When speaking of competitive dance I am referring only to ballroom dance. Many dance forms provide opportunities to compete but my interests lie with this single form. However, there are a variety of avenues to competition within this dance form. Dance competition has two fundamental divisions, Professional and Amateur. But of course, this is far too simplistic for most situations, however, at the highest performance level it is just this simple. The obvious is accurate. Professionals get paid and amateurs do not. There is little difference in skill at the top level but competing amateurs are governed by rules that are much more strict. There are very few dancers who can ever perform at this top level and even at this level dancers may specialize in a particular style, typically latin or ballroom.

Amateur Competition

Professional couples compete only at or near the highest technical level while there is a complete hierarchy of technical proficiencies for amateur competitors. Roughly speaking these proficiency levels are Bronze, Silver, Gold and Championship. Each level is often further subdivided to facilitate smoother growth opportunities for dancers. The figures and technique associated with each level are prescribed by syllabus. Elements of style are more loosely defined and can be personalized by competitors and their coaches. Amateur competitions seem to exist at local, regional, national and international venues. Local events may be entered by any amateur couple who have registered with a regional governing body. Any given competition event can be a blend of many individual competitions. Some of these stand alone, success in some may lead to further competitions at a higher proficiency level while others may be qualifiers for regional, national or international events. Navigating the competition web may depend upon a couple’s goals and ambitions.