Survey - How Many Entries at a Comp

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IndyLady

Forum Master
How many and what entries (single dance and scholarship/championship/multi-dance) do you typically do at a competition? If it varies by comp, I'd be interested in that too. Which comps do you go to (this might be too personal - feel free to PM me if you are willing to share)? Or if you are a pro/instructor, what ranges do you see among your students?

I'm working on my 2019 dance budget. I'm thinking about scaling back the number of single dance entries that I have traditionally done, because right now my wish budget is way bigger than my actual available budget (assuming no dipping into savings or going "red" for the year). However, I'm not sure where I even fit in currently relative to the normal spectrum or benchmark (too many? not enough?). I'm doing Standard and Latin.

If there is already an existing thread that speaks to this topic, I'm happy to look at that as I did not find it in my search efforts. Thanks for any contributions to the data set.
 
For me, there was *some* variation between local and travelling comps, but not a lot. Locals would typically be 4-8 freestyles, one championship and one scholarship. I'd sometimes do two scholarships instead of the championship (dancing down an age category for the second) where that was allowed. For travelling competitions, it'd typically be 8-12 freestyles and any multidance events I could reasonably sign up for without requiring an extra day of dancing. (e.g. pro-am rising star events or gentlemen's championships)
 
I know this has come up before, but probably as parts of other threads. I generally do 4 sets, which could be three sets of singles and one multi, or 2 sets of singles and two multis. I have done as little as two sets of singles and one multi. I'm only dancing one style at the moment. Part of it is what you need and how you dance. Some people certainly do one or two multis and the minimum number of required singles (even on the rare occasion that that is 0 singles). I'm not quite confident enough in my competing to do that.
 
I don't have a "typical", as it varies based on my current goals, but at most it's something like: 1 age category, 1 level, 1 set of singles, 1 championship, 1 scholarship, in 2 styles for pro am, plus a multi-dance am-am. I only do local/driveable comps. If I'm driving, I'll only do one day, so if my two styles are on two different days, I'll just pick my preferred style. If I have a place to crash for free (friend or family), I may do multi-day. I have multiple criteria for choosing what comps to go to, but it's largely a matter of is it worth it for the cost...
 
I haven't danced a 3-dance championship in years, and I dance as few singles as possible to comply with the rules. If I could just roll in, dance my 5-dance event (or events, if there is more than one option) and leave, I would be all over that.

I prioritize large (multiple-day) comps and those that require only one set of singles.
 
For me, it's not an endurance problem but a budget and level-of-caring one :)

Budget: Our entry fees are ridiculously high when compared to pro and am-am events. On top of that, I have to pay pro for every dance that I enter (and he won't let me register and not dance them - because it's bad form, apparently). Those single dances cost me.

Level-of-caring: Singles are through the day, usually (often hours before my 5-dance - which at least means my multi is at night, so thanks for that, organizers!). The ballroom is empty. You "win" a participation award, and maybe some coupons/stickers. You're often uncontested.

Seriously, just let me skip them - treat me like the am/am couples who get to just come in and dance their events. I worked really, really hard to get to the open level, and I just want to be treated like the others that did too... and not like a dance-leper, because I happen to be in pro-am.

(I do get that for some people, singles are a big deal and a huge part of their competitive experience. I'm not saying don't offer them, I just wish I wasn't forced to do them.)
 
Notionally, I was always fine with the idea of not dancing a bunch of events. After all, I started in am-am and that's how things work there. My pro always encouraged me to dance as much as possible. Which I get - as seldom as I danced, time in front of the judges and experience on the competition floor were both valuable. The latter was valuable in a lot of ways, some of which were more obvious than others. For example, the year I did Ohio I was really struck by the pro leads had vastly more experience navigating a crowded competition floor. That was why I was actually always glad to be on the floor with five other events during my freestyles. The more the merrier - I needed the practice.

The numbers I quoted above (which were really a *very* rough guide - there was a fair amount of variation) were sort of the compromise between my am-am instincts and my pro's (good, well-intentioned) guidance on what she felt was best for me.
 
Thanks for all the responses so far. This seems to be a more frugal, "most bang for your buck" crowd, which I can appreciate.

FWIW, I've generally danced 40-50 heats (once you add up single dances & # times on floor for multi-dances) any time I go to a competition or comp-like event. I need at least a handful of "warm-up" single dances - I don't have the ability to go into a scholarship or other multi-dance cold and perform at my best. And I like to dance a lot. However, I've noticed (though am in slight denial) that my endurance isn't what it used to be and I'm reaching a point where I really can't have it all (all that I want, that is) without compromising my finances (not every year can be profitable, but drawing down savings is not sustainable long-term). But it sounds like I could dial back and still be within a common mainstream range.

My pro pointed out someone to me who supposedly does 300 heats every time. So I think I know what both endpoints are on the continuum now. :)
 
I’ve done 100 plus heats over 3 days competing in 3 styles as a bronze pro am dancer. I’m scaling back for a number of reasons- mostly to improve the quality and not just focus on quantity. I also am looking forward to not spending as much. I did enjoy the challenge as well as the physical endurance required and I like the experience it gave me. But I feel like I’m in a different place in my dance journey now. Looking forward to the next year and have started planning my schedule, time off from work, budget etc.
 
I am with fancy feet for pretty much the same reason. I do the minimum singles needed to qualify for the scholarships and do multi-dance championships where I can. It's not about endurance, it's about cost and relevance.
 
Spookisgirl said:
I am with fancy feet for pretty much the same reason. I do the minimum singles needed to qualify for the scholarships and do multi-dance championships where I can. It's not about endurance, it's about cost and relevance.
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Absolutely... as I noted, I’m looking forward to spending less on number of entries. However, it is physically challenging to dance a bunch of entries, and I did enjoy that as well
 
FancyFeet said:
On top of that, I have to pay pro for every dance that I enter (and he won't let me register and not dance them - because it's bad form, apparently). Those single dances cost me.
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Because if you don't dance them, it costs him.
 
I have been a quite a few comps where its quite common for ladies to do only the multi-dance or scholarships in the evening and not dance any single dances. From that I can assume one of two things - they just paid the total for the single dances with the scholarship (but didn't register for them as they weren't in the program), or they just paid for the scholarship and the mandatory singles weren't enforced (unlikely as that would raise too many questions to the organizer, not to mention lost income).

It seems to be most common with comps that have singles in the day and multis or scholarships in the evening. Part of me wonders if dancing singles will become mandatory, not just paying for them. Honestly, just give two prices - one with mandatory singles, one without. I'd be curious to see how many choose the singles...
 
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