Where was part one, you may ask? Well this post is an extension of another post by Alaina which you can read here.
I thought it was an excellent topic and told her so. And, me being as opinionated and vociferous as I am (at least as a writer), I was inspired to continue the conversation.
I’ll use Alaina’s same format. She was comparing DWTS, which probably represents how most uninitiated people think of ballroom, to what actually happens at a ballroom competition. If you’ve never been to one, then you can’t possibly know, but the two are worlds apart. I think pretty much the only things they have in common are spray tans, amazing outfits and hair, the fact that there are judges, and Pro/Am couples. Other than that, things are really different. And one housekeeping note – I’m talking about NDCA Dancesport competitions as those are the ones I have experience with. There are other competitions put on through studio chains or through other independent companies like World Promotions which have their own set of rules and protocols.
Point 1: In competition, there are multiple couples on the floor at the same time
Alaina got this right. The only thing I’ll add, is man, is it a different experience with all that movement going on at the same time. It kind of makes more sense as to why ballroom couples try to be so ostentatious. If you don’t know what they will be up against, it may seem particularly gaudy and over-the-top how they move, how they dress, how they do their hair and make up, and all that. Each couple is vying for the attention of the judges and the audience and being showy, glittery, or even ridiculously cheeky, may help achieve that aim. It is practically impossible to watch just one couple while they compete as each one will catch your eye at a different point. This is also part of why couples rotate around the ballroom between heats – to perform for a different section of the audience and hopefully gain their support.
Point 2: Two styles of dance
I’d argue that there are 4 categories of dance – broadly divided into American styles and International styles. But it’s not just the styling that is different – it’s also the dances that are performed. On the American side are the American Rhythm and Smooth Divisions, and on the International side are Standard (or Standard Ballroom) and Latin.
American
American Rhythm – Cha Cha, Rumba, East Coast Swing, Bolero, Mambo
American Smooth – Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, Viennese Waltz
International
Standard Ballroom – Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, Viennese, Waltz, Quickstep
Latin – Samba, Cha cha, Rumba, Paso Doble, Jive
As you can see, some of the dances are the same. This is where that styling that Alaina was referring to fits in. In general, legs are straight in Latin Rumba and Cha Cha but there is a bending and straightening action that occurs in American Rhythm. In American Smooth, couples can go in and out of a dance frame hold and tend to do lots of sweeping movements, and spins with the lady, and maybe dips too, but in Standard Ballroom, the couples must remain in a dance frame hold throughout the entire dance and travel in unison around the floor. On DWTS, Len’s background would be more in Latin and Standard Ballroom (being from Great Britan) and this is why he often harps about couples breaking out of hold (which I think he used to do more often than he currently does).
In addition, there are also other dances that may be at competitions like country western dances, Night Club Two Step, Argentine Tango, and West Coast Swing, but generally they have different stylization as compared to the dances as danced in their traditional milieu, like a milonga, or with true “Westies.”
Furthermore, there are more types of pairings that can occur. On DWTS we see a little of this – sometimes there are Pro/Pro pairings, also formation teams, both of which occur at competitions. In competitions, there are also purely Amateur couples, some of which are very high level and almost as good as the pros. This pairing is two amateurs and would be the equivalent of two of the “Stars” on DTWS pairing up. Now that would be interesting to see on the show, but would probably result in poor dancing because instead of only 1 person not knowing what they are doing, both would be clueless!
Also, remember that the couples dancing at competition do not know ahead of time which music they will be dancing to. On DWTS the routines are more like those that would be presented during a showcase; the music is known and choreographed to. But in competition, you may have a routine but it has to work and the timing must be correct no matter what music is played. DWTS did show some of this with those “Instant dances” they have had on a few seasons. Those dances test the skill set of leading and following. I believe (though I don’t know for sure) that for most divisions the couples have a pre-planned routine, however they still have to remain in connection so they can react seamlessly if another couple gets in their way or something unexpected happens like one partner forgets the routine. They can then fall back on lead-follow dancing to get them through. However, in the Standard Ballroom division, I think there is more of a chance that the couples don’t have a planned routine. They probably have the basic idea of what they will do and also which steps they will want to show off, but because there is so much movement around the floor and many couples are buzzing around, floorcraft is key in this division in particular. The couple has to react quickly and often to avoid collisions. (As an aside, I think Artem and Inna are particularly adept at this. I’ve only ever seen them almost collide once, ever, on a video, and I have seen them masterfully avoid collisions multiple times without missing a single step.) Anyways, I think in this division, and probably Smooth as well, lead-follow plays a much bigger role.
Amendment: Please do see the comments section of this post! Why? Because Ellen so generously and eloquently clarified this detail, about Standard Ballroom dancers. I am incorrect, it seems! Standard dancers do have planned routines, and maybe even more so than other dancers! Who knew? See Ellen’s explanation! The main idea is that there are only certain ways to get into and exit out of various steps (very true) so they have to be strung together in careful and meticulous order, which many times will require a pre-set routine. And yes, I admit when I am wrong! LOL! Love it! Thank you for interacting, Ellen! I appreciate you so very much.
Point 3: Scoring and points
Yeah, there are no paddles at competitions. Instead, judges mark couples, ranking them or recalling them on forms which are collected and tabulated, and then at various intervals during the day there are awards. The announcer quickly calls out who made 3rd, 2nd, and 1st in a particular heat. That’s it. You may get some gold stickers, or you may get some coupons for $1 off rounds if you compete again next year for placing, and a plaque for participating, but no mirror ball trophy. Medals are sometimes given for placing in a scholarship competition (I will explain that in a bit). But certainly no commentary on what each couple did well or any advice on how to improve like happens on DWTS.
Another difference is that because there are multiple couples competing at the same time, if there is a large heat, with many participants, it is possible that many rounds may have to be danced. There can be multiple preliminary rounds, then quarterfinals, then semifinals, then finals. During each iteration, a few of the couples will be eliminated. In the earlier rounds where there are many couples on the floor, the judges simply vote to “recall” those couples they’d like to see more of. The final round will consist of 6, maybe 7 couples, so getting to semifinals can be a real feat if there are like 24 couples entered in the competition. Rounds like this can be found at bigger competitions like Ohio Star Ball, or Millennium, or USDC, but usually only happen for pros. I’ve only ever had one heat large enough to require a semifinal. All the other heats I’ve danced have always been a final right off the bat because there aren’t enough couples to warrant multiple rounds.
Once reaching the final, judges then place the couples as 1st, 2nd, 3rd and so on. Each judge gives his or her own individual opinion/ranking and these are tabulated. This is why you see perhaps 33221 by the picture or write-up in the media of a couple that placed 3rd. In this example, 2 judges placed the couple 3rd, two judges placed them 2nd, and 1 judge placed them 1st. The couple with the most 1st’s wins and the ranking follows the same pattern. Hopefully the rankings will agree somewhat, indicating that the positions were highly contested, and the the judges were generally on the same page as to the excellence of the the couples. Sometimes, however, they may also vary widely. A couple can miss a final round, or a higher placement by the opinion of just one judge. Truly, for this reason, I have such respect for the strength of character and perservence of the pros who put themselves out there to compete. It can be a brutal process sometimes and very difficult to convince the majority of judges to place you highly enough to reach any level of professional success.
Often competitors can obtain their scoresheets after the competition online to see how a particular judge placed them, or if that judge recalled them. If the competitor knows the predilections of that judge, then they may gain insight in areas to work on. For instance, some judges are known to focus in on toplines, others footwork, others overall presentation. In addition, competitors can see if there was a wide variation in their placements, or if the judges generally agreed upon how they were placed, again giving them more of an idea of what to focus on in the future.
Here’s where I’m going to veer off the path laid by Alaina.
Point 4: Single dances versus Scholarship Rounds, Open versus Closed heats
Okay, so in competitions there are a variety of types of heats. Single dances are just what they sound like. You want to dance Mambo, you dance a Mambo. You will dance it at the appropriate level and age category. In America, there are Bronze, Silver, and Gold levels. These may be further divided into “pre-” or “full” or “intermediate” levels. For instance, as a way of stretching yourself, if you are ranked as a full-Bronze student, you may also participate in a pre-Silver level heat to see how you fare against more advanced competition. In addition, you dance with people your same age, and can dance against those one age category below you. This makes it fair so 20-year-olds aren’t competing against octagenarians.
Scholarship rounds are kind of like a mimic of what the pros do. The pros don’t dance a single dance. They dance all the dances in their category. Now, for us beginners, they go a little easier on us. First, for the lower levels like Bronze, you may only dance 3 or 4 of the dances required by the pros. Also, the length of the heats is less – 1:10 minutes to 1:2o seconds versus about 2:00 minutes for pros. Thank God, I have to say, because it takes time to build up the cardiovascular capacity and skill level necessary to complete all the dances for such a (relatively) long duration. So for instance, I did a closed Bronze scholarship round in Latin at Desert Classic. This meant that I danced 3 dances in a row: Samba, Cha cha, Rumba and was ranked on those compared to the other Pro/Am couples on the floor at the same time in my same skill level and age category. No Paso Doble of Jive for me! (Thank heavens! However, I did dance some single dances in Jive, separately)
Again the scholarship rounds are divided by skill level and age. They can get very competitive, especially at the Open level.
Okay, now for the difference between Open and Closed. Closed rounds are those that only include steps in the syllabus. For NDCA events, this is the DVIDA syllabus. Open rounds can include more creative choreography and include steps not strictly on the syllabus. There can be open single dances as well as open scholarship rounds. They can also still be divided by skill level, so for instance you can dance an open bronze Bolero or an open silver Waltz.
When pros compete, they are competing as an open. Anyone can enter. Though for Pro/Am and Amateur levels, the open scholarship rounds are generally still divided by age, but then again, you don’t usually see senior citizens in open professional competition, but you will see them in open Pro/Am scholarship rounds.
Hmm….well, that’s probably just scratching the surface of the differences between DWTS and a NDCA competition. Honestly, if you’ve never been to one, it’s worth checking out. The energy of the ballroom during pro heats is unbelievable. And it’s so inspiring and incredible. Though I love getting my DWTS fix, I love being a part of this other world and participating in the “real deal.” There are a lot of ways to participate in ballroom and I’d encourage anyone to participate to any level that works for them, from social dancing, to full-on competition. All are wonderful, and special, and important. But for me, I’ve decided, it’s the competition route I’m interested in. Yeah, I’m crazy. I know. Lol.
If you do happen to have anything to add, or any further questions, please comment! I love hearing other perspectives, and about other experiences. Part of what I’m after here on the blog is to build community. Please join in the fun!
Beautiful Girl In The Ballroom 