DanceSport Competition Specifics

Dates

12-15 August 2014
Daytime Session 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Evening Session 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

For the full DanceSport schedule, please click here.

General Seating:

• Four-day pass ($80)
• One-day pass - Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday ($25)
• One-day pass - Friday ($20)
• One-day evening pass- Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday ($15)

Reserved Seating: 

• Four-day pass ($110)
• One-day pass- Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday ($35)
• One-day pass- Friday ($30)
• One-day evening pass - Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday ($25)

*To purchase DanceSport General Seating tickets click here.

* To purchase DanceSport Reserved Seating tickets click here.

Gala Admission (Friday Evening): $25

International Style Division

	Women		Men
Adult (18+)	Standard	Latin	Standard	Latin
	A	A	A	A
	B	B	B	B
	C	C	C	C
	D	D	D	D
Senior (45+)	Standard	Latin	Standard	Latin
	A	A	A	A
	B	B	B	B
	C	C	C	C
	D	D	D	D
Adult (18+)	10-Dance		10-Dance
Senior (45+)	10-Dance		10-Dance

American Style Division

	Women		Men
Adult (18+)	Smooth	Rhythm	Smooth	Rhythm
	A	A	A	A
	B	B	B	B
	C	C	C	C
Senior (45+)	Smooth	Rhythm	Smooth	Rhythm
	A	A	A	A
	B	B	B	B
	C	C	C	C
Adult (18+)	9-Dance		9-Dance
Senior (45+)	9-Dance		9-Dance

Country Western Style Divisions

Newcomer	2-Step Waltz
Beginner	2-Step Waltz
Intermediate	2-Step Waltz Choice of Swing Dance*
Advanced	2-Step Waltz Choice of Swing Dance* Choice of Rhythm Dance**

*Swing Dances include the following:

• East Coast Swing (145-160 bpm)
• West Coast Swing (105-120 bpm)

**Rhythm Dances include the following:

• Polka (108-122 bpm)
• Cha Cha (100-120 bpm)
• Night Club (56-68 bpm)

Line Dance Division

Beginner	D.H.S.S. Choreographed by Gaye Teather Description: 32 count, 4 wall Music: Coffee by Supersister Style: Non-Country Hello Stranger Choreographed by Scott Schrank Description: 32 count, 4 wall Music: Hello Stranger by Queen Latifah Style: Non-Country Waltz Across Texas Choreographed by Lois & John Nielson Description: 48 count, 1 wall Music: Rock & Roll Waltz by Scooter Lee Style: Country
Intermediate	Dizzy Choreographed by Jo Thompson Description: 32 count, 4 wall Music: Dizzy by Scooter Lee  Style: Country Hideaway Cha Choreographed by Joanne Brady, Jamie Davis, Jo Thompson Description: 32 count, 4 wall  Music: Dance With Me by Debelah Morgan Style: Non-Country Music Midnight Waltz Choreographed by Jo Thompson  Description: 48 count, 4 wall Music: Saturday Night by Billy Dean Style: Country
Advanced	Chill Factor Choreographed by Daniel Whittaker & Hayley Westhead Description: 48 count, 4 wall Music: Last Night by DJ Robbie & Chris Anderson Style: Non-Country Cowgirls and Switches Choreographed by Scott Blevins Description: 32 count, 4 wall Music: Cowboys & Kisses by Anastacia Style: Country Hey Soul Sister Choreographed by Ruben Luna Description: 32 count, 4 wall Music: Hey Soul Sister by Train Style: Non-Country

Argentine Tango Division

	Women	Men
Adult	A	A
(18+)	B	B
	C	C

Open Style Division

No Distinction of Levels of Proficiency (One Category)	Showdance One couple dancing a solo performance and may dance any single or multiple styles (any partner dance style).
No Distinction of Levels of Proficiency (One Category)	Formation Teams  Open Dance Routine: Teams desiring to perform routines primarily for entertainment with significant dance content. Couple Dance Routine: Any routine that is performed as couples (same gender or mixed gender) dancing together in a joined configuration throughout.

Showdance (show category for individual couples)

• Routine will be no longer than four (4) minutes in length and may include changes in rhythm and dance styles. May include lifts.

Formation Team (show category for teams of couples or individuals)

• Routine will be between three and six (3-6) minutes in length including entering and exiting the dance floor. Must have a minimum of three (3) couples or six (6) individuals. May include lifts.
• For specific information about registering for Formation Team, please click here

Participation

Each dancer is expected to enter the division and category that most closely fits his or her actual skill level. To achieve a fair contest, equally leveled couples must compete together in the same division, category and level. There are no pre-determined classes in same-sex competitions. Grading rounds are required for the International style, American style, and Argentine Tango divisions before the competition rounds of multi-dance graded categories. The purpose of grading rounds, also called “separation rounds” or “classification rounds,” is to group all couples of the same average level/quality in the same class.

A participant's age is determined by that persons' age as of the first day of the Games, 9 August 2014.

If one category has more than 8 couples or teams entered/registered, elimination rounds will be held.

Required dances per Category:

International Style Division

• Class “A” (Top Level)
• Standard: Waltz, Tango, Viennese Waltz, Slow Foxtrot, Quickstep
• Latin: Cha Cha, Samba, Rumba, Paso Doble, Jive
• Class “B” (Advanced Level)
• Standard: Waltz, Tango,  Slow Foxtrot, Quickstep
• Latin: Cha Cha, Samba, Rumba,  Jive
• Class “C” (Intermediate Level)
• Standard: Waltz, Tango, Quickstep
• Latin: Cha Cha, Rumba, Jive
• Class “D” (Beginner Level)
• Standard: Waltz, Tango, Quickstep
• Latin: Cha Cha, Rumba, Jive

American Style Division

• Class “A” (Top/Advanced Level)
• Smooth: Waltz, Tango, Viennese Waltz, Foxtrot
• Rhythm: Cha Cha, Rumba, Bolero, Swing, Mambo
• Class “B” (Intermediate Level)
• Smooth: Waltz, Tango, Viennese Waltz, Foxtrot
• Rhythm: Cha Cha, Rumba, Swing, Mambo
• Class “C” (Beginner Level)
• Smooth: Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot
• Rhythm: Cha Cha, Rumba, Swing

Country Western Style Division

• Newcomer (First time both partners are competing in any couples competition)
• 2-Step, Waltz
• Beginner (Have not placed in the beginner overall championship division)
• 2-Step, Waltz
• Intermediate (Have not previously placed first in the intermediate overall championship division)
• 2-Step, Waltz, choice of Swing Dance
• Advanced (Have not previously placed first in the advanced overall championship division
• 2-Step, Waltz, choice of Swing Dance and choice of Rhythm Dance

Line Dance Division

• Beginner (Have not placed in the beginner overall championship division)
• 3 Line Dances, with specific dances to be announced at a later date
• Intermediate (Have not previously placed first in the intermediate overall championship division)
• 3 Line Dances, with specific dances to be announced at a later date
• Advanced (Have not previously placed first in the advanced overall championship division
• 3 Line Dances, with specific dances to be announced at a later date

Argentine Tango Division

• Class "A" (Top/Advanced Level)
• Tango, Vals, Milong
• Class "B" (Intermediate Level)
• Tango, Vals
• Class "C" (Beginner Level)
• Tango

Medals will be awarded to the top three couples/teams in each division’s category and class level.

Participation is open to couples consisting of one man and one woman.  Either partner can lead or follow for the entire dance or the couple can switch lead and follow either between dances or mid-dance. The events will not be graded, so there will be no grading rounds scheduled for thisDancesport Schedule.pdf event. The events will not be age restricted, and couples of any level can enter. Otherwise all other NASSPDA competition rules are applicable. Participating couples are expected to dance all 3 dances in each category as follows (these dances corresponds to the dances in the "C" level of each dance style):

• International Standard:  Waltz, Tango, Quickstep
• International Latin: Cha-cha, Rumba, Jive
• American Smooth:  Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot
• American Rhythm:  Cha-cha, Rumba, Swing

Registration

All Dancesport participants:

To those of you who have a Team Name and a Team Code for each Dancesport event you're entering, we thank you!  Some of you have not yet entered Team Names on your Dancesport registration.  In order for your registration to be complete, a TEAM NAME must be assigned to each and every event in which you're participating.  If you're participating in different events with the same partner, you can use the same Team Name can be used for these different events.  If you're dancing with a different partner in other events, a different Team Name is required. You will be assigned a unique TEAM CODE for each separate event, even though you may be dancing with the same partner and therefore have the same Team Name.  We know this can be a bit confusing, and we thank all of you who have completed this process.  Note that general registration ends May 31 ($30 late fee applied July 1-30 and $80 fee applied July 1-15).  NO LATE REGISTRATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER JULY 15.   

International and American Style Division Rules

The competition rules of the North American Same-Sex Partner Dance Association (NASSPDA), the sanctioning organization, will govern the International and American Style divisions. The rules of competition through NASSPDA can be found here.

Highlights of these rules are:

• Different categories may be danced with different partners. However, all dances in a particular multi-dance category must be danced with the same partner regardless of grade classification. (Example: if Dancers 1 and 2 compete as partners in women's graded International Standard and are graded Into the "B" level, then neither of these dancers can compete in women's graded International Standard with another dancer even if they would be graded into another level other than "B".)
• For the senior category, both partners in a couple shall be 45 or above at the time of the competition. A couple may always dance in a lower category, if offered, in addition to its own age category.
• Couples will consist of two women or two men dancing together (regardless of sexual orientation). A transgender person should dance In the category appropriate to the gender that he or she uses to live his or her life and should dance with a partner of the appropriate sex for the chosen category.
• NASSPDA does not recognize mainstream definitions of professionals and amateurs, and supports the categorization of dancers by their proficiency level. NASSPDA further prohibits couples from entering any category if either the couple self-identifies as a Pro/Am couple, as defined in the mainstream, or it is known that one dancer of the couple is paying the other to dance with them (for more see NASSPDA's competition rules).
• No syllabus restrictions apply.
• Dancers must wear functional and festive attire (for more see NASSPDA's competition rules).

Country Western Style and Line Dance Division Rules

The Country Western and Line Dance Divisions will be governed by the rules of the International Association of Gay/Lesbian Country Western Dance Clubs (IAGLCWDC). The rules of competition through IAGLCWDC can be found here.

Highlights of these rules are:

• Competitors may choose to enter any of the divisions of the competition. An Individual may compete in the line dance competition in only one division. If one partner has competed in a higher division, the couple may compete one level below the division of the more experienced partner, with the exception of the newcomer division.
• The music played in the Country Western Style Division will be the songs chosen by IAGLCWDC for 2014. One song has been selected for each dance style within each level. The complete list can be found here
• Footwear will be western style boots.
• Competitors will compete in western style fashion.
• Leads must wear a hat in all dances.
• Props are not allowed.

Argentine Tango Division Rules

The competition rules governing the Argentine Tango Division can be found here.

Highlights of these rules are:

• The couple may exchange lead and follow roles during a song but must not fully break the embrace during the exchange. 
• For the position to be considered correct, partners must constantly hold each other by means of the embrace. It is understood that in certain figures, this may be flexible, but not throughout the entire piece of music.
• Within these guidelines, participants may perform any figure commonly used on the social dance floor, including Barridas (sweeps), Sacadas, Enrosques (twists), Ganchos and Boleos (with respect to awareness of the nearness of other couples), etc.  At no time may any figure be performed which endangers other couples.
• Saltos (jumps), Trepadas (climbs), Drops, Drags, Lifts, and any other typically “Stage Tango” moves are prohibited.
• Judges will give special relevance to the couples musicality, technique, elegance, and risk-taking.   
• Each song will not be longer than 3 minutes, and the dancers will dance the full length of the song. 

Open Style Division Rules

The competition rules of both organizations, IAGLCWDC and NASSPDA, for this division will be jointly applicable.