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Team
UBBDC Team members compete at collegiate competitions all throughout New England. Competitions are a great way to practice the steps and technique you've learned.
They're also a great way to travel and be part of a successful team. Plus, ballroom competitions are just plain fun! Don’t worry if you’ve never danced before! The competitions we attend have a division restricted to people
who have been dancing less than a semester.
Many collegiate competitors have competed as little as two weeks after joining!
Team practices Team membership Competition schedule What are the different dances and different styles?
Team practices: Tuesday 9p -10p in the Social Room
Thursday 7p – 9p in ABC 110
To be a UB Ballroom Dance Team member:
Competition schedule:
What are the different dances and different styles? World-wide "ballroom dance" refers to the ten dances of International Standard and International Latin. In the United States, the American Style (American Smooth and American Rhythm) are also considered "ballroom dance".
The Dances Are:
Standard/Smooth dances are normally danced counter-clockwise around a rectangular floor following the line of dance. In competitions, competitors are costumed as would be appropriate for a white tie affair, with full gowns for the ladies and bow tie and tail coats for the men; though in American Smooth it is now conventional for the men to abandon the tailsuit in favor of shorter tuxedos, vests, and other creative outfits.
American Smooth allows you to leave closed position and do turns and even solo work, while International Standard requires you to remain in closed position at all times. Latin/Rhythm dances, with a few exceptions, are performed more or less in one spot. In competitions, the women are often dressed in short-skirted latin outfits while the men outfitted in tight-fitting shirts and pants; the goal being to bring emphasis to the dancers' leg action and body movements. Latin/Rhythm dances, with a few exceptions, are performed more or less in one spot. In competitions, the women are often dressed in short-skirted latin outfits while the men outfitted in tight-fitting shirts and pants; the goal being to bring emphasis to the dancers' leg action and body movements. Rhythm and Latin have few similarities. The rumba dances are quite different, even in their basic counts, with steps on counts 1, 3, 4 for American and 2, 3, 4 for int'l. Most importantly, the hip motion differs: in American style, one steps onto a bent leg; in int'l style, onto a straight leg.
What are the levels? In the United States, amateur dance proficiency levels are defined as:
Pre-Bronze (aka Newcomer) -> Bronze -> Silver -> Gold for syllabus dancers
and
Novice -> Prechampionship -> Championship for open competitors
For syllabus dancers, only certain figures are allowed at a given level. This list of permitted figures is known as “the syllabus”. There are several dance organizations with published syllabi, but the most commonly recognized are those of the ISTD (Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance), the USISTD.
 Here are some basic terms we’ll be using a lot. Alignment: These terms describe the position of the feet in relation to the room. CBM (Contra-Body Movement): Turning the right side of the body towards a left moving leg or turning the left side of the body towards a right moving leg. CBMP (Contra-Body Movement Position): When one foot is placed directly in front of or behind the other.
How do I find someone to practice or compete with? We will introduce you to other team members approximately your height who are also interested in competing and practicing. Take down their names, contact information, and what times they would like to practice. The rest is up to you.
Practicing and competing with more than one partner is strongly recommended even if you are taking ballroom classes “with” someone. This is the best way to develop good leading and following skills, rather than just growing accustomed to one person’s good and bad habits.
Many competitors have different partners for different styles- for example one partner for smooth and standard and another for rhythm and latin.
The most important thing to look for in a practice or competition partner is similar practice habits (same nights, same level of interest, both looking to compete or not). The next most important is feeling comfortable working with the person, then height and physical compatibility.
How do I prepare for a competition?
By coming to practice! Come to class 15 minutes early and warm up. Stay after and review what we’ve learned. Before the competitions, we will use the Monday night practice for ‘mock’ competitions, so you know you’re ready to get out there and impress the tails off the judges!
Thursday and Saturday practices will begin will some stretches and drills to help you warm up. We will offer a brief review and then the majority of the practice will be spent rotating the music so that you can work on all the dances we’ve covered. Open level mentors will be available to help you. Practice CD request:
CDs of ballroom practice music are available for $3 per CD. Please give your money and the CD request form to Ryan, our treasurer. It will take about a week to make your CD.
How do I sign up for a competition?
We will register all team members for both Holy Cross and Harvard. If you decide not to go, let Jasmine, our Team Captain, know by Feb. 5th and we will drop your registration. If you do decide to go, let Jasmine know who you will be dancing with. For MIT, we will only register competitors who let us know by the deadline.
Competition Fees: The listed fees are for newcomer registration only. For more information, see the competition web sites. Student members are eligible to have their registrations paid for by SGA, if we receive funding. We’ll keep you posted.
Competition information: Holy Cross: The Holy Cross competition will be held on February 23rd in Worcester, MA. Anyone who started dancing after August 2007 is permitted to dance newcomer. The newcomer dances are International Walt, Tango, Quickstep, ChaCha, Rumba, Jive, American Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, ChaCha, Rumba, Swing.
What do I do once I’m at the competition?
What should I wear? The top competitors compete in elaborate costumes. Luckily, beginners don't need to worry about that yet! Costumes are typically prohibited at the beginner level and are not necessary until championship level. You'll probably be able to wear something that you already own or that you can borrow from a friend.
Men: For both standard and latin, you'll need black pants, black socks, and black shoes. You'll also need a close-fitting tee-shirt or long-sleeved shirt (preferably black) for latin and a dress shirt for standard (a solid colored tie and vest is a nice touch). Guys are definitely not expected to wear make-up, but they are expected to look neat and well-groomed. Ladies: For latin, you'll need either a short dress or a skirt with a shirt or leotard. The skirt should fall above your knees to show off your legwork, and the top shouldn't be too loose. We'd also recommend sheer-to-the-waist pantyhose or fishnet tights, and dance briefs to cover your underwear in case your skirt flies up. For standard, you'll need a very, very, very full skirt that falls below your knees (preferably just above your ankles). Most beginners underestimate how full a skirt they will need. If you have something you think will work, try it out in a practice to make sure it doesn't restrict your movement, and if you're buying something new, check that you place one foot around 3 feet behind the other without feeling restricted. Character or circle skirts are definitely full enough. Avoid wearing black! It makes you hard to see on the floor. Ladies should wear make-up (more than normal, so that it shows up on the floor, like stage makeup) and make sure their hair is up off the neck, neatly pulled back and hair-sprayed in place. Some advanced competitors might even wear fake eyelashes, nails, and hair decorations, but you don't need to worry about that unless you really want to! If you have fair skin, consider a tanning spray to keep you from looking pale. If you have any questions about what to wear or are having any trouble finding something appropriate, Steve and the mentors will be glad to help. We will also have dress rehearsal practices before competitions for people to try out any new competition clothing. What else do I need for a competition? If you don’t want to purchase meals at the comp, you’ll need to bring food. Even if you are planning on eating there it’s usually wise to bring snacks, a water bottle, power bar, etc. If we're staying overnight, you'll need a pillow, a blanket or sleeping bag, pajamas, and shower supplies. And we often go out to dinner on the way home, so it'd be a good idea to bring along at least some money.
What happens at a comp? Collegiate ballroom competitions usually last one day, with the biggest ones lasting a whole weekend. They're lively and informal events, usually held in a gym with everyone cheering loudly for their favorite couples. Couples are identified by numbers on the leaders' backs, so make sure you (or your partner's) number is pinned on! When you event is about to run, the MC will ask the couples in your event to line up in the "on-deck area," right next to the dance floor, and then the deck captain counts the couples. The beginner events are usually the biggest, often more than can fit on the floor. They'll split the couples into several "heats". Heats are multiple rounds of the same event, so there aren't too many couples on the floor at once (10-20 couples per heat is typical). The MC invites the first heat to the floor and says something like "Music, please." The couples on the floor dance for about 1 1/2 minutes, until the music stops. They bow and leave the floor, and the next heat walks on. If you have another event right afterwards, you should go back to the on-deck area right after leaving the floor. Meanwhile, the judges decide which couples to call back into the next round, usually about half the number of couples of the previous round. Each judge writes down the numbers of the couples he wants to call back. Once all the heats have danced, the scrutineer tallies the judges marks and compiles a list of the couples with the most callbacks. The MC announces the callbacks, and those couples dance again. Usually some other events will be run between rounds of a given event, so you'll have some time to rest before the callbacks of your event. The process continues until 5-8 of the couples in your event are left. For this final round, each judge ranks all the couples on the floor. At the end of the final, the scrutineer compiles the judges' marks into a final ranking of the couples, which is announced at the award ceremony once all the events in that style are completed
What judges look for:
Waltz- romantic, Foxtrot- smooth, Tango-passionate, Quickstep- playful
Make sure the judges see your number so they can mark you! What they DON’T look for: Choreography and complicated steps. In fact, doing steps that are ‘out of syllabus’ (restricted to a higher level) will get you disqualified. They would much rather see simple steps done well.
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