Dancesport and Money

[pygmalion]

Having just started competitive ballroom dancing myself, I'm beginning to realize what an enormous investment is involved -- dance instruction, entry fees, costumes, makeup, travel, shoes, and on and on. It becomes very expensive, very quickly. So question: to what extent is dancesport about the money? Do wealthy competitors have an unfair advantage? Are potentially excellent dancers being left out in the cold because of money? What do you think?

[Spitfire]

This is one of the reasons I don't get into competitive dancing plus it holds no interest to me. I'm sure there are a lot of dancers who hold out due to lack of finances that would like to enter the competitive arena and some who enter only a limited number of events.

[msc]

The unfortunate truth is, you need an equally dedicated and capable amateur partner. Split the costs, and you can push each other (hopefully.)

[DanceMentor]

Also the reason I didn't get very far as an Amateur. I couldn't afford it. That's why I became a teacher. It's fortunate that some people can afford it, because it helps to keep the sport alive. I think when you look at the industry as a whole, there is really not a better way to change the money situation.

In order to have competitions:
1) students need to take lots of lessons
2) judges need to be paid
3) a large ballroom needs to be rented
4) students and teachers need to travel
5) shoes and costumes are needed

I'm not really sure how things could be changed to make it more affordable.

[SDsalsaguy]

Some expenses, as you say DanceMentor, are built into the system. Still, if you look at the vast discrepancies in entry fees/tickets you see one place where there could be a big difference... Many U.S. comps, for example, will charge $40-$75 just to attend a night session. Compare this to, say, the Italian Open where 13 Euro gets you in for the entire day!

In a separate but related vein, the cost of lessons also needs to be considered. What of the fact that some “no name” instructors* charge $40/hour (or more) more then some national finalists do? Or, not trying to take away from the skill and value of what great dance teachers and coaches have provide, but how does it make sense that some are being paid far in excess of, say, a children's respiratory nurse who is involved in and responsible for saving children's lives on a regular basis? I think this discrepancy leads to some of the “detach” that people notice when they describe ballroom dancers as “aloof.”

There is, however, also the demand problem... if there was no one willing to pay such prices then no one would be charging them either!

* Taking for granted, for the moment, that ones teaching and dancing proficiency are not, necessarily, congruous accomplishments.

[Adwiz]

Never be discouraged because some people can afford the fancy costumes and stuff.

At the end of the day, the quality of the dancing does win out in all the competitions I've seen. In our first competition recently, we had on great costumes but only got a second place finish in one event, beaten by a pair of university students wearing what amounted to basic street clothing. They didn't even have proper dance shoes. Point is, their form was better than ours and they deserved the win, so I'm glad the judges weren't swayed by our appearance.

Hang in there and dance. If you have the drive to compete, just do it. The costs are manageable, especially if you put it into perspective. most people think nothing of spending as much for a skiing weekend as a competitive dance couple will pay for several lessons or a costume or a trip to a competition.