change of direction

I've definitely seen it. Just watch for people getting quietly pulled aside mid-comp by someone official... that's usually the signal invigilation is happening. Instances I've witnessed:

1) An amateur couple was pulled aside in gold latin and flagged for an open step in their chacha. They were told to change it for the next round, or they'd be penalized. They did, and there was no problem.

2) A pro was pulled aside and told that the costume his student (someone I know) was wearing was inappropriate and it needed to be changed before her next dance. We ran around and found a practice dress option, but then got further clarification that adding a scarf on top of her dress to cover more of her hip was fine. She danced the rest of the comp like that.

3) A pro and his student entered the closed gold 3-dance and did their open routines. They were penalized to last in all dances - the score sheets didn't even give marks.

It seems like borderline stuff - like altered timing or not-specifically-allowed precedes or follows - doesn't usually get picked up, but the more flagrant stuff does.
 
At some USA dance comps, I have seen competitor numbers announced over the microphone, and the competitors (or their coaches, for kids) are directed to either the costume or syllabus invigilator as they are coming off the floor. Not exactly unseen/unheard that they are being invigilated, though only they hear the actual conversation. Not sure if this is the way it is currently handled at all USA dance comps, or not.

We had it happen to us once at a USA dance event where the invigilator found us in the spectator area between rounds - our step sequence was fine, but one of the hand holds was not allowed for a certain step in bronze. It's been a while, but I think they handed us a slip of paper about it.

I think in NDCA it is usually more discreet, often to the extent that you wonder if they are doing any at all. I have heard general announcements/warnings from the MC (e.g. please stay in category, or this is a closed silver event, or even a reminder that this common silver step is not allowed in bronze). I also witnessed it happen once in an NDCA comp (e.g. overheard a loud conversation between an official and a pro made in an area right next to on deck, I wasn't eavesdropping, anyone in the area would have heard it). This included the pro arguing back with the official about what was or wasn't appropriate in a bronze quickstep, and happened after one of those MC announcements. That was a few years ago, not sure if it would be handled the same way now or not.
 
Yeah, I've seen it happen frequently at USA Dance competitions. This last weekend was the first time I heard about it happening at an NDCA competition, and I only heard about it because it was my pro's other student. (His reaction was an amused and not-entirely-displeased, "you know, I never used to get invigilated for that step back when I was doing it wrong.")

Which is not, of course, meant to imply that that was the first time invigilation had happened at an NDCA competition I'd been at. I'm just agreeing that they do seem to be rather more discreet about it.
 
DL I never seen a college comp that was really into invigilation... it is always pretty much an anything goes attitude at most all of them. Organized chaos (with very little organization).
Click to expand...

I can think of one collegiate comp that specifically has an invigilator, and the one year she couldn't make it was the year we had a chair that herself was pretty hawk-eyed for syllabus infractions. Otherwise, most comps couldn't really care less about it, which drives me up the wall.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Yes invigilation happens at intercollegiate comps. My first comp we lost a place in slow foxtrot to that. The invigilator did mention it to my partner's teacher but since we did not leave the floor between the first infraction and then that dance in the next level, we did not hear the warning. It really was fair. I knew of 3 infractions in our routines that I had given up pleading to change and they only saw one, the over-the-top shaping of what my partner claimed was valid as a preparation step but repeated with each repeat of the choreo so it really was flagrantly not syllabus.

Backseat invigilation is my pass time while spectating. It's fun. I write down a couple's # and the figure and then wait to hear if their # get's called "Couple 123 to the head table please."

I don't do pro-am myself but my teacher has shared with me that some of the choreo he does with his pro-am ladies which I had pointed out to him would get invigilated did, eventually. But since many pro-am single-dance heats the 1st and last place are the same place so I can understand not bothering to invigilate.

I do still have several choreo and costume questions so shall we officially open the new thread then?
 
flying_backwards said:
I do still have several choreo and costume questions so shall we officially open the new thread then?
Click to expand...

I'm not a moderator, but I'd really like to see the threads happen. I think it would be good to keep costume and choreo questions in separate threads. And then perhaps one thread per style for choreo (standard/smooth/rhythm/latin)? Will make it easier to find things later, and easier to keep straight which style we are discussing in dances that occur in both (cha cha, waltz, etc).

It would also be nice if folks specified NDCA or USA Dance (or other) with their questions, as the answers are not necessarily the same.

Just my 2 cents!
 
flying_backwards said:
Backseat invigilation is my pass time while spectating. It's fun. I write down a couple's # and the figure and then wait to hear if their # get's called "Couple 123 to the head table please."
Click to expand...

Heh, like people filling in their own score cards at baseball games. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Dance Ads

Advertise on Dance Forums Reach dancers, teachers, studios, event organizers, and dance-friendly brands. View ad options
Back
Top