Competative Level

[ilykor]

Howdy All!
I don't mean to sound like I am in a rush or anything, but I would just like to know how long someone would dance at the bronze level before moving up to silver. I know that this is different for everyone, but I would just like a rough estimate. Just for some info: I dance the 7 international dances at bronze level now, I practice 3-4 nights a week for 2 hours a night. I have been dancing for half a year. The reason I want to know this is because my instructor and I disagree over the level at which I should compete. He says to go for higher levels (silver) and I insist that I win a bronze competition first, before going on to silver. Thanks for all your help!

[Pass It On]

Quick answer because I gotta go...
I would say at least 100 hours per dance should do it, but keep in mind that nobody ever masters the basics, so you have to keep going back to them. It can be a good thing to be held back from advancing too quickly.

[SDsalsaguy]

Hi ilykor, and welcome to the forums!

While I'm not sure that there is any clear answer to your question, I think there are a number of variables to be considered.

(1) How well are you placing in your bronze events? If you are consistently near the top, then even if you didn't win it might make sense to move up to silver. The new, higher level, materials, and competitors might be just what you need to help take your dancing up another level.

(2) Why do you compete? Lots of people compete for lots of different reasons. Is it mostly for fun? As a tool to motivate and measure yourself? Because you enjoy competing? The answer(s) you give, will have a lot to do with whether you should try moving up to silver yet or not.

(3) Why does your instructor think you should move on to silver? Do they think you’re ready for the challenge and it will spur your dancing along? Do they feel that you’ve outgrown bronze and, even if you win, its just sandbagging the results? Do they have another student learning bronze and just want to make room for them? I suggest talking to your instructor, finding out what their thoughts are, sharing yours (from #2, above) and trying to figure out what makes the most sense from there.

I know this isn’t really an answer to the question you asked, but I hope its of help none the less.

--Jonathan

[Laura]

Jonathan's advice is spot-on.

I'll just add a couple of notes: one teacher I know (who also judges and coaches amateur couples) said that her rule of thumb is that students should spend two years at each competitive level in Pro/Am.

This is just a rough guideline, though -- it does not negate or supersede anything Jonathan said. In general I'd trust my instructor's opinion -- except in the case where he or she thinks you HAVE to move up because they have other students who should be dancing in your "slot" and you're the only one who can realistically move.

I danced in Bronze for two years, always getting about the same placings in the middle of the pack, even though my technique was improving over time. After two years, I moved up to Silver and once again was right in the middle of the pack. Two years after that, I moved up to Gold and once again I was right in the middle of the pack. It made me feel good that I didn't drop to the bottom when I moved up. I dance and compete because I enjoy it and so long as I can see that my dancing is improving (by looking at my competition tapes) then I am happy and satisfied.

[pygmalion]

Does anybody else have thoughts on this?

I talked with my coach about this and he said quite a few things. Just to hit the highlights, though:

1. Stay at bronze until you've mastered the technique, footwork, etc. Then it won't continue to be a challenge at higher levels.

2. Silver and gold choreography, while more complex, is not necessarily better than bronze -- particularly for smooth dances, where bronze requires very well-developed control and balance, since the feet close at the end of the patterns.

3. The rate of progress also depends on how many dances you're attempting to learn. If you're focusing on one or two dances, you can expect to progress more quickly.

Thoughts, anyone?