 Welcome to the Irish DanceSport Federation
3rd
Nov
2006
How a dance competition is judged.
Published by kind permission of the author,
Dan Radler. (Full details in footnote)
I would like to attempt to answer an often-asked
question of interest to both spectators and
competitors at dance competitions: What factors
does a judge weigh in assessing a couples
performance?
The criteria that a judge might choose to consider
are actually too numerous to examine
individually in the brief time allotted, since
at least six couples are being judged
simultaneously. Therefore, the judge must rely
on the impression each couple makes relative to
the others . The experienced judge, having seen
and studied dancing at all levels, can quickly
assess these factors collectively:
POSTURE
- one of the most important aspects. Good
posture makes you look elegant and exude
confidence. It improves balance and control, and
allows your partner to connect well to your body
in the smooth dances. One’s competition result
is often directly proportional to one’s postural
correctness. Hence the old adage, "Persistent
practice of postural principles promises
perfection."
TIMING - if a couple is not dancing on time with the
music, no amount of proficiency in any other
aspect can overcome this. The music is boss.
LINE - by this we mean the length and stretch of the
body from head to toe. Attractive and well-
executed lines, either curved or straight,
enhance the shapes of the figures.
HOLD - the correct and unaffected positioning of the
body parts when in closed dancing position. For
instance, the line of the man’s arms should be
unbroken from elbow to elbow. Also, there should
be symmetry of the man’s and woman’s arms coming
together to form a circle, which, although
changing in size, should remain constant in
shape so that the dancers remain in correct body
position relative to each other. The silhouette
of the couple should always be pleasing.
POISE - in smooth dancing, the stretch of the woman’s
body upwards and outwards and leftwards into the
man’s right arm to achieve balance and
connection with his frame, as well as to project
outwards to the audience.
TOGETHERNESS - the melding of two people’s body weights
into one, so that leading and following appear
effortless, and the dancers are totally in
synchronisation with each other.
MUSICALITY AND EXPRESSION
- the basic characterisation of the dance to the
particular music being played and the
choreographic adherence to musical phrasings and
accents; also the use of light and shade to
create interest value in response to these
accents and phrases. For instance, in foxtrot,
the stealing of time from one step to allow
another to hover; or a quick speed of turn in an
otherwise slow rumba; or the snap of a head to
suddenly freeze and then melt into slowness in
tango.
PRESENTATION - Does the couple sell their dancing to
the audience? Do they dance outwardly, with
enthusiasm, exuding their joy of dancing and
confidence in their performance? Or do they show
strain or introversion?
POWER - Energy is exciting to watch. I've noticed that,
in a jive, it always seems to be the most
energetic couple that wins this dance. But the
energy must be controlled, not wild. For
instance, powerful movement is an asset in waltz
or foxtrot, but only if it is channelled into
the correct swing of the body, and not just by
taking big steps. The lilt of the music must be
matched by the action of the body. In a waltz
for instance, the dancers' body action must
clearly show the influence of the one down beat
and two up beats. So the release of power into
the beginning of a figure must be controlled and
sustained during the rise at the end of the
figure.
FOOT AND LEG ACTION
- the stroking of feet across the floor in
foxtrot to achieve smoothness and softness; the
deliberate lifting and placing of the feet in
tango to achieve a staccato action; the correct
bending and straightening of the knees in rumba
to create hip motion; the extension of the
ankles and the pointing of the toes of the non-
supporting foot to enhance the line of a figure;
the sequential use of the four joints (hip,
knee, ankle, and toes) to achieve fullness of
action and optimal power; the bending and
straightening of knees and ankles in waltz to
create rise and fall; the use of inside and
outside edges of feet to create style and line
all fall under this most important of
categories.
SHAPE - Shape is the combination of turn and sway to
create a look or a position. For instance, in
Paso Doble does the man create the visual
appearance of manoeuvring his cape? Does the
lady simulate the billowing flow of the cape
through space? In foxtrot, does the man use the
appropriate shape on outside partner steps to
enable body contact to be maintained?
LEAD AND FOLLOW - Does the man lead with his whole body
instead of just his arms? Does the lady follow
effortlessly or does the man have to assist her?
FLOOR CRAFT - This refers not only to avoiding bumping
into other couples, but the ability to continue
dancing without pause when boxed in. It shows
the command of the couple over their
choreography and the ability of the man to
choose and lead figures extrinsic to their usual
work when the necessity presents itself.
INTANGIBLES - such as how a couple "look" together,
whether they "fit" emotionally, their neatness
of appearance, costuming, the flow of their
choreography, and basically whether they look
like "dancers"; all have an affect on a judge’s
perception and therefore on his markings.
Different judges have different predilections in
what they want to see, and weight these factors
differently. One judge, for instance, might be
especially interested in technique, while
another wants to be moved by musicality and
expression. While both factors are obviously
important and need to be considered, it can
result in couples getting widely disparate
markings. Couples wondering what a judge saw to
give them a particularly high or low mark should
know that any one of the many factors listed in
this article could be responsible. The use of a
heel when a toe is warranted can just as easily
hurt you in a judge’s eyes as a meticulous
closing of feet can help. Because the judge sees
each couple for only a few seconds, anything
that draws the attention, either positively or
negatively, could very well be the deciding
factor on how you are marked.
Competitors, please be assured that virtually no
qualified adjudicator will mark you for any
reason other than his or her honest evaluation
of your performance. Most judges hold their own
opinions highly, and try to do a conscientious
job. Anyway, no one judge can make or break you.
The use of a panel of these experts usually
insures that the end result is the correct and
equitable one.
Dan Radler
and Suzanne Hamby
Graduates of MIT and Brown University
respectively, Dan and Suzanne gave up their
careers for the love of ballroom dancing. Since
teaming up in 1979, they have amassed many
titles, including North American Champions,
United States Champions, Eastern U.S. Champions,
United States Ten-Dance Champions, and New
England Champions. They were chosen on four
separate occasions to represent the United
States at the World Championships, and have been
invited to compete all over the world. They
attribute their success to hard work and the
continuous training they received from the
fourteen former World Champions who were their
coaches in Standard and Latin during the five
years they were resident in England.
For thirteen years, from 1983 to 1995, Dan and
Suzanne appeared on dozens of television
programs, both in the United States and abroad.
In 1995 they were honored in a national
television tribute to their many years of
competitive dancing on the occasion of their
retirement from professional competition. They
have performed numerous exhibitions throughout
the U.S., including at Boston's Symphony Hall,
where they danced for the Boston Pops Orchestra.
They are two-time recipients of the prestigious
Feather Award for Best Professional Dancers in
the United States, which they won in 1992 and
1994.
Dan and Suzanne are the recipients of over one
hundred Top Studio and Top Teacher Awards, and
Suzanne has won a Feather Award for Best Female
Dance Teacher in the United States (1997). Their
students include the National Pro-am champion,
the United States Senior Champions, the North
American Senior Champions, the #2 North American
Amateur Champions, the Eastern U.S. Professional
Rising Star Champions, the Eastern U.S. Amateur
Champions, the New England Amateur Champions,
the #2 ranked amateur couple in the U.S., and
the #2 College Team in the U.S.
Dan and Suzanne’s professional accreditations
include membership in the National Dance
Teachers of America and the Professional Dancers
Federation. They are Licentiates of the
Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing in both
the Ballroom and Latin American Branches. They
are registered World Class Adjudicators (a
small group of officials selected to judge World
Championship events) with the National Dance
Council of America, Inc.
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