US Pro/Am Dance Championships

[snapdancer]

According to this web page: http://www.usproamdancechampionship.com/schedule.html
it's still going on.

 

[nessundorma]

Considering he said O'Dells (plural) and used the word "they" I would say it wasn't recent.

Right. If I remember correctly, the trip to France that he's describing was several years ago. Applausedancefactory, have you attended any of these competitions recently? What were your impressions?

 

[cornutt]

That trip to France was, IIRC, in 2006.

 

[nessundorma]

That trip to France was, IIRC, in 2006.

Thanks, Cornutt. 2006 was before my time, but I think I remember some local folks talking about attending it, or talking about people who attended it.

This particular group, the U. S. Pro/Am Dance Championships, is having a competition in New Orleans in a few weeks. Since New Orleans is an easy day trip from here, I was thinking of making a pleasant weekend in New Orleans and watching a little bit of the competition. Having never been to a competition before, I thought it would be advisable to watch at least one before making any kind of commitment to compete in future events.

So, applausedancefactory (and anyone who has been to any of these competitions recently), I wonder if you might be able to help me contextualize this upcoming experience a little. Are these competitions similar to or representative of other comps, with some extra travel thrown in? Specifically, where on the spectrum would this comp fall in terms of competitiveness?

 

[applausedancefactory]

So, applausedancefactory (and anyone who has been to any of these competitions recently)

I was just at one of these competitions in Mobile, AL, a few weeks ago. It was fun, my students placed well and they enjoyed themselves. These comps are organized, well-run, and have a friendly, almost family, atmosphere.

Are these competitions similar to or representative of other comps, with some extra travel thrown in?

The comps held within the states offer an optional tour of some local attractions and a night on the town (dinner/dancing) on the night before the comp for those who arrive early. The overseas comps are a complete competition/vacation package. When the competition is over, most competitors stay over to take in the local sights and explore the nearby locales.

Specifically, where on the spectrum would this comp fall in terms of competitiveness?

They are not the Ohio Star Ball, and most of these comps would come in a little behind the Triple Crown events as far as competitiveness. At some events a real powerhouse competitive studio will show up and really wow the crowd. On the other hand, the judges are not pushovers. They are very strict about dancing in category. They will, however, warn you first before they penalize your scores. You have the option to tone down your dancing to the entered category or change your category to match your dancing. You can even receive a 2nd place in an uncontested event (dancing off time is the quickest way to accomplish this).

They have 3, 4 and 5 dance championships (open and closed category)(beginner and advanced) in both American and International styles. The also have 3, 4 and 5 dance championships in country western. There are a lot of individual dance entries as well.

 

[snapdancer]

This particular group, the U. S. Pro/Am Dance Championships, is having a competition in New Orleans in a few weeks. Since New Orleans is an easy day trip from here, I was thinking of making a pleasant weekend in New Orleans and watching a little bit of the competition. Having never been to a competition before, I thought it would be advisable to watch at least one before making any kind of commitment to compete in future events.

If you're close to NO, you would also be close to Baton Rouge. The Gumbo competition is next weekend, more details on their website http://gumboofballroom.org/

 

[Loki]

Sidenote: Looks like o2cm is fully recovered.