A guide to competitions and the dancesport team...Competition FAQsI've got no dance experience, can I still compete? Absolutely. Most of the people competing as Beginners will have done no Latin or Ballroom dancing before, yet, over the year, will become confident Latin and Ballroom dancers. You should certainly not be worried about a lack of experience; everyone is in the same boat. What if I don?t have a partner? If you want to enter the competitions but don?t have a partner, don?t worry, most people don't early on in the year: remember it only takes 2 people without partners to make a pair! How are partnerships put together? Some partnerships work better than others, and when it comes to matching 2 dancers there are many factors that will be taken into account. Ideally, a partnership is made up of one male and one female, the male slightly taller than his partner. What if there isn?t an even number of guys & girls? In a perfect world there would be exactly the same number of male and female dancers, all of perfect heights and abilities. Indeed, that situation isn?t likely to arise (although the reality is not as unbalanced as many think) but a perfect world would be boring wouldn?t it!? There is no rule against 2 girls dancing together and, in fact, these partnerships tend to do very well. As long as the partnership is made up of 2 people dancing the leader & follower parts respectively, there is no problem! Of course, partnerships are not set in stone and as long as you have someone to dance with, you're off. In time, partnerships can change ? although of course, the partnership may be so successful that you will not want a change! I am not a beginner but I have no partner? Most of the new members each year are absolute beginners, but if you are coming to the club with some dance experience, your team captains will do their best to pair you with a partner of a similar ability. As students graduate and move away, there are inevitably some partnerships in the novice/intermediate/advanced groups that will be broken up. Far from presenting a problem, you may be a very welcome arrival for one otherwise partner-less dancer. My partner can't make a competition but I want to go? This situation arises now and then and can normally be solved without too much trouble. Simply, try to find another spare partner! While it is obviously better to enter competitions in a regular partnership, it is certainly not necessary. Don?t forget, do tell the Team Captains if this arises for you, if someone else does the same that?s the problem solved. Advice for CompetitorsWhat to wear to a competition Beginners (also novice and intermediate depending on the competition so please check!) wear non-competitive dress, defined as 'clothing that has not been designed or altered for the express purpose of dancing' Ballroom Men: Plain dark trousers, plain shirts, ties or bow ties, waistcoats For men, fairly loose-fitting trousers are recommended so that you can stride out properly. Also, they should not be so long that you tread on them, but not so short that they show your socks when you point your feet. Remember to wear black socks! Find a shirt that is not too tight when you raise your arms into hold. For women, make sure that your skirt is full enough for you to stride out properly. Avoid wearing black all over; if you have a black skirt, wear a brightly-coloured top (or vice versa), and accessorise as much as possible. Latin Men: Plain dark trousers or Latin trousers, plain or ruffled shirt or T-shirt, plain Latin top (no transparent material), ties or bow ties, waistcoats Plain is defined as meaning unpatterned or having a small single or repeating pattern. For men, again check the length of your trousers. If you?re not wearing Latin trousers, make sure that your trousers are not too tight so that you can do Latin lines and lunges. Something with a slightly stretchy material is best. For women, if you are wearing a short skirt, try spinning in front of the mirror to make sure that it is decent. Make sure that you are wearing hot pants underneath, either black of the same colour as your skirt. Different rules apply for the Team Match at the end of the day, where we will provide as many team members as possible with competition dress. Bath colours are BLUE so we encourage you to wear your team colours as much as you can (including accessories and makeup!). Shoes Dance shoes are not a necessity for beginner?s competitions, especially for the first couple. Girls you must wear a shoe/sandal with a closed back that secures all the way around your foot and which has a solid steady heel (no higher than 2.5/3?). Anything similar to character shoes is perfect. Guys try not to wear trainers; best thing is to wear some smart black shoes. It is strongly recommended to invest in a pair of dance shoes, dancing is much easier and more enjoyable with the right footwear (imagine trying to play tennis with a badminton racket!). If you intend to dance through the year and attend some competitions, spending money on appropriate footwear is inevitable (at the end of last year most of the beginners had bought shoes); so it may as well be done at the beginning! Shoes can be purchased from many places (including most of the competitions). Men: A good starting point is a pair of Ballroom (rather than Latin) shoes. These have a smaller heel and will be easier to get used to. Hair and Make up Hair and Make Up is a very important part of our dancing. When YOU LOOK GOOD people will react to how you look. And this will make YOU FEEL GOOD all day long! When you feel good and strong, everything is possible and you can get what you want! Attitude Look confident! Don't panic if you go wrong, go off time, or hit another couple; stop and start again. If you crash, it is better to take a couple of seconds to regain a good hold/position before starting than to start in a rush from a bad position. Avoid hitting other couples, but in the event of an accident it is always good manners to apologise and help the couple up if you knock them over. Judges see you when you walk on and off the floor as well so maintain the confident look. If you have a disagreement with your partner, save the argument until you're off the floor and out of sight of the judges. Look up, smile and enjoy yourself! If you?re tired or having a bad day, don't let it show. Essentials to take
A Typical Competition DayCompetitions are fantastic days during which you get the opportunity to showcase your dancing and to watch more advanced couples and - at the bigger ones - a professional demonstration. They are long, but well worth the effort. Before the Competition Preparation - It is strongly advised that you pack the day before the competition so that you can make any last minute purchases (safety pins and tights are the usual suspects) The night before the competition, go to bed early and don't forget to set your alarm in time to sort yourself out in the morning and get to the coach meeting point. When you wake up in the morning, send a text/give your partner a ring to check that they are up! Girls, be aware of how long it takes to get all your hair and make-up ready and although there will be some time to get ready when you get to a competition, generally the space is limited, there are no mirrors and it can get a little stressful. Try and get yourself ready at home as much as you can and maybe on the coach and that'll save you a lot of hassle. Transport - There will be 1 or maybe even 2 coaches (depending on the size of our team) to take us to the competitions. Coaches will have 2 pick-up points: The university bus stop (on campus) and Laura Place (in town). Exact times will vary and will be communicated before each comp. It is extremely important to be on time for the coach, so please do your best. If you are running late then ring us to let us know. At the competition
On arrival we usually change into the outfits that we will be wearing to compete and get a bit of extra practice (it's good to get used to the floor!). Throughout the day there are periods of practice, which are however usually pretty hectic. Generally each University has an allocated area for sitting together and baggage storage, ours should be marked "Bath". There should also be a programme showing the order and approximate times of events for you to have a look at. Ballroom events normally take place in the morning, with Latin after lunch and the Team match in the evening. Each competition is in sections so that there is time to change from your Ballroom outfit to your Latin outfit. Those involved in team competition will also have to change into team dress at the end of the day. Beginners dance first so please be ready quickly - and don't forget to pin your numbers on! There are breaks for lunch and before the team match, and there will be plenty of time spent watching others in which to eat. Entries Each partnership will have a number, which is worn on the back of the man/leader. Partnerships will keep the same number for all the daytime open events in Ballroom and Latin but please note that a different number will be given to you if you are to compete in the team match in the evenings. Heats and Rounds Dances are done in heats so it is important that both you and your partner are ready and together when your number is called. Each dance lasts a couple of minutes and the judges will select numbers for the next round. All couples that get through to the next round are called by number. These rounds may also be done in heats depending on how many people there are. Please keep a listen out for your number. The Team Captains will try to keep track of you all but you need to be ready and listening. It continues like this until the final, in which usually only 6 couples remain. All couples in the final are ranked. The Team Match The Team Match is always at the end of the day. There is usually a Team walk-on where all the universities get to present and wear their most outrageous outfits. Couples that take part in this will be chosen by the Team Captains beforehand. We try to supply as many costumes as we can for this although we only have a limited number. The team dances are Waltz, Quickstep, Cha-Cha-Cha and Jive. There are 4 subdivisions to the team and within each there are 4 couples, so each couple will dance one dance. The teams are A, B, C, and D teams. The A team is made up of our most advanced dancers - and the D team must be made up of Beginners. Atmosphere The university circuit has great atmosphere, it is a team environment. It is so much noisier than the open circuit as everyone from your uni yells out your number or shouts out your name. If you get knocked out then continue to support your fellow uni dancers who do get recalled. There is also a lot of team socialising on the way to, during and after competitions. There are a lot of inter-club rivalries, but they are friendly affairs, mascots can and have been kidnapped. After the Competition Since competitions often finish late, hardly anyone needs to be encouraged to get things together and leave quickly! You might like to sleep on the way back, in which case a pillow to keep on the coach for that moment is a good idea. Once back in Bath, coaches will make the same drop-offs as pickups. Competition days are long and tiring, often starting between 9-10am and finishing around 11pm-midnight after the presentations of prizes. Having said that, with plenty of team spirit the competitions are a really enjoyable (and hopefully successful) day. |