Competitive dance
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Competitive dance is a major category or classification of dance forms or styles, where competition is the primary focus of the dancing. This compares to other major dance categories based on purpose (e.g. ceremonial dance, erotic dance, participation dance, performance dance, social dance).
While many people view this style of dance as a recreational activity, it is becoming more often viewed as a sport. Like other athletes, dancers must be in good physical condition. Dancing requires strength, stamina, and flexibility. Competition requires these physical attributes to an even higher extent.
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[edit] Routines
Dance schools often participate in dance competitions, by sponsoring teams that go to regional and national competitions. Competitive dancing requires dedication as there may be many months spent practicing dance and developing routines. During the competition, dancers perform in front of judges who evaluate their efforts and score each routine. The ranks awarded by different judges are combined into a final scoring, and medals or trophies are awarded accordingly.
Each routine is required to comply with certain rules. It must enter a category which is consistent with the music, style, content, and dancers of the routine. Common limitations are: number of dancers (e.g. different categories for solos, duos & trios, small groups (4-9), large groups (10-19), and super groups (20 or more)), average age of dancers, recreational (three hours or less of dancing a week) vs competitive — hours a week on average the dancers dance, allotted time limit, appropriate music, and style of dance. Routines which fail to comply with the requirements the competition has laid out will be disqualified.
[edit] Judging
The judges at a dance competition are typically former dancers. They sit in the pit at the front of the auditorium in front of the stage and watch all of the dances. Each has a scoresheet for each routine. Points are awarded for different categories. Examples of aspects that may be judged are: execution of movements, transitions, difficulty of routine, costumes, choreography, precision, or musicality.
When judging at competitions, there may also be requirements for how one can do certain moves. For example, in certain moves that require jumping in the air and landing in a split, many competitions require that one's feet hit the ground before completion of the move. Not only are teams at risk of disqualification if this happens, but a team may also receive a penalty amount taken from their score.
[edit] Awards
The points issued by each judge are added up, and all of the judges' scores are added together for a final score. Based on this score, a routine may get an honorable mention, a bronze, a high bronze, a silver, a high silver, a gold, or a high gold medal also in some competitions there are highly commended awards for dancers. Note that all competitions are different, and that honorable mentions, bronzes, and high bronzes are not given at all of them. It should also be noted that many competitions offer gold awards for scores of 80 instead of a score of 90. Ultimate gold may be substituted for high gold, and a platinum medal may be given additionally. The scores are not ranked based on other routines; they are strictly point based. However, some dance competitions do award by ranking.
Judges also put together the scores of all the routines and give additional awards to routines that placed in the top five of their category. The top dances may go on to another set of competitions, called nationals. However, not all competitions do this.
Some competitions also give special awards. These are given by a separate judge and awarded for things like Best Costume, Most Original, etc. These judges can be referred to as adjudicators and mark dancers on their technique, costumes and execution of the moves.
[edit] Competitions
Regional competitions are often held at high school auditoriums which are rented for the weekend. This allows the competition to tour and enables dancers to attend competitions in their area. Due to the nature of dance, competitions span several days, allowing time for dancers to perform, judging to take place, and scores to be added up. A dancer is only required to be at the location during his or her routine and for the awards ceremony that routine is included in. However, dancers are often required by their dance studios to be present longer, to get ready, warm up, and to watch other dances.
National competitions, which is an accumulation of the different dance studios that have attended different regional competitions, are around a week long. They usually take place in a hotel, or in a convention center nearby. "Overall", "Superior", and "High Score" awards are given out at national competitions. Sometimes, different national competitions end the week with a "banquet" or "dance-off", which consists of the highest scoring numbers of the week.
[edit] Spirit of competition
Competitive dance is not so much about the competing as it is about learning from other dancers and appreciating dance. The critiques provided by judges are invaluable and dancers are provided the original scoresheets, as well as a recording of a judges comments made during the routine in some competitions, that they may improve both the routine and their own technique.
Dancers are expected to be courteous to each other. They are reminded that they are not competing against each other, but against themselves. In the official rules of American Dance Awards (ADA), "All dancers will say “thank-you” when presented with an award." is the second rule.[1]At Headliners, it states, "all dancers must act appropriately towards each other." (http://www.headlinerscompeition.com)
Directors of dance studios may instruct their dancers to spend their free time (in between performing, as most dancers perform in more than one routine) watching other routines. Competitions are viewed as both a way to get advice on one's own dancing, and to be exposed to learn from others' dancing.
[edit] Community
Many dance studios will attend the same competitions and so dancers may see each other many times at different competitions during the year. This lends itself to a sense of community and also to possible connections should a dancer decide to go professional. However, it also can produce cliques, which new entrants to the competition scene are often unprepared for.
[edit] Other categories
In other categories of dance competition, pre-established routines are not allowed. Instead, contestants dance to random selections of music and must improvise, and they are judged by how well they lead, follow, and improvise to the music. One variation of this is the "Jack and Jill" where dance partners are randomly paired at the competition, putting an even greater focus on lead and follow abilities.
[edit] Organizations
A number of dance organizations promote various forms of dance as competitive activity and as a sport.
- Junior Olympic Games of the United States Amateur Athletic Union include dance competitions.
- International DanceSport Federation
- United Country Western Dance Council
- World Swing Dance Council
- World Rock'n'Roll Confederation
[edit] DanceSport
To focus on the sports aspect of competitive dance, a new term, DanceSport, was coined and the International DanceSport Federation (IDSF) was established. IDSF promotes dancesport, sets standard rules, and sanctions competitions. In addition, the International Dance Organization (IDO) provides worldwide competition for dancers (www.ido-dance.com)Dancers from the United States can earn placement on Team USA through Headliners competition (www.headlinerscompetition.com)
