Early competition experiences

S

sbrnsmith

Forum Master
Now I cringe when I think of my early comp experiences.... I guess I am one of those that is slow to catch on.... At first, I thought it was enough to dance a bare minimum of heats with bad hair and makeup, having no talent, time or energy to do more.... And wearing cheap knockoff of designer dresses, because I could not justify the expense.... Coaching, forget it, I knew nothing about that....I am amazed when I think how ill prepared I was for the comp experience... I am slow to catch on I guess, but I do give mad props to my teacher for sticking with the rough beginning because maybe he saw more- all early, cringe-worthy comp experiences, post here... So we can all feel we are not alone
 
Among my first experiences, I remember seeing the top teacher Awards. There were some teachers who had over 200 heats. I didn't really understand what that meant, but I assumed that they must be really good teachers to have received great recognition by the competition.

My first Heats where Pro-Am where I was the student and I didn't really understand what I had achieved when I got the award. My teacher also was trying to see if she could get more Heats so she would be recognized too.

It was all a little strange and the top students apparently spent a lot more money than I had at the time. I believe I was making about $10 per hour and driving an old car.

For a good while after that experience I would go to the competitions so I could watch the pros dance. Being in a small City there would be some good ones that would come from out of town and I would be very excited to watch them. I wasn't really interested in competing for a while until I became a teacher and had students that wanted me to compete.

I never gave up the idea of wanting to be a good dancer but often the competitions just made me more confused about what it meant. I think maybe I'm still a little confused about the relationship of good dancing in competition. So I just keep trying to get better and learn more as I go. The competition part it's something I have done quite a bit now and maybe more in the future but it is not essential to my being by any means.
 
sbrnsmith said:
Now I cringe when I think of my early comp experiences.... I guess I am one of those that is slow to catch on.... At first, I thought it was enough to dance a bare minimum of heats with bad hair and makeup, having no talent, time or energy to do more.... And wearing cheap knockoff of designer dresses, because I could not justify the expense.... Coaching, forget it, I knew nothing about that....I am amazed when I think how ill prepared I was for the comp experience... I am slow to catch on I guess, but I do give mad props to my teacher for sticking with the rough beginning because maybe he saw more- all early, cringe-worthy comp experiences, post here... So we can all feel we are not alone
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well look...I think that if everyone was prepped for their first comp as if they were trying to win the national championship for their level they might not ever come back...there is something to be said for being blissfully unaware...that being said, I do think that when a student conveys a level of seriousness, their pro has a responsibility to make sure that they turn up looking like they are they are a contender...but not everyone has that goal....I know many many people who have competed locally only over decades who are blissfully happy without buying a 4000 dollar gown and having their hair sprayed within an inch of their lives....I know national and world champions who still dance a minimum of heats so I don't think that is an issue AT ALL...I will say that I think it is a good idea for pros to consult with beginners about a baseline level of costuming and how to procure what is needed ....as for costuming, again, I have seen women win major comps in gowns they made...I see no shame in that as long as it is done well...I have also had coachings that were mostly useless and were more about getting that coach enough bookings to make it worth their while to come to a particular studio...shrug...so I think many of these things can be very situation specific....I think that if a new student who has ambition is going to go to a big comp, they ought to get a talk about tanning, hair, make up and costuming...my first pro said very little....other than "wear hose" (something my second pro disagreed with, btw)....but I was fairly ambitious so I bought a designer gown immediately, but I won in a homemade second hand gown at my very next comp...shrug...it was a gown Joe made...what I really wish I was briefed more on was what to expect at comps ...shrug....but mainly, I have no real regrets...I tend to think that the best was to learn is as you go...a little humble pie isn't always a bad thing
 
I totally agree... I guess my point was that one can indeed be blissfully unaware- as I was.... I take some responsibility, as I shoild have/ could have done more research, but I was content to take my pros non existent lead- in retrospect, I think I was one of those students that was slow to catch on to the stuff I could do to enhance my early comp experiences.... I only have to look at the pictures to realize and be grateful for how far I have come.
No disrespect to self made gowns, or makeup, but I don't have the talent to do so- and I'm not a natural dancer either, so I'll take all the help I can get in terms of great dress, hair, makeup etc...
 
I used to take a LOT of shots before a college comp with my then partner. I'm sure it was a trainwreck, especially some of our more complicated Latin routines... especially Paso. I cringe at just the thought of it.
 
I was so woefully unprepared for my first comp. I'd been dancing less than a year and thought that I looked so awesome... borrowed dress, did my own hair, got 'help' with my makeup from a fellow dancer... yeah, not so much (but I've totally seen worse!). Thank goodness it was a small, starter comp. And that less-than-perfect early start helped me focus in on the look I wanted to create; I got a little closer each time out.

More importantly, I didn't know what to expect. I didn't understand what to bring, what things meant, what needed to happen when, where stuff was, etc. Sooo confused. Pro told me some stuff, but not really anything that I really wanted/needed to know that would have made the experience less overwhelming, and definitely didn't do it on a timeline that would have been helpful/calming. I'm now known as the dancer at the studio you want to speak to as you prep for your first comp because I go over the odd little details... probably because I vividly remember my first few competitive experiences and don't see why anyone needs to feel like that!

Some things that I still do a little uncoventionally - I'm a DIY-er. I typically do my own hair, make-up, tan and nails. And generally make my own dresses. I think if you've got the skill, or the time and patience to learn and practice the skill, there's no reason why you can't. Being in charge of my own prep on comp day actually calms me down. And no one knows that my dresses are homemade or that I did my own hair until I tell them. I do appreciate (and communicate) that this approach is not for everyone because it requires a lot of time and planning... but it is possible!

I keep my first comp video handy. When I feel depressed about my [perceived lack of] progress, I watch it... and inevitably feel better about how things are now :)
 
The FADS studios that I have danced at do all of this extremely well. They help the students prepare and keep it in line with what works for a beginning competitor. As the students compete more, the teachers help them move up in terms of dress, hair, make-up, etc. If/when they start competing at NDCA comps, they are ready.
 
RiseNFall said:
The FADS studios that I have danced at do all of this extremely well. They help the students prepare and keep it in line with what works for a beginning competitor. As the students compete more, the teachers help them move up in terms of dress, hair, make-up, etc. If/when they start competing at NDCA comps, they are ready.
Click to expand...

Collegiates work similarly. We had a pre-comp workshop (not as extensive as our club does it now, but it was something) for the newbies, where we were told what to wear, we went over hair and make-up, and since we had group lessons with a pro in our area he also gave us tips before all our competitions. It was really helpful and way less stressful than it could have been. We also work together as a team in a lot of ways, where if you can't do your own hair (raises hand) someone will help you, and we would stone each others hair, etc. There was very little that could set you up for failure.
 
My first comp. Hmmmm. I had been dancing Standard for approx 7 weeks, so I had no expectations for placement. However, before I ever took my first lesson, I had researched every aspect of competitive ballroom dance I could find. Call me Type-A. That's who I am. My pro didn't have to fill me on on anything (make-up, nails, tanning, hair, etc). Even though I danced in a $300 Chinese made gown, and I didn't finish well, I had the time of my life, and that kept me coming back.

I cringe at the thought of the level of dancing I brought to that first comp. But, I felt comfortable in other aspects. I wish I had a video of that comp, to compare to where I am now. That would have been nice. Live and learn. Haha.
 
I remember my first comp with great humour. My studio partner was also partnering 2 other ladies in different age groups (all Partner Excluded events for total beginners). It was like having my own racehorse - constantly changing numbers on his back and taking him up to the start line with the right partner and the instructions to do "X dance". Later comps he decided to have less partners and we had time to sit around and take bets between ourselves on who we thought might win, laugh that we didn't even recognise the dances as something we were learning (quickstep?! What?) and eat pies and drink cups of tea. We didn't care about recalls, but it was exciting when we did get one. We were not allowed to wear comp attire, just street clothes, and since I hated makeup, I didn't wear that either (much to the disgust of my dance teacher!!) One time I won a stupidly huge basket of junk food as a spot prize, so I took out a couple things for myself, let my partner chose some stuff for himself, and gave the rest to the other dancers from our studio. What a feast. If I had a chance I'd do it all again in a flash, at any level, in any age group I was eligible for, and even in a cheaply made dress:D
 
My first comp was a USADance (then USABDA) event in Houston, at the University of Houston Center. I had been dancing for about a year, mostly in group classes, and my amateur partner and I competed at two levels in every style, every dance.

I wore a cocktail dress for smooth and standard and (I think) stretchy black skirt for latin. I did my own hair and makeup. We did quite well and had an absolute blast - Our next comp was an NDCA event in Las Vegas about 5 months later and by then we had costumes.
 
The first ever bit of competitive dancing that DW and I ever did was a solo heat at Vol State, many years ago. We drove up in the morning with the expectation that when we arrived, we would have about two hours before our first heat, according to the program. When we arrived, we found out that there had been a schedule rearrangement and they wanted us on the floor for our solo heat right away. They gave us five minutes to change, and then we went out to do the solo. I've told this story before here... we had a routine where we started some distance apart, and then I had a certain number of measures I had to dance to reach her. I had learned in our home studio that if I started at a certain corner of the floor, the distance was right for the steps I needed to take... but at the comp, the floor was much larger and I had no idea where to start! I tried to guess the distance and I took a spot on the floor and the music started. When my cue came, I started moving towards my partner and realized I was waaaaaaaay too far away... I pretty much did hurdles across the floor to cover the distance. I'm sure it looked really graceful. :eek:
 
hmmm, first comp with my amateur partner. Newcomer latin, in a crushed velvet black dress that i altered and stoned myself. My partner and I had so much fun that someone came up to us and told us that we were a joy to watch because we were enjoying ourselves. Ended up with a picture in the local paper, which was kinda cool. The dancing was...newcomer latin-esque, lol! First comp after a 5 year break was small but fun - startled my 1.5 year old with my big lashes and heavy makeup. still have videos from that too, with my too-light fishnets and sort-of half-professionally made dress. Good thread! what memories!
 
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