Competing is about way more than the competition itself. it’s about continual growth, community, and inspiration. Benefits include:

✓ A goal to train for

✓ Focused training sessions

✓ A community of mutual support helping eachother grow

✓ Becoming part of the greater salsa community

✓ Getting to travel with friends

✓ Expanding your network and making new friends

✓ Being inspired by professional artists from around the world

✓ Seeing yourself as a dancer: costume, identity, and performance confidence

Key aspects to the competition expereince

1. Training

Weekly training is at the core of your competition experince. whether you're training one on one or as a part of a team, weekly training is essential for lasting and felt improvement in your dancing and is the life blood of your dance journey. Weekly training with your instructors and team mates is also what helps forms the bonds of friendship that make up some of the most rewarding expereinces in your journey.

2. Competition

Competing one of the the best way to improve in your dancing becuase it gives you frequet opportinites to showcase your dancing marking your progress as you improve and act as milestones for your training. Although you do compete with other dancers at the events, the real competition is with yourself. Every competiton marks new achievements and new quality in your dancing that you can feel and see. Despite being a competition, the environment is overwhelmingly supportive and fun loving. People participate in these events to express their passion for dance and latin music, and this forms a comradery that is easy, natural and felt.

3. Costumes make-up and hair

Just like wearing a bathing suit to the beach or a suit to a business meeting, dressing the part helps you meet the moment and gives you the best chance for success. Proper dance attire allows you to move more freely and fully step into the role of a dancer. For women, and men if they choose, stage makeup enhances this effect in the same way. Ultimately, presenting yourself this way is an important part of embracing your identity as a dancer… and you’ll look like a million bucks doing it!

Divisions:

✓ Amateur: Non-professional dancers. Can compete solo, in couples, or in group choreography.

✓ Pro-Am: Amateur dancing alongside a professional. Can compete in couples or group choreography with at least one professional dancer.

Levels: Competitions are available for all stages, from absolute beginner to advanced.

Age Categories:

Youth: Under 18 years of age

Adult divisions: 18+

Over 40, 50, and even 60 divisions available

Types of Competition:

✓ Showcase: For choreographies

✓ Heats: Freestyle social dancing with music chosen by the DJ

Who Competes?:

Solo - one person alone

partnership - one lead one follow

Team - 3 or more people

Styles of Dances

The core 5 dances in competitions are:

1. Salsa

2. Bachata

3. Cha Cha

4. Hustle

5. Merengue

Many competitions also include:

1. West Coast Swing

2. Kizomba

3. Zouk

Individual Training

Weekly sessions of at least 1 hour; some students train 2+ hours per week.

Training focuses on refining technique, connection, presentation, confidence and whatever other personalized skills that are most relevant to your goals

Team Training

Team training happenss once/week where choreo is taught, rehearsed and refined. For individual dancers, special focus is placed on refining what you learn in class into a more polished version as it is applied to the choreography.

Heats Training

Learn a basic syllabus of moves for each dance style.

Improve social dancing, lead/follow, and improvisational skills.

Showcase Training

Choreography created with your coach (solo, couple, or group).

Focus on quality dancing and expressing artistry.

Repetition improves technique, vocabulary, and performance quality.

✓ For individual shows costumes are not technically required but are highly reccomended and play an important part in the overall presentation of your dancing. Not to mention they help you look the part and feel your best!

✓ Costumes need to be purchased by each dancer. Prices vary greatly from very afordable low cost options to elaborate and expensive.

✓ Team costumes costs will be kept reasonable to allow everyone to have the opportunity to perform.

Timing – 20%: Consistency with the music.

Musicality – 15%: Creative interpretation of the music.

Technique – 15%: Balance, placement, lines, and proper weight shifts.

Difficulty – 15%: Complexity of patterns, turns, shines, tricks, dips, drops, and flares.

Partnering/Connection – 15%: Lead/follow quality and audience connection.

Choreography – 10%: Interpretation and flow of the dance.

Overall Presentation – 10%: Costuming, showmanship, and sportsmanship.