Blackpool Teacher/Student vs Pro/am

[Spookisgirl]

I am hoping someone can explain to me what I seem to be missing.

Attached are the syllabus for the Blackpool Teacher/Student events and the Pro/am events.

If I read right, in Teacher/student any student can dance with their instructor whether that instructor is a pro teacher or an am teacher. Either type of instructor must be registered.

In pro/am, the teacher must be a registered pro.

On teacher/student it states that teacher/student couples cannot compete together in any other events.

So if you dance with a pro teacher, you can do either teacher/student or pro/am, but not both?

Since the cost of pro/am entries are twice the cost of teacher student (199 pounds vs 100 pounds), would anyone choose to do pro/am?

Is there a distinction I am missing?

 

[MaggieMoves]

The intent of teacher/student is for teachers who compete in open amateur to not lose their amateur status by competing in the pro/am category.

 

[Spookisgirl]

I understand that, but the teacher/student events are not restricted to only amateur teachers, it includes professional teachers as well.

Basically, it appears that there are now two categories to choose from for PADS who dance with 'pro' teachers--teacher/student (which would also include PADS who dance with 'am' teachers) for one price, and pro/am that is double the price and only includes 'pro' teachers (and may have less people participating as it is one or the other).

 

[MaggieMoves]

Often student/teacher events lack the prizes that pro/am events have. There may be no championship or scholarship events, plus many of them are excluded from top teacher prizes. That's at least how NDCA events seem to be working it out lately.

 

[Spookisgirl]

Thanks--I understand that there are a lot of discrepencies at various competitions. My question is specific to Blackpool though. I am wondering why someone would choose to do the pro/am events instead of the teacher student events.

All events at Blackpool are open (no syllabus, just open for the style and separate age categories). There doesn't seem to be any cash prizes (although I may have missed that).

I wonder if this distinction will mean lots of entries in teacher/student and less in pro/am, since students have to decide to do one event or the other, not both (although instructors can do both with different students).

 

[Spookisgirl]

There was some clarification on facebook--the restriction for competing in only one event only applies to students dancing with amateur teachers--they cannot also compete in the open amateur events. Students competing with professional teachers are permitted to enter both teacher student and pro/am events with the same teacher.

 

[dlliba10]

they cannot also compete in the open amateur events.

With the amateur teacher, I'm assuming? What if they also have an amateur partner?

 

[Spookisgirl]

The rule only prohibits dancers from competing in another category with the same partner. If they have another amateur partner they can compete in open amateur. Same for the student.

 

[rels77]

It's essentially a USA dance comp vs an ndca comp. I can't "choose" one or the other. My pro is ndca. So I do pro-am.

 

[snapdancer]

It's essentially a USA dance comp vs an ndca comp. I can't "choose" one or the other. My pro is ndca. So I do pro-am.

You could dance with your pro at a USA Dance competition in "Teacher-Student" events which is about the same as "Pro-am" but with a different name. AFAIK NDCA is not sanctioning pros who dance in outside competitions.

 

[rels77]

You could dance with your pro at a USA Dance competition in "Teacher-Student" events which is about the same as "Pro-am" but with a different name. AFAIK NDCA is not sanctioning pros who dance in outside competitions.

I don't know any ndca pro who's willing to risk it. And as far as I can see, the teacher - student category so far is not of the same caliber as ndca comps... most likely due to its newness.

 

[snapdancer]

They're probably operating on fear-uncertainty-doubt rather than any declaration of the NDCA.

At a local USA Dance-registered comp this past weekend, there were several local teachers who I know compete in NDCA pro-am plus several out-of-town instructors who might also compete NDCA pro-am.

 

[Spookisgirl]

@rels77 this thread is specific to the competitions during the Blackpool Festival in the UK. The rules/designations are different from what most are used to in the US, and both divisions, Teacher/student and pro/am are part of the same competition, sanctioned by the same organization (British Dance Council, which is WDC, I believe). There are ruled explained in the attachments that differentiate between who qualifies in each category for the Blackpool events.

I haven't seen these divisions (named this way) within the same event before (although it may happen). NDCA events usually have pro/am and 'mixed amateur', but the same couples can't dance in both divisions (pro/am is for registered pro instructors, mixed amateur for instructors registered as amateurs).

 

[rels77]

@rels77 this thread is specific to the competitions during the Blackpool Festival in the UK. The rules/designations are different from what most are used to in the US, and both divisions, Teacher/student and pro/am are part of the same competition, sanctioned by the same organization (British Dance Council, which is WDC, I believe). There are ruled explained in the attachments that differentiate between who qualifies in each category for the Blackpool events.

I haven't seen these divisions (named this way) within the same event before (although it may happen). NDCA events usually have pro/am and 'mixed amateur', but the same couples can't dance in both divisions (pro/am is for registered pro instructors, mixed amateur for instructors registered as amateurs).

I totally understand that. What I'm saying is that the distinctions in the rules is the same distinctions that separate USA dance teacher/student from ndca pro/am. It is the same thing.

 

[dlliba10]

music that doesn't change tempo mid dance...

... I try to make sure all my music is uniform throughout the 1:30.

But also, not entirely sure why the USA Dance vs. NDCA distinction is being brought in here. NDCA competitions have both pro-am and mixed-amateur events -- I thought that this new distinction at Blackpool was meant to accommodate the amateurs who already do the latter at stateside events.