For Latin, you might also wear flesh-colored fish-net tights. Especially for Latin, you should wear dance trunks or briefs. Panties or girdles made of Lycra will hide your underwear.
mmmShoes: If you don't have dance shoes, wear heeled sandals for Latin and pumps for Smooth. For pumps, you should wind cellophane tape around your foot (in the shoe) at the instep to keep them on while you are dancing. Take several different pairs to see which fits best at the competition.
mmmHair/makeup: Essential! Hair must be in a bun atop your head (to enhance your lines), or be very short. The saying for hair is: “Not one loose strand!” Take tons of bobby pins and hair spray to keep your hair in place. Hair flailing about and hitting your partner's face looks very unprofessional. Wear lots of makeup especially on your eyes and lips. It's OK if you think it gaudy and overblown. This is a competition! The point is to look good to the judges and the audience, not your partner. The judges are far away and overdoing makeup compensates for that distance. Most women polish their nails and some use fake eyelashes (you don't have to). Take your makeup and mirror to the ballroom to freshen up. Take a towel to pat perspiration during the competition.
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For Men:
mmmClothes: Costumes are usually not allowed in college competitions. For Standard/Smooth, wear dark dress pants, white shirt, and a regular neck or bow tie. You could try a vest to see how it looks. I usually avoid wearing a jacket during the dance because regular jackets have padded shoulders and the armpit is usually cut too low. When in closed dance position, the shoulders of such a jacket hunch up. This gives a really bad look, especially since one of the points of good dance posture is to keep the shoulders down. For Latin, wear dark dress pants and a white or colored shirt. Latin shirts are good; you cannot go wrong with black. You can go for frills, but be careful — it could look good, or it could look really silly. If you decide on color, try to match it to your partner's dress.
mmmShoes: Wear leather shoes with leather, suede, or synthetic soles. Avoid shoes with rubber or spongy soles. The shoes should give you good arch support. Specialty dance shoes are your best choice.
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Accessories: Belt buckles, brooches, rings, bracelets, watches, and loose necklaces are potentially trouble-some and could even be hazardous. This becomes an issue mainly in the Latin dances. This is espe- cially important for Swing/Jive. Try to avoid them all.
Copyright ©1997, 1998, all rights reserved
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Back to Competition page.

This is clearly for Ballroom events — Mike Corbett
This is the unedited version from which the above was created.
Essentials of Dance Competitions
by: Aria Nosratinia
Dance competitions can be exciting and fun. They can also be a pain; any number of small details can go wrong and ruin your day. This collection of useful reminders was first written for a group of novice dancers at Rice University going to their first competition. The material is based mostly on my personal experiences and initial mistakes, as well as advice from other college dance veterans.

    * Enjoy Yourself: It is amazing how many people forget the most important aspect of being at a competition. There is a good chance that, no matter how attached you get to dancing, you will not be making a living off of it in the future. You're there to have fun, so don't get too wrapped up in how many dances you placed at, or how many medals/ribbons you won. You may or may not take back ribbons and medals, but with the right outlook, you'll definitely take back memories you'll enjoy for many years to come.

    * Arrival: Be early. Give yourself plenty of time to register and get your number (for the gentleman), find the changing area, stretch, warm up, calm down, and find your partner(s) before your first dance begins. Look over the dance program and mark down the dances that you are participating in.

    * Goodies: Bring your clothes, shoes, and other stuff in a bag that would fit under a chair or table. You would want to keep this bag close so you can access it easily. Here's a useful list of things to bring:
          o Dance outfit(s) and shoes. Gents: bring extra shirt.
          o Safety pins, to attach number, also quick fix for torn seams, straps, etc.
          o Thread and needle, again to fix a torn seam etc. if there is a little more time.
          o Towel, to blot perspiration between dances
          o Comb, hair brush or other grooming device
          o (For ladies) Makeup, hair spray, etc.
          o Food and water (see item below)
          o Contact lenses, rewetting drops, saline solution (if applicable)
          o Aspirin or equivalent, for headaches or muscle aches and pains
          o Pen or pencil, to mark down dances on the program.

    * Food/water: Water or other liquids may not be easy to get to at the comp: bring your own water bottle. Competitions are usually full-day affairs, and you *will* get hungry. Food may not be (and to my experience is usually not) conveniently available. Bring high-carbo food items with you. Some good choices include: breakfast bars, power bars, bagels, peanut butter sandwiches, and bananas. They all provide instant energy, and don't take much room in your carry-on bag.

    * Warmup: Go on the floor and warm up before the dances begin. If you are participating in multiple dances or with multiple partners, try to warm up with each of them, even if just for a few minutes. For smooth dances, cover all of the floor in your warmup. Get a feel for the floor: is it too fast, too slow? If it is too fast (slippery), go back to your chair and apply the steel brush gently to the bottom of your shoes a few times. If it is too slow (this happens much less often, and is less of an issue for beginner dancers), then go to the corners of the room, where there is usually a small residue of dust on the floor, and rub the sole of your shoes on the floor a few times. If you are really prepared, you'll have talcum powder with you, in which case apply a very very small amount of powder to the sole of your shoes.

      Sometimes the competition is held on a floor that is neither designed nor maintained for dancing. The floor could be unevenly waxed and slippery on some spots, or there may be electrical outlets, seams, or other uneven spots on the floor. Go over the floor a couple of times during your warmup, look for all such hazards and, as much as possible, avoid them during the competition.

    * Multiple partners: Gentlemen: mark down the name of each partner you're dancing with across each dance on your dance program (or dance card). Agree to meet your partner at a certain point at the periphery of the dance floor, or at a certain table where she is sitting at. When a dance is announced, don't be late getting on the floor. Ladies: you have it easier. Just remember the number of your partner(s). Also, agree to meet him at a given point, and be there a minute or so before your dance starts.

      Make sure that you know if your partner is on the floor for the dance before yours. In that case, go to him/her as s/he is coming off the floor at the end his/her dance.

    * Entrance and Exit: Very Important!
      In any well-organized dance, the sequences of dances are known in advance. Before a dance starts, find your partner and be ready to go on the floor. The emcee will say something like: ``... and our next dance will be.... the American Waltz, Beginner level, first heat''. You will know this is you. The Gentleman will give his arm to his partner, and you will walk together on the floor. Don't forget to smile.

      Once on the floor, where should you go? For Latin, it doesn't matter much. Personally, I feel better if I'm in the periphery of the floor, as opposed to the center, because I feel I'm better seen by the judges. In standard/smooth, however, positioning is more important. The best places or ``premium spots'' are the two corners that are at the beginning of long sides of the floor. This way, as you start, you have the length of the room to complete your initial pattern. The second best spots are the other two corners.

      Once you are in position, separate from your partner. The Gentleman should stand with his back to the judges so they can see his number. After judges have marked down the couples, the emcee will say something like: ``... This is the first/second/semifinal heat, judges bring back X couples'', or ``... this is the final heat, judges place all couples''. This is your cue to be ready. The emcee will now say ``... music please ...'', and the DJ will start the music.

      At this point, the Lady comes to the Gentleman and they get into the closed dance position. In Latin dances, one might want to do an intro, but I'm assuming that the readers of this document are beginners and don't want to bother with such stuff.

      Once you come together and into the dance position, take your time to make sure you are on the correct count, and start your dance. It is important not to rush. Judges may forgive you many things, but they will never forgive wrong tempo, or being on the wrong count. Note that you don't want to wait too long either, especially in smooth/standard dances: the next couple behind you is waiting for you to move.

      At the end of the dance, the Gentleman spins his partner out, and they both bow to the audience. They then come together, Lady takes Gentleman's arm, and they leave the floor together. Alternatively (especially in Latin), the Lady leads the way out of the floor and the Gentleman follows. Don't forget to smile!

    * Attitude: Remember, you are being judged from the minute you walk out onto the dance floor. Attitude is key! Even if you haven't a clue as to what you are doing, pretend you are Shirley Johnson or Mario Robau: walk erect, smile at the audience and at the judges, and look up as you take your stance. Do the same as you walk off, even though you might have screwed up. The judges will get to know you as the day goes on; do your best early on, and it will help you out later. In my experience, if the judges like you early on, you could get a break later if you make a little mistake. Making a good first impression is important. When you dance by a judge, you can acknowledge him/her with a little smile. But don't go overboard on this.

    * Especially for Ladies:
      This section is courtesy of Kim-Anh Nguyen of UPenn.

          o Clothes: Usually no costumes are allowed in college competitions. Wear a longer, full skirt or dress for smooth. It's best not to wear black because the man will take away from your line if he's wearing black. If you trip on your long skirt going backwards in one of the smooth dances, don't panic. Make a little hop, get it out of your way, and keep on going. It also helps to step backwards with good technique, keeping your weight forward, so that you know you've stepped on your dress without tripping and falling on you bum. For Latin/rhythm, wear either a short, flippy dress/skirt, or a long, slender dress with a high side slit. The slit MUST be high enough for you to move your left leg freely; you may need to alter the dress to get the slit high enough to move. Bright colors are preferable since you will be more visible to the judges, but you may also wear black. The arms should be bare or at most quarter-length, so that your wrists and hands will show as you do your arm movements/extensions. If your dress has thin straps, you may tape or tie them together with rubber bands so they will not fall down your arm when you dance. Always bring several dresses, in case you have a tear in one. Always bring extra safety pins, needle and thread, and scissors in case of emergencies.

          o Hose/underwear: Wear flesh-colored stockings, dance tights if possible. The tights should be sandal foot and ``sheer to waist'', because showing the stocking panty when you swirl looks really bad! For Latin, you may also wear flesh-colored fish-net tights. For Latin especially, you should wear dance trunks or briefs. These are lycra panties or girdles that will hide you underwear so it doesn't show when you turn.

          o Shoes: Dance shoes preferred. If you don't have these, wear heeled sandals for Latin and pumps for smooth. For pumps, you should wind scotch tape around your foot (in the shoe) at the instep to keep them on while you are dancing. Bring several different pair and see what fits best at the dance.

          o Hair/makeup: Essential! Hair must be put up in a bun at the top of the head (to enhance your line), or be very short. The saying for hair is: ``Not one loose hair!'' Bring tons of bobby pins and Aqua Net spray to keep your hair in control. Loose hair flailing about and hitting the man's face looks very unprofessional. Wear lots of makeup! Especially eyes and lips. You may think it looks gaudy and overblown, but that's OK. This is a competition, and the point is to look good to the judges and the audience, not to your partner. The judges are standing at least some yards away, and overdoing the makeup compensates for the distance. Most women do their nails, and some use fake eyelashes (you may opt out of the latter). Bring your makeup and mirror to the table to freshen up. Bring a towel to blot perspiration during the competition.

    * Especially for Gentlemen:

          o Clothes: In most college competitions, costumes are not allowed. For standard/smooth, wear dark dress pants, white shirt, and a regular tie or a bow tie. You could try a vest on top to see how it looks. I usually avoid wearing the jacket during the dance, because regular jackets have padded shoulders and the armpit is usually cut too low, so that when in close dance position, the shoulders of the jacket hunch up. This gives a really bad look, especially since one of the points of good dance posture is to keep the shoulders down. For Latin, wear dark dress pants and white or colored shirt. Latin shirts are good, and you cannot go wrong with black. You can go for frills, but be careful: it could look good, or it could look really silly. If you decide on color, try to match it to your partner's dress.

          o Shoes: Leather shoes, with leather, suede, or synthetic soles. Avoid shoes with rubber or spongy soles. The shoes should give you enough arch support. Specialty dance shoes are your best choice.

    * Accessories: (For both sexes) This becomes an issue mainly in the Latin dances. Belt buckles, brooches, rings, bracelets, watches, and loose necklaces are all potentially troublesome and even hazardous. This is especially important for Swing/Jive. Try to avoid them all.
Copyright (c) 1997, 1998, all rights reserved
                                                                                                                                         
Permission is granted to make and distribute printed copies of this article non-commercially.
(postscript file available here).
The author reserves the right to electronic versions of this article,
and non-electronic copyrights are granted on the condition that the article is
reproduced in its entirety and without any alterations, including this copyright notice.

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