Help! Need ballroom dance intel

R

rjl888

New Member
Hi! My name is Robin and I am finishing up a degree in Health and Fitness Science. My big project for one of my classes this semester is to come up with a yearlong periodized plan for a fictional professional ballroom dancer, accounting for competition season, practice time, any strength or supplemental training. I have some questions for anyone who might have experience dancing at this level to help me out! Things I'm hoping to find out:
Is there a competition "season" or do dancers compete year round? Either way, how many competitions per season or month would be realistic?
How many hours a week do professional dancers spend practicing? Are there structured lessons taught by a coach and then independent practice as well?
How many hours a week do they engage in other activities such as strength training to support their dancing?
Any other insight or thoughts on what a pro dancer's schedule might look like at a glance would be super helpful! If anyone has time and willingness to offer any information, it would be super appreciated. Thanks SO much!
-Robin
 
I am just a pro/am competitor, but maybe just to get the conversation started for you: I don’t believe there are many strictly professional ballroom couples in the US as our structure is not really set up in such a way that you could support yourself just competing in ballroom competitions. All of the pros I’m familiar with are pro/am teachers, coaches, judges and exhibition dancers - depending on their experience, knowledge, credentials and name recognition. Pro/am teachers actively teach and compete with their students, coaches coach both a pro couple and/or their pro/am students. A local pro/am teacher may teach for 6 hours a day, practice with their pro partner for 2 hours and also spend a hour or so in the gym weight training/ Pilates / yoga. Many pro/am teachers dance with their students during the competition day and then with their pro partners during the pro events at night. Travis and Jaimee Tuft are excellent examples of pros who do it all - check them out on you tube. They teach, compete, coach, judge and perform exhibition dances at the comp banquet dinners.

to answer your very specific questions- competitions are held year round, there’s only a ”season“ for individual dancers if they choose to adopt such a schedule. Hard to generalize on how many, depends on whether they are trying to make a name for themselves (maybe one a month) or are well established (then probably the bigger comps - 6 times a year)

pro couples generally have one home coach and then take advantage of visiting coaches and specialist coaches. There are not structured lessons as is ballet etc, instead there is choreography and then coaching on the specific choreography

in my very limited experience, I see that most pro couples have to first focus on the activities that pay their bills and then use their “free time” for their own practice and training

hopefully someone with more knowledge than I will chime in
 
National Dance Council of America might give you some ideas about competitions to follow up. World Dance Council also comes to mind. (I'm not a competitor, I refuse to get involved in all the politics and jealousies).
 
5678 said:
I am just a pro/am competitor, but maybe just to get the conversation started for you: I don’t believe there are many strictly professional ballroom couples in the US as our structure is not really set up in such a way that you could support yourself just competing in ballroom competitions. All of the pros I’m familiar with are pro/am teachers, coaches, judges and exhibition dancers - depending on their experience, knowledge, credentials and name recognition. Pro/am teachers actively teach and compete with their students, coaches coach both a pro couple and/or their pro/am students. A local pro/am teacher may teach for 6 hours a day, practice with their pro partner for 2 hours and also spend a hour or so in the gym weight training/ Pilates / yoga. Many pro/am teachers dance with their students during the competition day and then with their pro partners during the pro events at night. Travis and Jaimee Tuft are excellent examples of pros who do it all - check them out on you tube. They teach, compete, coach, judge and perform exhibition dances at the comp banquet dinners.

to answer your very specific questions- competitions are held year round, there’s only a ”season“ for individual dancers if they choose to adopt such a schedule. Hard to generalize on how many, depends on whether they are trying to make a name for themselves (maybe one a month) or are well established (then probably the bigger comps - 6 times a year)

pro couples generally have one home coach and then take advantage of visiting coaches and specialist coaches. There are not structured lessons as is ballet etc, instead there is choreography and then coaching on the specific choreography

in my very limited experience, I see that most pro couples have to first focus on the activities that pay their bills and then use their “free time” for their own practice and training

hopefully someone with more knowledge than I will chime in
Click to expand...
Thank you so much!
 
Also just a Pro-Am competitor, but a couple other things that may be helpful - most Pro competitors compete professionally in only one style of dance, even if they work with and compete in multiple styles with students. If you are trying to draft a health and fitness plan, the type of dance the Pro competes in can impact the non-dance activities and focus of the Pro. At various times, my current Pro competed professionally in both Standard and Latin and said he modified his non-dance training based on the style.

As noted, most Pros teach, most commonly Pro-Am. Competing is expensive, and the price often limits the number of competitions that a Pro can enter. The competiton fees themselves can be hard to fund, but the real costs are travel, clothes etc. Pros will often dance (compete) with their students during the day, who may cover all or some of the travel costs, and then compete professionally at night. Because they are "on the clock" for the majority of the trip, the trips can be long and grueling because some students will complain if the Pro is not generally available. Even wth more understanding (or self-sufficient) students, If you look at some Pros schedules (you can pull these up online), you can see that a Pro could start dancing (with students) at 7 or 8 in the morning, dance 50-60 dances (or more) over the course of the day with multiple students, and then dance multiple rounds competitively starting around 8:30 or 9 pm and going until midnight or later. And then starting with students again the following morning at 7 am. Endurance is really important, and that fact isn't going to jump out at you if you watch competition videos. By the way - if you have any opportunity to go watch an actual Pro competition, that will help you the most understand what they need.

For what it's worth, the Pros I know who teach and compete themselves do not do a lot of other physical activity, especially if they average 6+ hours per day plus 2-3 hours a few times a week for their own training. Although, some do certain dance drills on their own, especially if no clients do drills. I know some competing Pros who do yoga, gyrotonics, low-key aqua aerobics, simple walks or swim, but they all seem more interested in resting their bodies. Oh, and massage therapy (or straight up PT) is often mentioned.

In contrast, the Pros I know who teach mostly children or who coach (this combo is much less common), or have a non-dance job, (e.g., makeup or dress designer or something completely unrelated) do seem to have a pretty structured regime that includes some combination of cardio exercise, stretching, and strength training.
 
There is a kindle book called 'So Do You Think You Can Dance,' written by Yana Blinova (published in 2016). It's an interesting and very short book. Yana competed in Pro Latin and retired around 2014 or so. She and her partner were Pro Latin finalists at Ohio and USDC. It looks like this book has some info that you are looking for.

[side note] Her last partner switched styles and still competing in Pro Smooth with a different partner.

I am attaching a screenshot of the table of contents.

Here's the link of the kindle book at amazon.

 

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Pro fees for competition is not expensive, they usually just do rising star or just the open pro. I think that’s $100 or less entry fee.

A pro I know teaches from 10 am to 9 pm. Practice with pro partner at 10 pm. He also goes to the gym, and run races in weekends.
I’m not sure how he’s not burned out.
 
Plus the International in October.
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I always forget about that one mainly because British national is normally the week after and im nowhere near the level to compete at it even if I had a partner

I find the international interesting particularly because unless you are in the top 48 for amateur or pro
you compete in a sports hall in kent quite a way out of london
 
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Dance Redeemer said:
. Because they are "on the clock" for the majority of the trip, the trips can be long and grueling because some students will complain if the Pro is not generally available
Click to expand...
I think that depends on the Pro. I don't see my studio managers (active Pros who are present and compete at all comps I attend), or my Pro, at all during the the comp, except right before and while we compete. Occasionally I dine with them (that only happened twice so far) after my comp, or I end up sitting next to my Pro while watching studio managers compete, but none of that is planned, expected, or paid for.
 
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