Purdue University Classic

I'm pretty excited about this comp. We're bringing down a small bunch of brand new dancers from the collegiate team. They've only been dancing since Sept., but really want to compete.

Unfortunately, we're really short on leads so I may have to fill in!
 
Well, I think we'll aim for watching at the very least. Looks like too much fun to miss!

(Still eroding the partner, just in case :D )
 
macha said:
Well, I think we'll aim for watching at the very least. Looks like too much fun to miss!
Click to expand...

And for a day's entertainment, you can't beat the $5 spectator admission fee with a stick! If the LW and I didn't have another obligation that weekend, I'd suggest to her that we attend. Maybe next year.
 
Yep, definitely will be there. I'll be dancing gold/novice standard. Feel free to come by and introduce yourself! :)
 
And I will be there too! Dancing Silver Standard/Smooth and Novice Smooth.

And if I can jump into nightclub with a random person, that would be awesome too *bats lashes*
 
caityrosey said:
And I will be there too! Dancing Silver Standard/Smooth and Novice Smooth.

And if I can jump into nightclub with a random person, that would be awesome too *bats lashes*
Click to expand...

:uplaugh:

Well, good luck in the comp. I hope you find a "random person" who actually knows more than two steps in the NC2S, 'cuz that's all I know!
 
The Purdue competition this past weekend was very large and *hopefully* is a sign that ballroom is gaining momentum in the Midwest. I don't know the final numbers, but I heard there were roughly 350 competitors. The newcomer and bronze levels were massive and had four or five rounds each. (Couples were only allowed to dance one syllabus level so the two levels were not made up of the same competitors dancing two levels.)

Things thinned out as the levels moved up. Silver had mostly semifinals and I think the gold and novice rounds were all straight to final. There was only one prechamp/champ standard couple and a few latin and rhythm coulples in prechamp/champ.

The organizers did a great job handling the large turnout and the competition ran smoothly (although it was a long day!). I think one reason it went so well is that they ran all of the heats for each level at once. So, for example, bronze standard was run more or less back-to-back:

First round bronze waltz
First round bronze quickstep
First round bronze tango
Second round bronze waltz
Second round bronze quickstep
Second round bronze tango
Quarter final bronze waltz
Quarter final bronze quickstep
Quarter final bronze tango
Semi final bronze waltz
Semi final bronze quickstep
Semi final bronze tango
Final bronze waltz
Final bronze quickstep
Final bronze tango

Anyone who danced from the first round through the final was pretty tired, but it meant all the competitors were corralled and waiting for the callbacks in the on-deck area. When events are interleved, people tend to wander off and if people are dancing with multiple partners at multiple levels it can get confusing and then the competition is delayed while missing couples are found.
 
Being originally from the midwest, it's great to hear that ballroom is picking up there. I'm hoping it will attract more studios and teachers so I'll have more places to dance when I go home!

But I have to say running all the heats in a row sounds really painful. I was at a smaller comp once that ran like that, and since we were doing 2 levels we ended up doing 14 dances in a row (all 5 from a semifinal, and then all but viennese in a straight final). I'd much rather have the competition run a bit less smoothly but have a break between rounds!
 
As spectators, my lw and I appreciated the speed with which the Purdue competition moved from heat to heat. Had there been much waiting around for competitors to show up for a heat, the competition surely would not have ended until 5 aor 6 a.m. the next day! And of course, 99 percent of the competitors at Purdue were young adults (college students) with their seemingly unlimited stamina. I can (almost) remember that!
 
What works well at a lot of east coast college comps is to have an lcd projector to post the recalls in advance, so everyone in the next event lines up while the current event is dancing. So it's actually pretty rare that a round is held up because a couple is missing.
 
Anna said:
Being originally from the midwest, it's great to hear that ballroom is picking up there. I'm hoping it will attract more studios and teachers so I'll have more places to dance when I go home!

But I have to say running all the heats in a row sounds really painful. I was at a smaller comp once that ran like that, and since we were doing 2 levels we ended up doing 14 dances in a row (all 5 from a semifinal, and then all but viennese in a straight final). I'd much rather have the competition run a bit less smoothly but have a break between rounds!
Click to expand...

When I was at Windy City Open in Chicago, I had to dance 15 dances in a row, with 1 heat as a break. But since we didn't quite pay attention, we ended up dancing during our break as well (until they announced - we have extra couple on the floor, blah, blah, blah). At Heart Of America, I also had same situation, except I was also switching partners, going from my pro to my husband and back. At the end of all this, I really felt tired.
 
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