Lifts are not permitted, except for Show Dance titles. Only the Viennese waltz has defined choreography: it is limited to seven well-specified figures. Some elementary competitions are restricted to "basic" steps, but international competitions are open as to choreography, within the limits of the traditional style of the individual dances. The music always follows a strict tempo and, for a couples competition, it will have a duration of no less than 90 seconds, and no more than two minutes. The music for competitions is kept confidential until the event. The World Dance Council (WDC) rules for international competitions are lengthy and detailed. The floor was at 84 by 37.7 meters which was 7.61 times the size of what WDSF requires. In December 2011, the WDSF Open and the Australian Nationals were held at the Hisense Arena located within the Olympic park in Melbourne. WDSF governing bodies in different countries have the flexibility to decide on the dance area size for competitions held in the country. WDSF minimum competition dance area size standard In some competitions these are categorized into grades from A to E, with "A" the equivalent of the Amateur level, and "E" corresponding to the "Beginner" level. These generally correspond to the number of the dances to be performed in the competition, with Beginners performing one dance, and those at Amateur level performing five.
Events may sometimes cover a wide range of ages, with groupings such as: under 21yrs, adult, senior I (Over 35yrs), senior II (Over 45yrs), senior III (Over 55yrs, and senior IV (Over 65yrs).Ĭompetitors may also be grouped by experience level, with categories such as Beginner, Novice, Intermediate, Pre-Amateur and Amateur. For example, events might group young dancers by age, such as: juvenile (<12yrs), junior (12-16yrs), and youth (16-19yrs). They range from the well known Blackpool Dance Festival, an event open to all, to competitions conducted exclusively for university students, such as those hosted by the Inter Varsity Dance Association in the UK.Īmateur competitions commonly include events that group dancers by age, experience, or both. There are a wide variety of dance competitions. Young couple dancing cha-cha-cha at competitions in Austria. The national bodies decide on their delegates to the WDC.
This organisation runs a number of competitions and has its own world ranking system for amateur dancers.Įach member country in the WDC has its own national organisation, such as the British Dance Council, which acts as a forum for the many interested parties in that country. In 2007 the WDC Amateur League was created.
It does not regulate social dance directly – that is the business of individual organisers, the dance teacher organisations, such as the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing, and the chains of dance teaching schools in the United States. The World Social Dance Committee "deals with all matters of the dance profession that relate to the activities of Dance Schools and Dance Teachers".