May 23, 2012
I have only learnt Latin dancing for 4 weeks, but I would like to in the near future start competing. Do I have to get a partner who is around my level? Or what happens if I get a partner who used to be a professional competitor (i.e. he is very advanced)? Does that disqualify me from entering beginners' competitions?
It depends… There are 2 types of competitions: Amateur and Pro/Am.
If the guy is a Pro then he's not eligible to compete in Amateur competition at all. You can compete Pro/Am with him. (Those are usually NDCA-sanctioned competitions.) In Pro/Am, you both can compete at the level that correspods to *your* level of dancing. You will be competing against other couples where one person is a beginner (student, Amateur) and the other is much higher level (teacher, Pro) just like in your case.
For Amateur competitions (meaning that both partners are Amateurs): If one of the dancers in the couple is more advanced the couple dances at the level appropriate for the advanced dancer. For the system of levels and eligibility criteria refer to http://www.usabda.org or http://www.ndca.org
Good luck. I gotta run now.
It depends… There are 2 types of competitions: Amateur and Pro/Am.
If the guy is a Pro then he's not eligible to compete in Amateur competition at all. You can compete Pro/Am with him. (Those are usually NDCA-sanctioned competitions.) In Pro/Am, you both can compete at the level that correspods to *your* level of dancing. You will be competing against other couples where one person is a beginner (student, Amateur) and the other is much higher level (teacher, Pro) just like in your case.
For Amateur competitions (meaning that both partners are Amateurs): If one of the dancers in the couple is more advanced the couple dances at the level appropriate for the advanced dancer. For the system of levels and eligibility criteria refer to http://www.usabda.org or http://www.ndca.org
Good luck. I gotta run now.
References :
You might want to start with a pro-am competition, with your instructor as your partner. This is very popular, and it's still scored according to your level.
References :