First competition thread -- again

The getting ready for a first competition thread disappeared, too. Another three-pager, so I won't attempt to recreate. But here's a link to an interesting poem I found.

http://www.ballroombliss.com/samples/tlilly/1stcomp.htm

Neat, huh?

The bit of conversation I remember from yesterday (or day before?) went like this, with a few changes and additions (my memory ain't as good as it used to be :lol: ):

Here's how my comp worked, and I think this is how it often works. The dance teacher/pro/studio gets a wholesalers' package for many competitions. They decide which competitions to promote to their students, add their mark-up and ask their students to participate.

The students can enter based on the rules set up by competition organizers. Things like age group and proficiency level, among other things, are what determine which heats you can enter.

In my case, you're allowed to enter as a newcomer only if you've had fifty hours of instruction or less. Other than that, it's bronze, silver, or gold, with each division being divided in two (Bronze 1 and Bronze 2, for example).

So, for my comp, I've decided to max out in terms of dances I know and can be competitive in. That works out to twenty heats. My choice, all the way. I have a no-pressure dance coach. (I opted to enter only one age division. Up to two are allowed.)

Others are less lucky, and have coaches or studios that pressure students to enter as many heats as possible, in order to maximize the monies spent up front and to get the teacher in the running for prize money.

Wow, that's awesome. I'm supporting you all the way.

Thanks. I've been feeling the love on that one since I first posted about this comp a couple weeks ago. It's so exciting!

And although we're competing three hours apart that day, just remember that I will be there dancing with you . . .

Anyone else? Will you be there with her??? Let her know it! I'm looking for 351 replies here!

Come on guys . . . in spirit only???

Remind me of the date and time and I'll mark it down on my calendar. I'll send you my thoughts and prayers.

Jenn, correct if I'm wrong, but I thought the time was 9:00 on Nov 2.

Yup. 9:00 AM on Sunday, November 2. :shock:

good luck! what dances and what competion?

wow, 20 heats???
that's a lot of money :shock:

Good luck, I'll be sending good thoughts your way on that day!! (I hope you don't exhaust yourself. It sounds like a lot of dancing!!)

Jenn,
Two weeks to go . . . how are you doing??? Are the routines solid yet???
Spotting . . . spins and turns . . . arms . . . hands???

Vince A said:

arms . . . hands???

Click to expand...

Hopefully!

Wow! I'm feeling the love!

First, believe it or not, twenty heats is not a lot of money. A whole lot depends on how much markup your instructor or studio adds. I'm not going to post what I paid, just because I don't want to make trouble for anyone. I will say this, though. What I paid for the teacher's fee plus entries to this competition would buy about 13 lessons at my previous studio. Do the math. Not a lot of money, if you ask me.

Yes, twenty heats is a lot, but I did that deliberately. I haven't competed before, but I have performed a lot, and for me, the worst possible thing to do is to sit down and watch too much. That's when you get cold and stiff and nervous. And twenty heats is spread over several hours, you know. The tough part is when you start to tire physically, but that's usually near the end. I get such a performance high, that I usually just keep going. The next day, I crash like the worst hangover you've ever had. Fun! :lol: 8)

Vince, yes, the routines are starting to come together, but more importantly, all my dances are starting to look more and more unique from each other, especially in smooth. The waltz, foxtrot and tango are looking more different from each other than ever before. Still doing those arm drills, though. I need a couple thousand more reps to make my arm naturally hit that track -- across the boobs, around the face, and straight up the side with attitude. Getting there, though.

Dances: waltz, foxtrot, tango, WCS, ECS, merengue, mambo, bolero, cha cha, rumba. All at Bronze 1 and Full bronze, so the steps aren't an issue. It's the styling, snap, body movement, spotting, size and boldness of the moves, and character of each dance that I'm working on.


Yay!

Funny how relative everything can get... in my universe the cost of 13 lessons at your old studio is expensive! But, as I pointed out in the franchise thread, price and value are, ultimately, two different things. If its worth it to you then it's not too expensive. Enjoy!